--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The things that are said in literature…" description: "\"The things that are said in literature are always the same. What is important is the way they are said. Looking for metaphors, for example: When I was ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/856/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_the-things-that-are-said-in-literature-a_1352703.jpg" --- # The things that are said in literature are always the… ![“The things that are said in literature are always the same. What is important is the way they are said. Looking for metaphors, for example: When I was a young man I was always hunting for new metaphors. Then I found out that really good metaphors are always the same.” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/856/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_the-things-that-are-said-in-literature-a_1352703.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/856/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_the-things-that-are-said-in-literature-a_1352703.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/856/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_the-things-that-are-said-in-literature-a_1352703.jpg) > “The things that are said in literature are always the same. What is important is the way they are said. Looking for metaphors, for example: When I was a young man I was always hunting for new metaphors. Then I found out that really good metaphors are always the same.” [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literature repeats themes; originality lies in presentation and metaphorical framing. **In simple terms:** Stories repeat; style matters. Key Takeaway Focus on how you tell a story. Themes literature creativity style metaphor originality Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary analysis - creative teaching - storytelling Key Concepts narrative theory symbolic language repetition Questions to Reflect On - What makes a metaphor feel fresh? - How can you reinvent familiar ideas? A Different Perspective Metaphors can become clichéd if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Hunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunting/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) ## Related quotes > [The things that are said in literature are always the same. 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If I had based my characters in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-bajaj/journeys-become-very-good-metaphors-they-always-have-the-character/) [Karan Bajaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-bajaj/) > [I love writing for young people. It's the literature that was most important to me, the stories that shaped me and informed my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-love-writing-for-young-people-it-s-the-literature-that-was-most/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I think that literature has the important effect of creating free, independent, critical citizens who cannot be manipulated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-that-literature-has-the-important-effect-of-creating-free/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Storytelling is how we survive, when there's no feed, the story feeds something, it feeds the spirit, the imagination. I can't imagine life without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/storytelling-is-how-we-survive-when-there-s-no-feed-the-story-feeds/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Is literature more important than hurting people? You can't argue that. You can't say it. It's impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/is-literature-more-important-than-hurting-people-you-can-t-argue-that/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [Whatever Kurt Vonnegut's ultimate status will be in the annals of literature, he was important to a lot of people right now. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/whatever-kurt-vonnegut-s-ultimate-status-will-be-in-the-annals-of/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [ \[ Mrs. James, my fifth-grade teacher\] introduced us to these authors early on and taught us that their literature is important. Langston Hughes -… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/mrs-james-my-fifth-grade-teacher-introduced-us-to-these-authors-early/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [We honor ambition, we reward greed, we celebrate materialism, we worship acquisitiveness, we commercialize art, we cherish success and then we bark at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/we-honor-ambition-we-reward-greed-we-celebrate-materialism-we-worship/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [The connection between psychology, mythology, and literature is as important as the connection between psychology and biology and the hard sciences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peterson/the-connection-between-psychology-mythology-and-literature-is-as/) [Jordan Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peterson/) > [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/) > [“The most prolific and accomplished hunters were not the most bloodthirsty and indefatigable. They were the most cool and empathetic. They were the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-dutton/the-most-prolific-and-accomplished-hunters-were-not-the-most/) [Kevin Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-dutton/) > [“(Quoting her friend Tom Black on an amateur hunter's injury:) "Lion, rifles -- and stupidity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/quoting-her-friend-tom-black-on-an-amateur-hunter-s-injury-lion/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) ## More by Jorge Luis Borges > [“No hables a menos que puedas mejorar el silencio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/no-hables-a-menos-que-puedas-mejorar-el-silencio/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [How can we manage to illuminate the pathos of our lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/how-can-we-manage-to-illuminate-the-pathos-of-our-lives/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Loneliness does not worry me; life is difficult enough, putting up with yourself and with your own habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/loneliness-does-not-worry-me-life-is-difficult-enough-putting-up-with/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The fact is that all writers create their precursors. 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