---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our disputants put me in mind of the…"
description: "\"Our disputants put me in mind of the cuttlefish that, when he is unable to extricate himself, blackens the water about him till he becomes invisible.\" ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/joseph-addison-377_cuttlefish_our-disputants-put-me-in-mind-of-the-cut_3206559.png"
---

#  Our disputants put me in mind of the cuttlefish that, when…

![“Our disputants put me in mind of the cuttlefish that, when he is unable to extricate himself, blackens the water about him till he becomes invisible.” quote by Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/joseph-addison-377_cuttlefish_our-disputants-put-me-in-mind-of-the-cut_3206559.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/joseph-addison-377_cuttlefish_our-disputants-put-me-in-mind-of-the-cut_3206559.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cf/joseph-addison-377_cuttlefish_our-disputants-put-me-in-mind-of-the-cut_3206559.png)

> “Our disputants put me in mind of the cuttlefish that, when he is unable to extricate himself, blackens the water about him till he becomes invisible.”

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

## About This Quote

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

A person who cannot escape a problem may hide or distract others to avoid being seen.

**In simple terms:** Hiding when trapped.

Key Takeaway

Avoid confronting issues directly.

Themes

deception avoidance visibility

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

advice observational

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- personal reputation
- public speaking

Key Concepts

psychology social behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do you hide when stuck?
- What are healthier ways to face difficulty?

A Different Perspective

Hiding may worsen the problem and erode trust.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Slander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slander/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/)

## Related quotes

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> [How did an allegedly free people spawn a vast, rampant cuttlefish of dominion with its tentacles in every orifice of the body politic?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/how-did-an-allegedly-free-people-spawn-a-vast-rampant-cuttlefish-of/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [He that uses many words for explaining any subject, doth, like the cuttlefish, hide himself for the most part in his own ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ray/he-that-uses-many-words-for-explaining-any-subject-doth-like-the/)

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> [I grew up in the Southwest of the U.K., on the coast in Cornwall. I used to keep a marine fish tank outside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-palladio/i-grew-up-in-the-southwest-of-the-u-k-on-the-coast-in-cornwall-i-used/)

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Alister Hardy

> [Some people find the appearance of cuttlefish off-putting, but I think this lesser eaten fish is really exciting and versatile. It's similar to squid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-galetti/some-people-find-the-appearance-of-cuttlefish-off-putting-but-i-think/)

[Monica Galetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-galetti/)

> [It is always to be understood that a lady takes all you detract from the rest of her sex to be a gift to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/it-is-always-to-be-understood-that-a-lady-takes-all-you-detract-from/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [There is nobody so weak of invention that cannot make some little stories to villify his enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-nobody-so-weak-of-invention-that-cannot-make-some-little/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [The tongue of slander is too prompt with wanton malice to wound the stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-tongue-of-slander-is-too-prompt-with-wanton-malice-to-wound-the/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [The most effective method of propaganda directed at the enemy forces is to release captured soldiers and give the wounded medical treatment... Whenever soldiers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/the-most-effective-method-of-propaganda-directed-at-the-enemy-forces/)

[Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/)

> [“Slander does to a soul what cancer does to a cell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/slander-does-to-a-soul-what-cancer-does-to-a-cell/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

> [Slander is a poison which kills charity, both in the slanderer and the one who listens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-of-clairvaux/slander-is-a-poison-which-kills-charity-both-in-the-slanderer-and-the/)

[Bernard of Clairvaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-of-clairvaux/)

> [Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/ring-out-false-pride-in-place-and-blood-the-civic-slander-and-the/)

[Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/)

## More by Joseph Addison

> [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [There is nothing touches our imagination so much as a beautiful woman in a plain dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-nothing-touches-our-imagination-so-much-as-a-beautiful-woman/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [We are always doing something for posterity, but I would fain see posterity do something for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/we-are-always-doing-something-for-posterity-but-i-would-fain-see/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Female Virtues are of a Domestick turn. The Family is the proper Province for Private Women to Shine in. If they must be showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/female-virtues-are-of-a-domestick-turn-the-family-is-the-proper/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [As addictions go, reading is among the cleanest, easiest to feed, happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/as-addictions-go-reading-is-among-the-cleanest-easiest-to-feed/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

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> [When love once pleads admission to our hearts, In spite of all the virtue we can boast, The woman that deliberates is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/when-love-once-pleads-admission-to-our-hearts-in-spite-of-all-the/)

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> [The most skillful flattery is to let a person talk on, and be a listener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-most-skillful-flattery-is-to-let-a-person-talk-on-and-be-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

[Explore all 620 Joseph Addison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

## More Cuttlefish quotes

> [Some people find the appearance of cuttlefish off-putting, but I think this lesser eaten fish is really exciting and versatile. It's similar to squid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-galetti/some-people-find-the-appearance-of-cuttlefish-off-putting-but-i-think/)

[Monica Galetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-galetti/)

> [There is the life of the plankton in almost endless variety; there are the many kinds of fish, both surface and bottom living; there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-hardy/there-is-the-life-of-the-plankton-in-almost-endless-variety-there-are/)

Alister Hardy

> [I grew up in the Southwest of the U.K., on the coast in Cornwall. I used to keep a marine fish tank outside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-palladio/i-grew-up-in-the-southwest-of-the-u-k-on-the-coast-in-cornwall-i-used/)

[Sam Palladio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-palladio/)

> [He that uses many words for explaining any subject, doth, like the cuttlefish, hide himself for the most part in his own ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ray/he-that-uses-many-words-for-explaining-any-subject-doth-like-the/)

[John Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ray/)

> [How did an allegedly free people spawn a vast, rampant cuttlefish of dominion with its tentacles in every orifice of the body politic?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/how-did-an-allegedly-free-people-spawn-a-vast-rampant-cuttlefish-of/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [“Look — here it comes, its bones are plastic, it builds itself from pallet slat & bottle top, rises from sift, is lashed &…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/look-here-it-comes-its-bones-are-plastic-it-builds-itself-from-pallet/)

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Browse all 8 Cuttlefish quotes

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