--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: breathe dead hippo, so to speak, and not…" description: "\"“breathe dead hippo, so to speak, and not be contaminated.”\" — Joseph Conrad" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/joseph-conrad-336_hippo_breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-b_3010864.jpg" --- # breathe dead hippo, so to speak, and not be contaminated. ![“breathe dead hippo, so to speak, and not be contaminated.” quote by Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/joseph-conrad-336_hippo_breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-b_3010864.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/joseph-conrad-336_hippo_breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-b_3010864.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/joseph-conrad-336_hippo_breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-b_3010864.jpg) > ““breathe dead hippo, so to speak, and not be contaminated.”” [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The phrase suggests avoiding toxic influences, using a vivid metaphor to warn against contamination. **In simple terms:** Avoid harmful influences. Key Takeaway Steer clear of toxic situations. Themes caution health environment Mood cautious serious Type advice metaphorical When to use this quote - workplace - personal life - social circles Key Concepts contamination metaphor prevention Questions to Reflect On - What "dead hippo" represents in your life? - How can you protect yourself from contamination? A Different Perspective Metaphors may be unclear without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breathe Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathe-dead-4789468/) [Dead Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-hippo-4789469/) [Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippo/) [Hippo Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippo-speak-4827474/) [Speak Contaminated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-contaminated-4827475/) ## Related quotes > [You can't breathe dead hippo waking, sleeping, and eating, and at the same time keep your precarious grip on existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/you-can-t-breathe-dead-hippo-waking-sleeping-and-eating-and-at-the/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“It is often thought that spirits in the after-world do not breathe as we might do - and that in being dead, one does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-brunsdon/it-is-often-thought-that-spirits-in-the-after-world-do-not-breathe-as/) [Gabriel Brunsdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-brunsdon/) > [The earth for us is a place to live in, where we must put up with sights, with sounds, with smells, too, by Jove!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-earth-for-us-is-a-place-to-live-in-where-we-must-put-up-with/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“attacker. The tusks on a hippo too are formidable weapons that are used to good effect against rivals, or as a threat display (their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-brakspear/attacker-the-tusks-on-a-hippo-too-are-formidable-weapons-that-are/) [Patrick Brakspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-brakspear/) > [ “Back in the kitchen, Mummy was trying to make her \[knitted\] hippo stand up on the table. I had to swallow a gasp of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hester-browne/back-in-the-kitchen-mummy-was-trying-to-make-her-knitted-hippo-stand/) [Hester Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hester-browne/) > [Grant what Thou commandest, and command what Thou wilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/grant-what-thou-commandest-and-command-what-thou-wilt/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [We wandered the halls of an infinite magic nursing home, led by a hippo nurse with a torch. Really, just an ordinary night for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/we-wandered-the-halls-of-an-infinite-magic-nursing-home-led-by-a/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“I am she who lifts the mountains When she goes to hunt, Who wears mamba for a headband And a lion for a belt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-farmer/i-am-she-who-lifts-the-mountains-when-she-goes-to-hunt-who-wears/) [Nancy Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-farmer/) > [“Don’t worry, Houndstooth. This hippo caper will go off without a hitch.” Houndstooth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-gailey/don-t-worry-houndstooth-this-hippo-caper-will-go-off-without-a-hitch/) [Sarah Gailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-gailey/) > [I'm not fighting with myself. Oh, my God. That's how I am. You know, the story of the hippo? The hippo comes to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marat-safin/i-m-not-fighting-with-myself-oh-my-god-that-s-how-i-am-you-know-the/) [Marat Safin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marat-safin/) > [The fact is that philosophy has been a decisive source of inspiration in all the great crises that Europe has faced. It has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-esposito/the-fact-is-that-philosophy-has-been-a-decisive-source-of-inspiration/) [Roberto Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-esposito/) > [“idea of whacking the hippo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-gibbs/idea-of-whacking-the-hippo/) [Stuart Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-gibbs/) > [Hippos kill more people in Africa annually than any other wild animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/hippos-kill-more-people-in-africa-annually-than-any-other-wild-animal/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [For what is faith unless it is to believe what you do not see?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/for-what-is-faith-unless-it-is-to-believe-what-you-do-not-see/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Curled up at the base of the scales, fast asleep, was the oddest monster I'd seen yet. It had the head of crocodile with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/curled-up-at-the-base-of-the-scales-fast-asleep-was-the-oddest/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) ## More by Joseph Conrad > [“Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/hunters-for-gold-or-pursuers-of-fame-they-all-had-gone-out-on-that/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Let the earth and the sea each have its own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/let-the-earth-and-the-sea-each-have-its-own/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [He hated all this, and somehow he couldn't get away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/he-hated-all-this-and-somehow-he-couldn-t-get-away/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“A fool, what with sheer fright and fine sentiments, is always safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/a-fool-what-with-sheer-fright-and-fine-sentiments-is-always-safe/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The mind of man is capable of anything-because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future. What was there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-mind-of-man-is-capable-of-anything-because-everything-is-in-it/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Few men realize that their life, the very essence of their character, their capabilities and their audacities, are only the expression of their belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/few-men-realize-that-their-life-the-very-essence-of-their-character/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Perhaps on some quiet night the tremor of far-off drums, sinking, swelling, a tremor vast, faint; a sound weird, appealing, suggestive and wild -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/perhaps-on-some-quiet-night-the-tremor-of-far-off-drums-sinking/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“All that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/all-that-mysterious-life-of-the-wilderness-that-stirs-in-the-forest/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“The fascination of the abomination—you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-fascination-of-the-abomination-you-know/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/it-s-only-those-who-do-nothing-that-make-no-mistakes-i-suppose/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Thieving was not a sheer absurdity. It was a form of human industry, perverse indeed, but still an industry exercised in an industrious world;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/thieving-was-not-a-sheer-absurdity-it-was-a-form-of-human-industry/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I found myself back in the sepulchral city resenting the sight of people hurrying through the streets to filch a little money from each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-found-myself-back-in-the-sepulchral-city-resenting-the-sight-of/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Society was calling to its accomplished child to come, to be taken care of, to be instructed, to be judged, to be condemned; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/society-was-calling-to-its-accomplished-child-to-come-to-be-taken/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [I was constantly watching myself, my secret self, as dependent on my actions as my own personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-was-constantly-watching-myself-my-secret-self-as-dependent-on-my/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) [Explore all 645 Joseph Conrad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) ## More Hippo quotes > [Curled up at the base of the scales, fast asleep, was the oddest monster I'd seen yet. It had the head of crocodile with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/curled-up-at-the-base-of-the-scales-fast-asleep-was-the-oddest/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [For what is faith unless it is to believe what you do not see?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/for-what-is-faith-unless-it-is-to-believe-what-you-do-not-see/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Hippos kill more people in Africa annually than any other wild animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ayittey/hippos-kill-more-people-in-africa-annually-than-any-other-wild-animal/) [George Ayittey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ayittey/) > [“idea of whacking the hippo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-gibbs/idea-of-whacking-the-hippo/) [Stuart Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-gibbs/) > [The fact is that philosophy has been a decisive source of inspiration in all the great crises that Europe has faced. It has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-esposito/the-fact-is-that-philosophy-has-been-a-decisive-source-of-inspiration/) [Roberto Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-esposito/) > [I'm not fighting with myself. Oh, my God. That's how I am. You know, the story of the hippo? The hippo comes to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marat-safin/i-m-not-fighting-with-myself-oh-my-god-that-s-how-i-am-you-know-the/) [Marat Safin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marat-safin/) > [“Don’t worry, Houndstooth. This hippo caper will go off without a hitch.” Houndstooth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-gailey/don-t-worry-houndstooth-this-hippo-caper-will-go-off-without-a-hitch/) [Sarah Gailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-gailey/) > [“I am she who lifts the mountains When she goes to hunt, Who wears mamba for a headband And a lion for a belt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-farmer/i-am-she-who-lifts-the-mountains-when-she-goes-to-hunt-who-wears/) [Nancy Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-farmer/) > [We wandered the halls of an infinite magic nursing home, led by a hippo nurse with a torch. Really, just an ordinary night for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/we-wandered-the-halls-of-an-infinite-magic-nursing-home-led-by-a/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Grant what Thou commandest, and command what Thou wilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/grant-what-thou-commandest-and-command-what-thou-wilt/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [ “Back in the kitchen, Mummy was trying to make her \[knitted\] hippo stand up on the table. I had to swallow a gasp of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hester-browne/back-in-the-kitchen-mummy-was-trying-to-make-her-knitted-hippo-stand/) [Hester Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hester-browne/) > [“attacker. The tusks on a hippo too are formidable weapons that are used to good effect against rivals, or as a threat display (their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-brakspear/attacker-the-tusks-on-a-hippo-too-are-formidable-weapons-that-are/) [Patrick Brakspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-brakspear/) > [Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/come-unto-me-all-ye-that-labor-and-are-heavy-laden/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [I'd say the best is when I was in Africa, I saw a hippo in a house. Someone had a pet hippo. And they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/i-d-say-the-best-is-when-i-was-in-africa-i-saw-a-hippo-in-a-house/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [The hippo of recollection stirred in the muddy waters of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-hippo-of-recollection-stirred-in-the-muddy-waters-of-the-mind/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Browse all 61 Hippo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippo/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“breathe dead hippo, so to speak, and not be contaminated.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Conrad" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-be-contaminated/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hippo" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-be-contaminated/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/joseph-conrad-336_hippo_breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-b_3010864.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/joseph-conrad-336_hippo_breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-b_3010864.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a9/joseph-conrad-336_hippo_breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-b_3010864.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“breathe dead hippo, so to speak, and not be contaminated.” — Joseph Conrad", "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": "Joseph Conrad", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“breathe dead hippo, so to speak,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-be-contaminated/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/breathe-dead-hippo-so-to-speak-and-not-be-contaminated/#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 } } ] } ```