--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A definition is a sack of flour…" description: "\"A definition is a sack of flour compressed into a thimble\" — Remy de Gourmont" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/remy-de-gourmont-7554_definitions_a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compress_2292234.jpg" --- # A definition is a sack of flour compressed into a thimble ![“A definition is a sack of flour compressed into a thimble” quote by Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/remy-de-gourmont-7554_definitions_a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compress_2292234.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/remy-de-gourmont-7554_definitions_a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compress_2292234.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/remy-de-gourmont-7554_definitions_a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compress_2292234.jpg) > “A definition is a sack of flour compressed into a thimble” [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A definition compresses complex ideas into a tiny, often insufficient container. **In simple terms:** Definitions simplify but can limit understanding. Key Takeaway Use definitions as guides, not constraints. Themes language precision abstraction Mood analytical critical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - academic writing - legal drafting - technical manuals Key Concepts semantic theory philosophy of language communication Questions to Reflect On - When is a definition too restrictive? - How can we balance clarity with complexity? A Different Perspective Rigid definitions may stifle nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compressed Thimble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compressed-thimble-5390215/) [Definition Sack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definition-sack-5390217/) [Definitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definitions/) [Flour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flour/) [Flour Compressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flour-compressed-5390213/) [Sack Flour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sack-flour-5390214/) [Thimble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thimble-5390216/) ## Related quotes > [“One time, that true brass thimble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/one-time-that-true-brass-thimble/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“and a true brass thimble. Mauma said the thimble would be mine one day. When she wasn’t using it, I wore it on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/and-a-true-brass-thimble-mauma-said-the-thimble-would-be-mine-one-day/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [The human mind is so complex and things are so tangled up with each other that, to explain a blade of straw, one would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/the-human-mind-is-so-complex-and-things-are-so-tangled-up-with-each/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [The poet, distracted by politics, asks of poetry that it make itself useful like metal or flour, that it get ready to stain its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/the-poet-distracted-by-politics-asks-of-poetry-that-it-make-itself/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [I love using rice as a flour; I'll grind roasted rice and dip fish in that. It gives a beautiful, crunchy texture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/i-love-using-rice-as-a-flour-i-ll-grind-roasted-rice-and-dip-fish-in/) [Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/) > [“Yeast is to flour as action is to ambition. Rising to success requires adding and alternating starters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/yeast-is-to-flour-as-action-is-to-ambition-rising-to-success-requires/) [Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/) > [When I am assailed with heavy tribulations, I rush out among my pigs rather than remain alone by myself. The human heart is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/when-i-am-assailed-with-heavy-tribulations-i-rush-out-among-my-pigs/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [My family dumplings are sleek and seductive, yet stout and masculine. They taste of meat, yet of flour. They are wet, yet they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-t-coffin/my-family-dumplings-are-sleek-and-seductive-yet-stout-and-masculine/) [Robert P. T. Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-p-t-coffin/) > [The first slap-jack given me for dinner was a cake of flour, partially fried in a pan of fat bacon. I nibbled about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-smith/the-first-slap-jack-given-me-for-dinner-was-a-cake-of-flour-partially/) [James Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-smith/) > [Yes, and I’m sure the arena will be full of bags of flour for me to chuck at people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/yes-and-i-m-sure-the-arena-will-be-full-of-bags-of-flour-for-me-to/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [I've always had an image of Mother's Pride flour, very respectable and middle-class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-ve-always-had-an-image-of-mother-s-pride-flour-very-respectable-and/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“Your flour is your dream and your bread is your fulfillment. The environment in which your flour is baked can influence the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/your-flour-is-your-dream-and-your-bread-is-your-fulfillment-the/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I got Soul Power, never took a cold shower, Never had a girlfriend the color of cooking flour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-ro/i-got-soul-power-never-took-a-cold-shower-never-had-a-girlfriend-the/) [J-Ro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-ro/) > [Replacing white flour with whole wheat generally makes baked goods denser, drier, and more crumbly because the germ and bran in whole wheat absorbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-saffitz/replacing-white-flour-with-whole-wheat-generally-makes-baked-goods/) [Claire Saffitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-saffitz/) > [It is a great delusion to suppose that flesh-meat of any kind is essential to health. Considerably more than three parts of the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-booth/it-is-a-great-delusion-to-suppose-that-flesh-meat-of-any-kind-is/) [Catherine Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-booth/) ## More by Remy de Gourmont > [Two elements are needed to form a truth - a fact and an abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/two-elements-are-needed-to-form-a-truth-a-fact-and-an-abstraction/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [“La Nebuleuse is a poem of lovely & deep perspective, where, symboloized by artless beings, are seen the successive generations of men following each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/la-nebuleuse-is-a-poem-of-lovely-deep-perspective-where-symboloized/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [Art includes everything that stimulates the desire to live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/art-includes-everything-that-stimulates-the-desire-to-live/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [“The little girl expects no declaration of tenderness from her doll. She loves it, & that's all. It is thus that we should love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/the-little-girl-expects-no-declaration-of-tenderness-from-her-doll/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [Science is the only truth and it is the great lie. It knows nothing, and people think it knows everything. It is misrepresented. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/science-is-the-only-truth-and-it-is-the-great-lie-it-knows-nothing/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [“Those men who live with the greatest intensity are often the ones who seem to take least interest in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/those-men-who-live-with-the-greatest-intensity-are-often-the-ones-who/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [“The man of genius may dwell unknown, but one always may recognize the path he has followed into the forest. It was a giant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/the-man-of-genius-may-dwell-unknown-but-one-always-may-recognize-the/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [Nothing exists except by virtue of a disequilibrium, an injustice. All existence is a theft paid for by other existences; no life flowers except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/nothing-exists-except-by-virtue-of-a-disequilibrium-an-injustice-all/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [Money is the sign of liberty. To curse money is to curse liberty- to curse life, which is nothing, if it be not free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/money-is-the-sign-of-liberty-to-curse-money-is-to-curse-liberty-to/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [“It is a communion at once mystic & real, in the guise of metal. Money which is liberty, is also fecundation. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/it-is-a-communion-at-once-mystic-real-in-the-guise-of-metal-money/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [Man is the inventor of stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/man-is-the-inventor-of-stupidity/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [Aesthetic emotion puts man in a state favorable to the reception of erotic emotion. Art is the accomplice of love. Take love away and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/aesthetic-emotion-puts-man-in-a-state-favorable-to-the-reception-of/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [Since art is the expression of beauty and beauty can be understood only in the form of the material elements of the true idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/since-art-is-the-expression-of-beauty-and-beauty-can-be-understood/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [The human mind is so complex and things are so tangled up with each other that, to explain a blade of straw, one would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/the-human-mind-is-so-complex-and-things-are-so-tangled-up-with-each/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [“Tears flow and smiles fade to the same rhythm of life, to disappear together in the bottomless abyss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/tears-flow-and-smiles-fade-to-the-same-rhythm-of-life-to-disappear/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) [Explore all 90 Remy de Gourmont quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) ## More Definitions quotes > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [The poet reminds men of their uniqueness and it is not necessary to possess the ultimate definition of this uniqueness. Even to speculate is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-poet-reminds-men-of-their-uniqueness-and-it-is-not-necessary-to/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [But when you have to deal with notes, and to be able to make a full definition of what a sound is - if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-brown/but-when-you-have-to-deal-with-notes-and-to-be-able-to-make-a-full/) [Dennis Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-brown/) > [ The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Before I had kids, I thought you should never lie to a kid. But now I've had them, I realize you almost lie to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/before-i-had-kids-i-thought-you-should-never-lie-to-a-kid-but-now-i/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [my definition of the ideal man is 'that particular man with whom a woman happens to be in love at that particular time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/my-definition-of-the-ideal-man-is-that-particular-man-with-whom-a/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [My briefest ever definition of science fiction is 'Hubris clobbered by Nemesis.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/my-briefest-ever-definition-of-science-fiction-is-hubris-clobbered-by/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/) [Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. It makes its own limited models of things; operating upon these indices or variables to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/science-manipulates-things-and-gives-up-living-in-them-it-makes-its/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-accumulation-of-all-powers-legislative-executive-and-judiciary-in/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“I'm going to use them to track him down and thwart him." "Thwart?" Sarissa asked. "Thwart." I said. "To prevent someone from accomplishing something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-m-going-to-use-them-to-track-him-down-and-thwart-him-thwart-sarissa/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [A design may be called organic when there is an harmonious organization of the parts within the whole, according to structure, material, and purpose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-noyes/a-design-may-be-called-organic-when-there-is-an-harmonious/) [Eliot Noyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-noyes/) > [Of Rhetoric various definitions have been given by different writers; who, however, seem not so much to have disagreed in their conceptions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/of-rhetoric-various-definitions-have-been-given-by-different-writers/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) [Browse all 2,047 Definitions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definitions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A definition is a sack of flour compressed into a thimble", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Remy de Gourmont" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compressed-into-a-thimble/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Definitions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compressed-into-a-thimble/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/remy-de-gourmont-7554_definitions_a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compress_2292234.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/remy-de-gourmont-7554_definitions_a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compress_2292234.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/remy-de-gourmont-7554_definitions_a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compress_2292234.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A definition is a sack of flour compressed into a thimble” — Remy de Gourmont", "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": "Remy de Gourmont", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A definition is a sack of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compressed-into-a-thimble/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/a-definition-is-a-sack-of-flour-compressed-into-a-thimble/#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 } } ] } ```