--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the startling line in J. M. Barrie’s…" description: "\"“the startling line in J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, where Captain Hook is described: “The man isn’t wholly evil; he has a thesaurus in his cabin.”\" — Phil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/phil-cousineau-15226_peter_the-startling-line-in-j-m-barrie-s-peter_582028.jpg" --- # the startling line in J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, where… ![“the startling line in J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, where Captain Hook is described: “The man isn’t wholly evil; he has a thesaurus in his cabin.” quote by Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/phil-cousineau-15226_peter_the-startling-line-in-j-m-barrie-s-peter_582028.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/phil-cousineau-15226_peter_the-startling-line-in-j-m-barrie-s-peter_582028.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/phil-cousineau-15226_peter_the-startling-line-in-j-m-barrie-s-peter_582028.jpg) > ““the startling line in J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, where Captain Hook is described: “The man isn’t wholly evil; he has a thesaurus in his cabin.”” [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even villains possess hidden depths; understanding them requires looking beyond surface evilness. **In simple terms:** Bad people can have good sides. Key Takeaway Seek nuance in judgment. Themes morality character nuance Mood thoughtful curious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading - discussing characters - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish a person's good from their bad? - Can empathy change your view of a villain? A Different Perspective Assumes all evil is simple; real life may be more complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barrie Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barrie-peter-3649394/) [Captain Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captain-hook-2/) [Evil Thesaurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-thesaurus-4781959/) [Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peter/) [Peter pan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peter-pan/) [Thesaurus Cabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thesaurus-cabin-4781960/) ## Related quotes > [Back in the 1950s and '60s, J. M. Barrie's 'Peter Pan' - starring Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard - was regularly aired on network…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/back-in-the-1950s-and-60s-j-m-barrie-s-peter-pan-starring-mary-martin/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [I used to have a lot of recurring dreams about Captain Hook when I was a little kid, which I remember very vividly. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-milioti/i-used-to-have-a-lot-of-recurring-dreams-about-captain-hook-when-i/) [Cristin Milioti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-milioti/) > [Growing up, I would have to say I loved 'Peter Pan' because I was fascinated by Captain Hook; I was fascinated by Hans Conried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-freeman/growing-up-i-would-have-to-say-i-loved-peter-pan-because-i-was/) [Jonathan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-freeman/) > [“I shook my head, folding my arms around my waist. He was wrong; he was the one offering fairy dust, Peter Pan offering to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/i-shook-my-head-folding-my-arms-around-my-waist-he-was-wrong-he-was/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [When I was eight or nine, I wrote a new version of 'Peter Pan' for the school play. They didn't use it - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/when-i-was-eight-or-nine-i-wrote-a-new-version-of-peter-pan-for-the/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [My first acquaintance with 'Peter Pan' was back when I lived in South London. I was at art school, and I needed to earn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rees/my-first-acquaintance-with-peter-pan-was-back-when-i-lived-in-south/) [Roger Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rees/) > [When I was a kid, I saw 'Peter Pan,' and I loved Captain Hook and the Lost Boys because they were the 'bad boys.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emory-cohen/when-i-was-a-kid-i-saw-peter-pan-and-i-loved-captain-hook-and-the/) [Emory Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emory-cohen/) > [I think everyone is introduced to the Peter Pan story when they're very young. Everyone has read the book and watched the Disney film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-rowe/i-think-everyone-is-introduced-to-the-peter-pan-story-when-they-re/) [Charlie Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-rowe/) > [You may shelve your Shakespearian plans for the present. I am going to play Peter Pan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-may-shelve-your-shakespearian-plans-for-the-present-i-am-going-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I used to go to the supermarket dressed as Peter Pan when I was about five years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-treadaway/i-used-to-go-to-the-supermarket-dressed-as-peter-pan-when-i-was-about/) [Luke Treadaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-treadaway/) > [You have the optimism of a child. (Julian) Peter Pan all the way. (Grace)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-have-the-optimism-of-a-child-julian-peter-pan-all-the-way-grace/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Peter was a superb swordsman, and parried with dazzling rapidity; ever and anon he followed up a feint with a lunge that got past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-barrie/peter-was-a-superb-swordsman-and-parried-with-dazzling-rapidity-ever/) [J.M. Barrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-barrie/) > [“How can I describe Peter's face, the pieces of him that stick to my heart? Peter sometimes looked aloof and distant; sometimes his face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-lynn-anderson/how-can-i-describe-peter-s-face-the-pieces-of-him-that-stick-to-my/) [Jodi Lynn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-lynn-anderson/) > [ \[Peter Pan\] has never broken his terrible habit of eavesdropping. So, maybe that wasn't the rustle of pages you heard while this story lasted,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mccaughrean/peter-pan-has-never-broken-his-terrible-habit-of-eavesdropping-so/) [Geraldine McCaughrean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mccaughrean/) > ['Peter Pan' is tried and true - it's a story that everybody knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-louderman/peter-pan-is-tried-and-true-it-s-a-story-that-everybody-knows/) [Taylor Louderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-louderman/) ## More by Phil Cousineau > [Pilgrimage means being alert to the times when all that's needed is a trip to a remote place to simply lose yourself, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/pilgrimage-means-being-alert-to-the-times-when-all-that-s-needed-is-a/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [Now is the time to lead your ideal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/now-is-the-time-to-lead-your-ideal-life/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [“derives from the 14th-century word Old French aleurer, to attract, captivate, and more exotically, to train a falcon to hunt. The roots are à,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/derives-from-the-14th-century-word-old-french-aleurer-to-attract/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [Inspiration comes and goes, creativity is the result of practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/inspiration-comes-and-goes-creativity-is-the-result-of-practice/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [Imagine the wheel of time turning in a seemingly endless round, revealing that the beginning is the end of another beginning. This is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/imagine-the-wheel-of-time-turning-in-a-seemingly-endless-round/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [Who knows why some words ignite the hearts of some readers while others are like wet matches that won't light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/who-knows-why-some-words-ignite-the-hearts-of-some-readers-while/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [There is an unknown room in the soul that is constantly turning the stuff of daydreams into myths for us, helping us to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/there-is-an-unknown-room-in-the-soul-that-is-constantly-turning-the/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [I am convinced that pilgrimage is still a bona fide spirit-renewing ritual. But I also believe in pilgrimage as a powerful metaphor for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/i-am-convinced-that-pilgrimage-is-still-a-bona-fide-spirit-renewing/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [Myths are lies that tell the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/myths-are-lies-that-tell-the-truth/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [Pilgrimage is a powerful metaphor for any journey with the purpose of finding something that matters deeply to the traveler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/pilgrimage-is-a-powerful-metaphor-for-any-journey-with-the-purpose-of/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [The creative urge matters. Stories matter. Images matter. It matters that you were born with a genius, a guiding spirit, a daimon that may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/the-creative-urge-matters-stories-matter-images-matter-it-matters/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [But what if your fire is not burning well or, worse, has gone out? Without inner fire, you have no light, no heat, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/but-what-if-your-fire-is-not-burning-well-or-worse-has-gone-out/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [The practice of soulful travel is to discover the overlapping point between history and everyday life, the way to find the essence of every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/the-practice-of-soulful-travel-is-to-discover-the-overlapping-point/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [“David W. Orr writes, in The Nature of Design, “We are losing the capacity to say what we really mean and ultimately to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/david-w-orr-writes-in-the-nature-of-design-we-are-losing-the-capacity/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [We travel as seekers after answers we cannot find at home, and soon find that a change of climate is easier than a change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/we-travel-as-seekers-after-answers-we-cannot-find-at-home-and-soon/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) [Explore all 43 Phil Cousineau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) ## More Peter quotes > [When I talked to him earlier, he said he had to work tonight,” Peter explained, “but that we should go ahead and draw for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/when-i-talked-to-him-earlier-he-said-he-had-to-work-tonight-peter/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [It was a nephilim.” “A nephi-what?” asked Hugh, startled. “Isn’t that a character on Sesame Street?” Peter spoke up for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/it-was-a-nephilim-a-nephi-what-asked-hugh-startled-isn-t-that-a/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [Doing 'White Collar,' quite often my character goes undercover, so therein lies the compounding of the imagination. I get to play Peter Burke and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dekay/doing-white-collar-quite-often-my-character-goes-undercover-so/) [Tim DeKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dekay/) > [“It was through Peter that she first understood that the world existed before her, without her. For a few days she could not forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-barrett/it-was-through-peter-that-she-first-understood-that-the-world-existed/) [Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) > [I was very engaged by the folk music movement.Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul and Mary. And then I sort of discovered world music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-was-very-engaged-by-the-folk-music-movement-bob-dylan-joan-baez/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Men often joke about this assignment (I Peter 3:7): 'Who can understand a woman?' God has answered the question loud and clear. You can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stu-weber/men-often-joke-about-this-assignment-i-peter-3-7-who-can-understand-a/) [Stu Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stu-weber/) > [ I felt really compromised. I think legal marriage is unnecessary and I would not have formalised the relationship \[with husband Peter Davis\] except for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark/i-felt-really-compromised-i-think-legal-marriage-is-unnecessary-and-i/) [Helen Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark/) > [Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/robin-williams-was-an-airman-a-doctor-a-genie-a-nanny-a-president-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“What’s your name again?” “Peter. Peter Granford.” Lewis opened up his mouth to speak, but then just shook his head. “What?” The boy ducked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/what-s-your-name-again-peter-peter-granford-lewis-opened-up-his-mouth/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Peter Cooper looks at the world with an artist's eye and a human heart and soul. His songs are the work of an original,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/peter-cooper-looks-at-the-world-with-an-artist-s-eye-and-a-human/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [When I discovered blues - I was 12-years-old - I didn't discover it in America where it was from; I discovered it from Fleetwood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weller/when-i-discovered-blues-i-was-12-years-old-i-didn-t-discover-it-in/) [Paul Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weller/) > [You load 16 tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-travis/you-load-16-tons-and-what-do-you-get-another-day-older-and-deeper-in/) [Merle Travis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-travis/) > [I saw a report on the news: 'Peter Dinklage tweeted... ' What? You know, I don't need any of that stuff. I got an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-saw-a-report-on-the-news-peter-dinklage-tweeted-what-you-know-i-don/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [I love to come in and play with a wig or glasses or clothes. I love using props. I'm from the Peter Sellers school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-aykroyd/i-love-to-come-in-and-play-with-a-wig-or-glasses-or-clothes-i-love/) [Dan Aykroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-aykroyd/) [Browse all 1,105 Peter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“the startling line in J. M. 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