--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am a shark. A shark who dreamed he was…" description: "\"“I am a shark. A shark who dreamed he was a man.”\" — Rick Yancey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/rick-yancey-831_dreams_i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was_1137284.jpg" --- # I am a shark. A shark who dreamed he was a man. ![“I am a shark. A shark who dreamed he was a man.” quote by Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/rick-yancey-831_dreams_i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was_1137284.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/rick-yancey-831_dreams_i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was_1137284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/rick-yancey-831_dreams_i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was_1137284.jpg) > ““I am a shark. A shark who dreamed he was a man.”” [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) ## 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 identifies as a shark, symbolizing predatory instincts and alienation, yet dreams of humanity, highlighting identity conflict. **In simple terms:** He feels like a shark dreaming of being human. Key Takeaway Explore inner contradictions. Themes identity alienation duality Mood introspective poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - character analysis - creative writing workshops - personal growth counseling Key Concepts literary symbolism psychological conflict Questions to Reflect On - What does the shark represent for you? - Can you relate to feeling out of place? A Different Perspective Metaphor may be too abstract for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Shark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shark/) ## Related quotes > [I am a shark, Cassie," he says slowly, drawing the words out, as if he might be speaking to me for the last time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-am-a-shark-cassie-he-says-slowly-drawing-the-words-out-as-if-he/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“Galen is the shark. The shark is Galen. What I mean is, there is no shark. There's only Galen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-banks/galen-is-the-shark-the-shark-is-galen-what-i-mean-is-there-is-no/) [Anna Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-banks/) > [“There is no such thing as a man-eating shark, only shark-eating men exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-haynes/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-man-eating-shark-only-shark-eating-men/) Melissa Haynes > [“I dreamed I was a man. But now the dream is over.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-dreamed-i-was-a-man-but-now-the-dream-is-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nothing ever built arose to touch the skies unless some man dreamed that it should, some man believed that it could, and some man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/nothing-ever-built-arose-to-touch-the-skies-unless-some-man-dreamed/) [Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/) > [“outside the boundaries of its own skin—these things had driven the species to the edge of destruction. Worse, this one organism threatened the survival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/outside-the-boundaries-of-its-own-skin-these-things-had-driven-the/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I think 'Shark Tank' is targeting companies that are really trying to raise their very first dollar. A lot of them aren't really tech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mcclure/i-think-shark-tank-is-targeting-companies-that-are-really-trying-to/) [Dave McClure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mcclure/) > [Jaws' was a big one. It's a classic. The shark not working while making that movie made it much better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-duffer/jaws-was-a-big-one-it-s-a-classic-the-shark-not-working-while-making/) [Ross Duffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-duffer/) > [I mention this fact as tending to support what I have often heard stated, namely, that a shark's sense of smell is so keen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grey/i-mention-this-fact-as-tending-to-support-what-i-have-often-heard/) [George Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grey/) > [“Well, Faye, dear, I’m sure Harlow’s sorry she didn’t think to ask if you’d been eaten by a shark. That’s totally on her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-lothlorien/well-faye-dear-i-m-sure-harlow-s-sorry-she-didn-t-think-to-ask-if-you/) Elle Lothlorien > [My favourite thorn belongs to the rose with a name like a mouthful of broken teeth, Rosa sericea pteracantha. It is grown almost entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/my-favourite-thorn-belongs-to-the-rose-with-a-name-like-a-mouthful-of/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [The shark is the apex predator in the sea. Sharks have molded evolution for 450 million years. All fish species that are prey to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/the-shark-is-the-apex-predator-in-the-sea-sharks-have-molded/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [“He looked steadily in my eyes, and held my hand affectionally. “Narissa, let me take you away to a world that you have never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keira-d-skye/he-looked-steadily-in-my-eyes-and-held-my-hand-affectionally-narissa/) [Keira D. Skye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keira-d-skye/) > [“Keep the SHark Alive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slottedaloha/keep-the-shark-alive/) SlottedAloha > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) ## More by Rick Yancey > [“Don't you get it yet? The minute we decide that one person doesn't matter anymore, they've won."..."Beneath a sky crowded with a billion stars.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/don-t-you-get-it-yet-the-minute-we-decide-that-one-person-doesn-t/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [The way we learn to write is the way we learn to talk: We listen to others and start mimicking speech, and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/the-way-we-learn-to-write-is-the-way-we-learn-to-talk-we-listen-to/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I have a very low tolerance for boredom and often think I would have missed out on books entirely if Id grown up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-have-a-very-low-tolerance-for-boredom-and-often-think-i-would-have/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [There are things that are too terrible to remember, and there are things that are almost too wonderful to recall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/there-are-things-that-are-too-terrible-to-remember-and-there-are/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I've loved sci-fi and speculative fiction since I was a kid. It was inevitable I'd try my hand at it at some point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-ve-loved-sci-fi-and-speculative-fiction-since-i-was-a-kid-it-was/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“I can’t leave him. I made a promise.” I start to explain it, but I don’t even know how to begin. How do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-can-t-leave-him-i-made-a-promise-i-start-to-explain-it-but-i-don-t/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“That's my big problem. That's it! Before the Arrival,guys like Evan Walker never looked twice at me, much less shot wild game for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/that-s-my-big-problem-that-s-it-before-the-arrival-guys-like-evan/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I'm one, too," he said. "What?" He spit a wad of blood and mucus into the dirt. "A virgin." What a shock. "What makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-m-one-too-he-said-what-he-spit-a-wad-of-blood-and-mucus-into-the/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [Good God, man, what is that smell?" He eyed with disgust the doctor's filthy cloak. "Life," answered the doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/good-god-man-what-is-that-smell-he-eyed-with-disgust-the-doctor-s/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“He drops into the room, landing on the balls of his feet like a cat. I'm in his arms in the time it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/he-drops-into-the-room-landing-on-the-balls-of-his-feet-like-a-cat-i/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“All things do happen for a reason... . Is this not the foundation of our faith? You are here-all of us-because we are but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/all-things-do-happen-for-a-reason-is-this-not-the-foundation-of-our/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“Her raised his face to the weeping sky, closed his dark eyes, and sighed deeply, a smile playing on his sensuous lips. "The bloody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/her-raised-his-face-to-the-weeping-sky-closed-his-dark-eyes-and/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [To hold on, you have to find something you’re willing to die for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/to-hold-on-you-have-to-find-something-you-re-willing-to-die-for/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I brought Sammy inside and put him to bed. Said his prayer with him. “‘Now I lay me down to sleep…’” To me, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-brought-sammy-inside-and-put-him-to-bed-said-his-prayer-with-him/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [A moment comes in war when the last line must be crossed. The line that separates what you hold dear from what total war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/a-moment-comes-in-war-when-the-last-line-must-be-crossed-the-line/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) [Explore all 342 Rick Yancey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) ## More Dreamed quotes > [I dreamed for a lover, I dreamed for a friend, and in the end I got a lover and a friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-dreamed-for-a-lover-i-dreamed-for-a-friend-and-in-the-end-i-got-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the Internet's highest-profile companies, Priceline once dreamed of transforming the way consumer goods are bought and sold by offering customers the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/one-of-the-internet-s-highest-profile-companies-priceline-once/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [“My mom believed that you make your own luck. Over the stove she had hung these old, maroon painted letters that spell out, “MANIFEST.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-laybourne/my-mom-believed-that-you-make-your-own-luck-over-the-stove-she-had/) [Emmy Laybourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-laybourne/) > [A long time ago when I was very little, I dreamed about being on stage. Some people told me I would never be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-potter/a-long-time-ago-when-i-was-very-little-i-dreamed-about-being-on-stage/) [Lauren Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-potter/) > [I've always dreamed big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-collins/i-ve-always-dreamed-big/) [Gemma Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-collins/) > [As a precocious teen I dreamed of being Graham Greene. Well, as it turned out, I never wrote a great novel, sadly, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/as-a-precocious-teen-i-dreamed-of-being-graham-greene-well-as-it/) [Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/) > [My mother dreamed dreams for Joaquin and for me long before we could dream them for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-castro/my-mother-dreamed-dreams-for-joaquin-and-for-me-long-before-we-could/) [Julian Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-castro/) > [“It was a world that most fans never saw. One that many dreamed of.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-mensch/it-was-a-world-that-most-fans-never-saw-one-that-many-dreamed-of/) [Louise Mensch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-mensch/) > [I dreamed big. So it's so great to be living my own dream. I'm working in an industry that I want to work in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-strahovski/i-dreamed-big-so-it-s-so-great-to-be-living-my-own-dream-i-m-working/) [Yvonne Strahovski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-strahovski/) > [Since my childhood, I dreamed of wearing the Black and Yellow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-reus/since-my-childhood-i-dreamed-of-wearing-the-black-and-yellow/) [Marco Reus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-reus/) > [“I woke myself in the darkness, and I knew only that a dream had scared me so badly that I had to wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-woke-myself-in-the-darkness-and-i-knew-only-that-a-dream-had-scared/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I never dreamed I would one day work at it White House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hughes/i-never-dreamed-i-would-one-day-work-at-it-white-house/) [Karen Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hughes/) > [I always dreamed of making it in baseball, but life has moved pretty quickly for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-trout/i-always-dreamed-of-making-it-in-baseball-but-life-has-moved-pretty/) [Mike Trout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-trout/) > [Worse than not realizing the dreams of your youth, would be to have been young and never dreamed at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/worse-than-not-realizing-the-dreams-of-your-youth-would-be-to-have/) [Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/) > [I was never a girl who dreamed about what her wedding day would be like, but I've always dreamed about decorating my baby's nursery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-romijn/i-was-never-a-girl-who-dreamed-about-what-her-wedding-day-would-be/) [Rebecca Romijn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-romijn/) Browse all 957 Dreamed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I am a shark. A shark who dreamed he was a man.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rick Yancey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was-a-man/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dreamed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was-a-man/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/rick-yancey-831_dreams_i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was_1137284.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/rick-yancey-831_dreams_i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was_1137284.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/rick-yancey-831_dreams_i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was_1137284.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am a shark. A shark who dreamed he was a man.” — Rick Yancey", "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": "Rick Yancey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I am a shark. A shark...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was-a-man/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-am-a-shark-a-shark-who-dreamed-he-was-a-man/#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 } } ] } ```