--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But why bother trying to turn a monkey…" description: "\"“But why bother trying to turn a monkey into a goat?”\" — Lisa See" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/lisa-see-2200_goat_but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-i_3166573.jpg" --- # But why bother trying to turn a monkey into a goat? ![“But why bother trying to turn a monkey into a goat?” quote by Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/lisa-see-2200_goat_but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-i_3166573.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/lisa-see-2200_goat_but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-i_3166573.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/lisa-see-2200_goat_but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-i_3166573.jpg) > ““But why bother trying to turn a monkey into a goat?”” [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning futile attempts to change inherent nature; accept differences rather than force transformation. **In simple terms:** Don’t force change that goes against nature. Key Takeaway Accept natural differences. Themes acceptance identity change nature effort Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationships - cultural exchange - personal growth Key Concepts essentialism human nature Questions to Reflect On - Is the effort worth the outcome? - What respects inherent nature? A Different Perspective Change may be possible with empathy and patience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Monkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monkey/) ## Related quotes > [The phrase 'I just turn on my monkey and it makes me feel good' sounds very dirty, but I can't explain why. It's great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/the-phrase-i-just-turn-on-my-monkey-and-it-makes-me-feel-good-sounds/) [Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/) > [Don't bother trying to guilt me. Ask my other. It doesn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/don-t-bother-trying-to-guilt-me-ask-my-other-it-doesn-t-work/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Why bother trying? What was the point? So I could go to some suck-ass college, get a diploma, march out into a job that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/why-bother-trying-what-was-the-point-so-i-could-go-to-some-suck-ass/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“She slanted him a wary look. “Are you just trying to make me feel good? If so, don’t bother.” “If I was trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-adrian/she-slanted-him-a-wary-look-are-you-just-trying-to-make-me-feel-good/) [Lara Adrian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-adrian/) > [Generally, I don't bother trying to keep up with prolific bands - but Thee Oh Sees demand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/generally-i-don-t-bother-trying-to-keep-up-with-prolific-bands-but/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [If you don't believe you can make every putt, why bother trying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-els/if-you-don-t-believe-you-can-make-every-putt-why-bother-trying/) [Ernie Els](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-els/) > [Live your own life your own way. You can never make everyone like you, so dont bother trying, just focus on you and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/live-your-own-life-your-own-way-you-can-never-make-everyone-like-you/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [I don't mind sitting behind Tom Brady. That is the GOAT himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-jackson/i-don-t-mind-sitting-behind-tom-brady-that-is-the-goat-himself/) [Lamar Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-jackson/) > [The goat's business is none of the sheep's concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/the-goat-s-business-is-none-of-the-sheep-s-concern/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [Rappers only shine light on things that are relevant, and if it's referencing an athlete, that means they're the GOAT, like Tom Brady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sony-michel/rappers-only-shine-light-on-things-that-are-relevant-and-if-it-s/) [Sony Michel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sony-michel/) > [You can lose. Michael Jordan lost, but that doesn't mean he wasn't the GOAT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-butler/you-can-lose-michael-jordan-lost-but-that-doesn-t-mean-he-wasn-t-the/) [Jimmy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-butler/) > [“Holy fucking goat scrotums!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-monroe/holy-fucking-goat-scrotums/) [Max Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-monroe/) > [You eat a lot of goat stomach when you're in North Africa. You eat whatever's put in front of you. I am a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-farrow/you-eat-a-lot-of-goat-stomach-when-you-re-in-north-africa-you-eat/) [Ronan Farrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-farrow/) > [I love collard greens and sweet potatoes. But like, traveling, I'm always just looking for that thing where you feel like there's love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neneh-cherry/i-love-collard-greens-and-sweet-potatoes-but-like-traveling-i-m/) [Neneh Cherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neneh-cherry/) > [“swallow a whole goat, but they cannot hear, whereas”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/swallow-a-whole-goat-but-they-cannot-hear-whereas/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Lisa See > [“the birth of the twins and what happened to them, although traditional, has transformed me as irreversibly as soaking cloth in a vat of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/the-birth-of-the-twins-and-what-happened-to-them-although-traditional/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [When the sun is shining, think of the time it won't be, because even when you're sitting in your house with the doors shut,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-the-sun-is-shining-think-of-the-time-it-won-t-be-because-even/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [Snow Flower was my old same for life. I had a greater and deeper love for her than I could ever feel for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/snow-flower-was-my-old-same-for-life-i-had-a-greater-and-deeper-love/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“When she reaches the ground, she looks from the old woman to me. A moment of confusion. Then recognition. I know her too, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-she-reaches-the-ground-she-looks-from-the-old-woman-to-me-a/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“huigan—causes us to turn inward and reflect as the liquor coats our tongues, shimmers down our throats, and then rises again as fragrance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/huigan-causes-us-to-turn-inward-and-reflect-as-the-liquor-coats-our/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“...maybe writing doesn't require sacrifice. Maybe it's a gift to experience emotions through our brushes, ink, and paper. I wrote out sorrow, fear, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/maybe-writing-doesn-t-require-sacrifice-maybe-it-s-a-gift-to/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“You can always count on people to crowded your party when you’re in glory but you should never dream of people sending you charcoal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/you-can-always-count-on-people-to-crowded-your-party-when-you-re-in/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [Let those who believe, believe. Let those who doubt, doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/let-those-who-believe-believe-let-those-who-doubt-doubt/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [It used to happen in villages and towns in China that they would have - I guess you'd call them beauty contests - where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/it-used-to-happen-in-villages-and-towns-in-china-that-they-would-have/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“So many mistakes. So many errors. So much tragedy as a result. In that moment I understood that the cruelest words in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/so-many-mistakes-so-many-errors-so-much-tragedy-as-a-result-in-that/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“Yes, she had held her family together, but at what cost to herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/yes-she-had-held-her-family-together-but-at-what-cost-to-herself/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“When in the world did anyone die from a dream?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-in-the-world-did-anyone-die-from-a-dream/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [But, you know, I just did a big trip in the spring to Vietnam and Cambodia and Thailand, and that's when I bought a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/but-you-know-i-just-did-a-big-trip-in-the-spring-to-vietnam-and/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“Maybe that's what we're all like with our mothers. They seem ordinary until one day they're extraordinary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/maybe-that-s-what-we-re-all-like-with-our-mothers-they-seem-ordinary/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [Model communes are the ones where the leaders lie the best and the biggest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/model-communes-are-the-ones-where-the-leaders-lie-the-best-and-the/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) [Explore all 178 Lisa See quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) ## More Goat quotes > [“swallow a whole goat, but they cannot hear, whereas”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/swallow-a-whole-goat-but-they-cannot-hear-whereas/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love collard greens and sweet potatoes. But like, traveling, I'm always just looking for that thing where you feel like there's love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neneh-cherry/i-love-collard-greens-and-sweet-potatoes-but-like-traveling-i-m/) [Neneh Cherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neneh-cherry/) > [You eat a lot of goat stomach when you're in North Africa. You eat whatever's put in front of you. I am a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-farrow/you-eat-a-lot-of-goat-stomach-when-you-re-in-north-africa-you-eat/) [Ronan Farrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-farrow/) > [“Holy fucking goat scrotums!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-monroe/holy-fucking-goat-scrotums/) [Max Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-monroe/) > [You can lose. Michael Jordan lost, but that doesn't mean he wasn't the GOAT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-butler/you-can-lose-michael-jordan-lost-but-that-doesn-t-mean-he-wasn-t-the/) [Jimmy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-butler/) > [Rappers only shine light on things that are relevant, and if it's referencing an athlete, that means they're the GOAT, like Tom Brady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sony-michel/rappers-only-shine-light-on-things-that-are-relevant-and-if-it-s/) [Sony Michel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sony-michel/) > [The goat's business is none of the sheep's concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/the-goat-s-business-is-none-of-the-sheep-s-concern/) [Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/) > [I don't mind sitting behind Tom Brady. That is the GOAT himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-jackson/i-don-t-mind-sitting-behind-tom-brady-that-is-the-goat-himself/) [Lamar Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-jackson/) > [In sports, every day you can be the hero or the goat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-stults/in-sports-every-day-you-can-be-the-hero-or-the-goat/) [Geoff Stults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-stults/) > [“Earl "The Goat" Manigault was probably the greatest basketball player of all time, but Michael Jordan is universally regarded as the best ever. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/earl-the-goat-manigault-was-probably-the-greatest-basketball-player/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [“Home is where you tie up your goat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-where-you-tie-up-your-goat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Warrior of the Light never forgets the old saying: The good little goat doesn't bleat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-warrior-of-the-light-never-forgets-the-old-saying-the-good-little/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The Coogan Law had to come and it just happens that I was the goat for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-coogan/the-coogan-law-had-to-come-and-it-just-happens-that-i-was-the-goat/) [Jackie Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-coogan/) > [The goat, for us, is an image that's stuck in our heads since we were kids, coming from Iowa people are like 'Beware the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-goat-for-us-is-an-image-that-s-stuck-in-our-heads-since-we-were/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is not love, without a violin playing goat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-roberts/love-is-not-love-without-a-violin-playing-goat/) [Julia Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-roberts/) Browse all 108 Goat quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But why bother trying to turn a monkey into a goat?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lisa See" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-into-a-goat/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Goat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-into-a-goat/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/lisa-see-2200_goat_but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-i_3166573.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/lisa-see-2200_goat_but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-i_3166573.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/lisa-see-2200_goat_but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-i_3166573.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But why bother trying to turn a monkey into a goat?” — Lisa See", "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": "Lisa See", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But why bother trying to turn...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-into-a-goat/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/but-why-bother-trying-to-turn-a-monkey-into-a-goat/#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 } } ] } ```