---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel like metaphors are best when they…"
description: "\"I feel like metaphors are best when they spin in place. Like when they work and don't work, or lead to a bigger question.\" — Jordan Wolfson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/jordan-wolfson-68131_bigger_i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they_1698644.jpg"
---

#  I feel like metaphors are best when they spin in place…

![“I feel like metaphors are best when they spin in place. Like when they work and don't work, or lead to a bigger question.” quote by Jordan Wolfson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/jordan-wolfson-68131_bigger_i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they_1698644.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/jordan-wolfson-68131_bigger_i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they_1698644.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/jordan-wolfson-68131_bigger_i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they_1698644.jpg)

> “I feel like metaphors are best when they spin in place. Like when they work and don't work, or lead to a bigger question.”

[Jordan Wolfson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-wolfson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Metaphors work best when they are dynamic, prompting reflection rather than giving fixed answers.

**In simple terms:** Dynamic metaphors spark thought.

Key Takeaway

Use metaphors that provoke questions.

Themes

creativity reflection language

Mood

thoughtful provocative

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- art critiques
- teaching
- public speaking

Key Concepts

cognitive flexibility interpretive ambiguity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance clarity and mystery?
- When does a metaphor become a distraction?

A Different Perspective

Some audiences may find ambiguous metaphors confusing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Like Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-metaphors-1128503/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors/) [Metaphors Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors-best-1128502/) [Spin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spin/)

## Related quotes

> [“Similes are like metaphors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/similes-are-like-metaphors/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I believe that a work of art, like metaphors in language, can ask the most serious, difficult questions in a way which really makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-believe-that-a-work-of-art-like-metaphors-in-language-can-ask-the/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [It may be that universal history is the history of the different intonations given a handful of metaphors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/it-may-be-that-universal-history-is-the-history-of-the-different/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I toyed briefly with an image someone once mentioned to me, of a village in the shadow of a twin-peaked mountain. In the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-toyed-briefly-with-an-image-someone-once-mentioned-to-me-of-a/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [American art in general... takes to surreal exaggerations and metaphors; but its Puritan work ethic has little use for the playful self-indulgence behind Parisian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/american-art-in-general-takes-to-surreal-exaggerations-and-metaphors/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [Life, as the most ancient of all metaphors insists, is a journey; and the travel book, in its deceptive simulation of the journey's fits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raban/life-as-the-most-ancient-of-all-metaphors-insists-is-a-journey-and/)

[Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/)

> [As history shows, dead metaphors make good idols.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-a-johnson/as-history-shows-dead-metaphors-make-good-idols/)

[Elizabeth A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-a-johnson/)

> [Metaphors are not user-friendly. They're difficult to find and difficult to use well. Unfortunately, metaphors are a mainstay of good lyric writing-indeed of most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-pattison/metaphors-are-not-user-friendly-they-re-difficult-to-find-and/)

[Pat Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-pattison/)

> [“Because everything you perceive is a metaphor for something your brain is not equipped to fully understand. God is as real as the clothes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/because-everything-you-perceive-is-a-metaphor-for-something-your/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

> [She does not love you. Your metaphors thrill her you are her poet. But that's all there's to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/she-does-not-love-you-your-metaphors-thrill-her-you-are-her-poet-but/)

[Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/)

> [Heart and Brain are the two lords of life. In the metaphors of ordinary speech and in the stricter language of science, we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/heart-and-brain-are-the-two-lords-of-life-in-the-metaphors-of/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [Time, space, and causality are only metaphors of knowledge, with which we explain things to ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/time-space-and-causality-are-only-metaphors-of-knowledge-with-which/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The cure for mixed metaphors, I have always found, is for the patient to be obliged to draw a picture of the result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-levin/the-cure-for-mixed-metaphors-i-have-always-found-is-for-the-patient/)

[Bernard Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-levin/)

> [Because you continue to inhabit and believe your metaphors, you cannot see what is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/because-you-continue-to-inhabit-and-believe-your-metaphors-you-cannot/)

[William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/)

> [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

## More by Jordan Wolfson

> [The work really isn't about the specific content to me. As I'm putting things together, it's more about consistencies in form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-wolfson/the-work-really-isn-t-about-the-specific-content-to-me-as-i-m-putting/)

[Jordan Wolfson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-wolfson/)

> [I don't hate things, but I'm turned off by arrogance. I also don't like power for the sake of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-wolfson/i-don-t-hate-things-but-i-m-turned-off-by-arrogance-i-also-don-t-like/)

[Jordan Wolfson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-wolfson/)

> [What gets me excited by the process of making art is how unrelated elements get fused, which is a formal process. The content is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-wolfson/what-gets-me-excited-by-the-process-of-making-art-is-how-unrelated/)

[Jordan Wolfson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-wolfson/)

[Explore all 4 Jordan Wolfson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-wolfson/)

## More Bigger quotes

> [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/)

[Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/)

[Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/)

> [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

> [Max—you have a bigger mission than finding the flock's parents. Focus on helping the whole world, not just your friends. I held my wings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/max-you-have-a-bigger-mission-than-finding-the-flock-s-parents-focus/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [Sometimes people can write really great scenes and even a great episode, but they can't see the bigger picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-night-shyamalan/sometimes-people-can-write-really-great-scenes-and-even-a-great/)

[M. Night Shyamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-night-shyamalan/)

> [Never be too busy for the people you love. Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relationships. Love is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-willis/never-be-too-busy-for-the-people-you-love-never-allow-pursuits-or/)

[Dave Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-willis/)

> [If you consider yourself a part of the culture, then finances can't allow you to be bigger than the actual art form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/if-you-consider-yourself-a-part-of-the-culture-then-finances-can-t/)

[Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/)

> [If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-truett-cathy/if-we-get-better-our-customers-will-demand-we-get-bigger/)

[S. Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/)

> [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [I think everyone has been annoyed at school or in their life, that's a type of bullying. So, you can take those feelings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kodi-smit-mcphee/i-think-everyone-has-been-annoyed-at-school-or-in-their-life-that-s-a/)

[Kodi Smit-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kodi-smit-mcphee/)

> [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/)

[Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/)

[Browse all 3,614 Bigger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I feel like metaphors are best when they spin in place. Like when they work and don't work, or lead to a bigger question.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jordan Wolfson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-wolfson/i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they-spin-in-place-like-when-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bigger"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-wolfson/i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they-spin-in-place-like-when-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/jordan-wolfson-68131_bigger_i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they_1698644.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/jordan-wolfson-68131_bigger_i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they_1698644.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/jordan-wolfson-68131_bigger_i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they_1698644.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I feel like metaphors are best when they spin in place. Like when they work and don't work, or lead to a…” — Jordan Wolfson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jordan Wolfson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-wolfson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I feel like metaphors are best...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-wolfson/i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they-spin-in-place-like-when-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-wolfson/i-feel-like-metaphors-are-best-when-they-spin-in-place-like-when-they/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
