--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A dream...I was trying to explain to St…" description: "\"A dream...I was trying to explain to St. Peter, and was doing it in the German tongue, because I didn't want to be too explicit.\" — Mark Twain" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/mark-twain-22_dream_a-dream-i-was-trying-to-explain-to-st-pe_1753108.png" --- # A dream...I was trying to explain to St. Peter, and was… ![“A dream...I was trying to explain to St. Peter, and was doing it in the German tongue, because I didn't want to be too explicit.” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/mark-twain-22_dream_a-dream-i-was-trying-to-explain-to-st-pe_1753108.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/mark-twain-22_dream_a-dream-i-was-trying-to-explain-to-st-pe_1753108.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/mark-twain-22_dream_a-dream-i-was-trying-to-explain-to-st-pe_1753108.png) > “A dream...I was trying to explain to St. Peter, and was doing it in the German tongue, because I didn't want to be too explicit.” [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator tries to convey a dream to a divine figure using a foreign language to avoid being too explicit. **In simple terms:** He hides details by speaking in another tongue. Key Takeaway Use metaphor or distance to discuss sensitive topics. Themes communication privacy creativity Mood thoughtful introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - telling - confessional writing - spiritual dialogue Key Concepts symbolism language choice Questions to Reflect On - Why choose a foreign language for clarity? - What does this reveal about the narrator’s comfort with honesty? A Different Perspective Overly indirect language may obscure meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing German](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-german-1623479/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dream Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-trying-853118/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Explicit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explicit/) [German](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/german/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peter/) [St peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/st-peter/) [Tongue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tongue/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Trying Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-explain/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [Listeners will wonder what an Englishman is doing on the German radio tonight. 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