--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The famous pipe. How people reproached me…" description: "\"The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/rene-magritte-15247_has-beens_the-famous-pipe-how-people-reproached-me_1238416.jpg" --- # The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet… ![“The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture “This is a pipe”, I'd have been lying!” quote by Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/rene-magritte-15247_has-beens_the-famous-pipe-how-people-reproached-me_1238416.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/rene-magritte-15247_has-beens_the-famous-pipe-how-people-reproached-me_1238416.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/rene-magritte-15247_has-beens_the-famous-pipe-how-people-reproached-me_1238416.jpg) > “The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture “This is a pipe”, I'd have been lying!” [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A representation is not the thing itself; language and images can be deceptive. **In simple terms:** Pictures aren’t reality. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about symbols. Themes perception representation truth art Mood curious critical Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - advertising - education - media analysis - design critique Key Concepts semiotics visual language philosophy of mind Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify what a symbol truly means? - When does representation become manipulation? A Different Perspective Relying solely on images may miss deeper meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Representation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representation/) ## Related quotes > [“This is not a pipe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/this-is-not-a-pipe/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [My pen.’ Funny, I wrote that without noticing. ‘The torch’, ‘the paper’, but ‘my pen’. That shows what writing means to me, I guess.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/my-pen-funny-i-wrote-that-without-noticing-the-torch-the-paper-but-my/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [I skied on Astroturf and PVC pipe on the slope in my backyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-goepper/i-skied-on-astroturf-and-pvc-pipe-on-the-slope-in-my-backyard/) [Nick Goepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-goepper/) > [“Pipe down cunt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harland-miller/pipe-down-cunt/) [Harland Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harland-miller/) > [He (David Beckham) does have a huge one, though. He does. You can see it in the advert. It is all his. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-beckham/he-david-beckham-does-have-a-huge-one-though-he-does-you-can-see-it/) [Victoria Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-beckham/) > [That pipe, just so happens to lead to the room where I make the most delicious flavored chocolate covered fudge." Then he will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/that-pipe-just-so-happens-to-lead-to-the-room-where-i-make-the-most/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [I checked out all types of tobacco trying to find one that would be easiest to live with, I ended up using pipe tobacco.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-strathairn/i-checked-out-all-types-of-tobacco-trying-to-find-one-that-would-be/) [David Strathairn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-strathairn/) > [It is a pipe dream to think that that bill is going to the floor and be voted on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-roskam/it-is-a-pipe-dream-to-think-that-that-bill-is-going-to-the-floor-and/) [Peter Roskam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-roskam/) > [For ten thousand dollars, I'd endorse an opium pipe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-brice/for-ten-thousand-dollars-i-d-endorse-an-opium-pipe/) [Fanny Brice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-brice/) > [Iron and coal dominated everywhere, from grey to black: the black boots, the black stove-pipe hat, the black coach or carriage, the black iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/iron-and-coal-dominated-everywhere-from-grey-to-black-the-black-boots/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Night fell clean and cold in Dublin, and wind moaned beyond my room as if a million pipes played the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/night-fell-clean-and-cold-in-dublin-and-wind-moaned-beyond-my-room-as/) [Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/) > [I don't like small birds. They hop around so merrily outside my window, looking so innocent. but I know that secretly, they're watching my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-like-small-birds-they-hop-around-so-merrily-outside-my-window/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do but sing because I must; and pipe but as the linnets sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/i-do-but-sing-because-i-must-and-pipe-but-as-the-linnets-sing/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Nobody can have your psychedelic experience for you; you just have to screw your courage up and raise the cup to your lips or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-mckenna/nobody-can-have-your-psychedelic-experience-for-you-you-just-have-to/) [Dennis McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-mckenna/) > [My real name's McGill. The Jew thing I just do for the homeboys. They all want a pipe-hitting member of the tribe, so to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul/my-real-name-s-mcgill-the-jew-thing-i-just-do-for-the-homeboys-they/) [Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul/) ## More by Rene Magritte > [I want nevertheless to add that for me the world is a defiance of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/i-want-nevertheless-to-add-that-for-me-the-world-is-a-defiance-of/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see, but it is impossible. Humans hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/everything-we-see-hides-another-thing-we-always-want-to-see-what-is/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [We are surrounded by curtains. We only perceive the world behind a curtain of semblance. At the same time, an object needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/we-are-surrounded-by-curtains-we-only-perceive-the-world-behind-a/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [Everything that is visible hides something that is invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/everything-that-is-visible-hides-something-that-is-invisible/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [A thing which is present can be invisible, hidden by what it shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/a-thing-which-is-present-can-be-invisible-hidden-by-what-it-shows/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [If one looks at a thing with the intention of trying to discover what it means, one ends up no longer seeing the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/if-one-looks-at-a-thing-with-the-intention-of-trying-to-discover-what/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [“I despise my own past and that of others. I despise resignation, patience, professional heroism and all the obligatory sentiments. I also despise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/i-despise-my-own-past-and-that-of-others-i-despise-resignation/) [René Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [The present reeks of mediocrity and the atom bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/the-present-reeks-of-mediocrity-and-the-atom-bomb/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [Each thing we see hides something else we want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/each-thing-we-see-hides-something-else-we-want-to-see/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [If the dream is a translation of waking life, waking life is also a translation of the dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/if-the-dream-is-a-translation-of-waking-life-waking-life-is-also-a/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [People who look for symbolic meaning fail to grasp the inherent poetry and mystery of the images.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/people-who-look-for-symbolic-meaning-fail-to-grasp-the-inherent/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [I think we are responsible for the universe, but that doesn't mean we decide anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/i-think-we-are-responsible-for-the-universe-but-that-doesn-t-mean-we/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [We must not fear daylight just because it almost always illuminates a miserable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/we-must-not-fear-daylight-just-because-it-almost-always-illuminates-a/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [I have few illusions: the cause is lost in advance. As for me, I do my part, which is to drag a fairly drab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/i-have-few-illusions-the-cause-is-lost-in-advance-as-for-me-i-do-my/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) > [Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/art-evokes-the-mystery-without-which-the-world-would-not-exist/) [Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) [Explore all 43 Rene Magritte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/) ## More Has beens quotes > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/) [Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) Browse all 17,972 Has beens quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? 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