---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The mind is a metaphor of the world of…"
description: "\"The mind is a metaphor of the world of objects.\" — Pierre Bourdieu"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/pierre-bourdieu-16809_metaphor_the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-o_913352.jpg"
---

#  The mind is a metaphor of the world of objects.

![“The mind is a metaphor of the world of objects.” quote by Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/pierre-bourdieu-16809_metaphor_the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-o_913352.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/pierre-bourdieu-16809_metaphor_the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-o_913352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/pierre-bourdieu-16809_metaphor_the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-o_913352.jpg)

> “The mind is a metaphor of the world of objects.”

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

## About This Quote

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

Our mental models reflect the world of objects we perceive.

**In simple terms:** The mind mirrors the object world.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how perception shapes thought.

Themes

perception representation philosophy

Mood

intellectual critical

Type

theoretical analytical

When to use this quote

- education
- design thinking
- media analysis

Key Concepts

cognitive mapping social theory

Questions to Reflect On

- In what ways does your mind shape your view of objects?
- How can you test the accuracy of your mental models?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on metaphor can obscure objective reality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Metaphor World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor-world-1355976/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-metaphor-1355975/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-objects-454843/)

## Related quotes

> [Now the power of the imagination is a unifying power, hence the force of metaphor; and the poet is the supreme manipulator of metaphor...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/now-the-power-of-the-imagination-is-a-unifying-power-hence-the-force/)

[R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/)

> [Clad in metaphor, the world becomes newborn to our senses, like a phoenix. It is the most effective fresh presentation of the elements of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/clad-in-metaphor-the-world-becomes-newborn-to-our-senses-like-a/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [For the message of television as metaphor is not only that all the world is a stage but that the stage is located in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/for-the-message-of-television-as-metaphor-is-not-only-that-all-the/)

[Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/)

> [It is only in the world of objects that we have time and space and selves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/it-is-only-in-the-world-of-objects-that-we-have-time-and-space-and/)

[T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/)

> [There is always a reason behind things that are made, and if there isn't, there will be one when they travel through the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-wanders/there-is-always-a-reason-behind-things-that-are-made-and-if-there-isn/)

[Marcel Wanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-wanders/)

> [The world is full of objects, more or less interesting; I do not wish to add any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-is-full-of-objects-more-or-less-interesting-i-do-not-wish/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I want to create a world with objects and surroundings that are human, more romantic, and less sterile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-wanders/i-want-to-create-a-world-with-objects-and-surroundings-that-are-human/)

[Marcel Wanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-wanders/)

> [“The world of quantum mechanics is not a world of objects: it is a world of events.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-rovelli/the-world-of-quantum-mechanics-is-not-a-world-of-objects-it-is-a/)

[Carlo Rovelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-rovelli/)

> [Metaphor isn't just a fancy turn of speech. It shapes our thoughts and feelings, reaches out to grasp new experience, and even binds our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/metaphor-isn-t-just-a-fancy-turn-of-speech-it-shapes-our-thoughts-and/)

[James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/)

> [I was really interested in this ability for others to create virtual memories for us. In "The Cartographers" I explore this through Adam Woods,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-weinstein/i-was-really-interested-in-this-ability-for-others-to-create-virtual/)

[Alexander Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-weinstein/)

> [I feel as much of a stud as... I can't come up with a metaphor. That's how lacking in studliness I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-as-much-of-a-stud-as-i-can-t-come-up-with-a-metaphor-that-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Despite which, Charlie seems doomed to stumble around in the dark, clutching pieces of a puzzle he still can't see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/despite-which-charlie-seems-doomed-to-stumble-around-in-the-dark/)

[Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/)

> [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Helvetica is the jeans, and Univers the dinner jacket. Helvetica is here to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/helvetica-is-the-jeans-and-univers-the-dinner-jacket-helvetica-is/)

[Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/)

> [I think zombies have always been an easy metaphor for hard times. Because they're this big, faceless, brainless group of evil things that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/i-think-zombies-have-always-been-an-easy-metaphor-for-hard-times/)

[Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/)

## More by Pierre Bourdieu

> [“Everything economic science posits as given, that is, the range of dispositions of the economic agent which ground the illusion of the ahistorical universality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/everything-economic-science-posits-as-given-that-is-the-range-of/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [Every established order tends to produce the naturalization of its own arbitrariness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/every-established-order-tends-to-produce-the-naturalization-of-its/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [Symbolic violence is violence wielded with tacit complicity between its victims and its agents, insofar as both remain unconscious of submitting to or wielding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/symbolic-violence-is-violence-wielded-with-tacit-complicity-between/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [Algeria is what allowed me to accept myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/algeria-is-what-allowed-me-to-accept-myself/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [“While economics is about how people make choice, sociology is about how they don’t have any choice to make. Bertrand Russell”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/while-economics-is-about-how-people-make-choice-sociology-is-about/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [“The radical questionnings announced by philosophy are in fact circumscribed by the interests linked to membership in the philosophical field, that is, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/the-radical-questionnings-announced-by-philosophy-are-in-fact/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [“The science called ‘economics’ is based on an initial act of abstraction that consists in dissociating a particular category of practices, or a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/the-science-called-economics-is-based-on-an-initial-act-of/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [“The entire destiny of modern linguistics is in fact determined by Saussure's inaugural act through which he separates the ‘external’ elements of linguistics from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/the-entire-destiny-of-modern-linguistics-is-in-fact-determined-by/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [The point of my work is to show that culture and education arent simply hobbies or minor influences. They are hugely important in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/the-point-of-my-work-is-to-show-that-culture-and-education-arent/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [Unless saved by exceptional talent, he necessarily pays a price for clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/unless-saved-by-exceptional-talent-he-necessarily-pays-a-price-for/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [Photography itself is most frequently nothing but the reproduction of the image that a group produces of its own integration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/photography-itself-is-most-frequently-nothing-but-the-reproduction-of/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [Only in imaginary experience (in the folk tale, for example), which neutralizes the sense of social realities, does the social world take the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/only-in-imaginary-experience-in-the-folk-tale-for-example-which/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [“A number of ethical, aesthetic, psychiatric or forensic classfications that are produced by the "institutional sciences",not to mention those produced and inculcated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/a-number-of-ethical-aesthetic-psychiatric-or-forensic-classfications/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [Television enjoys a de facto monopoly on what goes into the heads of a significant part of the population and what they think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/television-enjoys-a-de-facto-monopoly-on-what-goes-into-the-heads-of/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [The most successful ideological effects are those which have no need for words, and ask no more than complicitous silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/the-most-successful-ideological-effects-are-those-which-have-no-need/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

[Explore all 38 Pierre Bourdieu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

## More Metaphor quotes

> [I think zombies have always been an easy metaphor for hard times. Because they're this big, faceless, brainless group of evil things that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/i-think-zombies-have-always-been-an-easy-metaphor-for-hard-times/)

[Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/)

> [Helvetica is the jeans, and Univers the dinner jacket. Helvetica is here to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-frutiger/helvetica-is-the-jeans-and-univers-the-dinner-jacket-helvetica-is/)

[Adrian Frutiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-frutiger/)

> [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“Despite which, Charlie seems doomed to stumble around in the dark, clutching pieces of a puzzle he still can't see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/despite-which-charlie-seems-doomed-to-stumble-around-in-the-dark/)

[Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/)

> [I feel as much of a stud as... I can't come up with a metaphor. That's how lacking in studliness I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-as-much-of-a-stud-as-i-can-t-come-up-with-a-metaphor-that-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Because you continue to inhabit and believe your metaphors, you cannot see what is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/because-you-continue-to-inhabit-and-believe-your-metaphors-you-cannot/)

[William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/)

> [“The bag contained a pair of white cotton gloves stained the color of age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-bag-contained-a-pair-of-white-cotton-gloves-stained-the-color-of/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“People think blood red, but blood don't got no colour. Not when blood wash the floor she lying on as she scream for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-james/people-think-blood-red-but-blood-don-t-got-no-colour-not-when-blood/)

[Marlon James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-james/)

> [You know what’s a great metaphor for love? Sleeping beauty. Because you have to plow through this incredible thicket of thorns in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-know-what-s-a-great-metaphor-for-love-sleeping-beauty-because-you/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [There's something about the superheroes and the idea behind their relationship with humans, whether it's a metaphor for the better part of ourselves, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-gregg/there-s-something-about-the-superheroes-and-the-idea-behind-their/)

[Clark Gregg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-gregg/)

> [The sense of tragedy - according to Aristotle - comes, ironically enough, not from the protagonist's weak points but from his good qualities. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sense-of-tragedy-according-to-aristotle-comes-ironically-enough/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [I explain at the parties that I believe knitting is a transformative and intriguing act that can change the life and brain of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-explain-at-the-parties-that-i-believe-knitting-is-a-transformative/)

[Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/)

> [I was really interested in this ability for others to create virtual memories for us. In "The Cartographers" I explore this through Adam Woods,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-weinstein/i-was-really-interested-in-this-ability-for-others-to-create-virtual/)

[Alexander Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-weinstein/)

> [Metaphor isn't just a fancy turn of speech. It shapes our thoughts and feelings, reaches out to grasp new experience, and even binds our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/metaphor-isn-t-just-a-fancy-turn-of-speech-it-shapes-our-thoughts-and/)

[James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/)

> [“I am knee deep in sea water now, feeling the energy of the tidal waves as they roll inwards towards the shore. A tide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-l-marshall/i-am-knee-deep-in-sea-water-now-feeling-the-energy-of-the-tidal-waves/)

[Susan L. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-l-marshall/)

[Browse all 1,548 Metaphor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The mind is a metaphor of the world of objects.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pierre Bourdieu"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-objects/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Metaphor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-objects/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/pierre-bourdieu-16809_metaphor_the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-o_913352.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/pierre-bourdieu-16809_metaphor_the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-o_913352.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/pierre-bourdieu-16809_metaphor_the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-o_913352.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The mind is a metaphor of the world of objects.” — Pierre Bourdieu",
                "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": "Pierre Bourdieu",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The mind is a metaphor of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-objects/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/the-mind-is-a-metaphor-of-the-world-of-objects/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
