--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A cloud can look like a camel, but a…" description: "\"A cloud can look like a camel, but a camel is unlikely to look like a cloud. This is so because the signifier must be able to stand for the whole categ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddf/rudolf-arnheim-10963_able_a-cloud-can-look-like-a-camel-but-a-came_196773.jpg" --- # A cloud can look like a camel, but a camel is unlikely to… ![“A cloud can look like a camel, but a camel is unlikely to look like a cloud. This is so because the signifier must be able to stand for the whole category of the signified. The cloud looks like all camels, but no camel looks like all clouds.” quote by Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddf/rudolf-arnheim-10963_able_a-cloud-can-look-like-a-camel-but-a-came_196773.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddf/rudolf-arnheim-10963_able_a-cloud-can-look-like-a-camel-but-a-came_196773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddf/rudolf-arnheim-10963_able_a-cloud-can-look-like-a-camel-but-a-came_196773.jpg) > “A cloud can look like a camel, but a camel is unlikely to look like a cloud. This is so because the signifier must be able to stand for the whole category of the signified. The cloud looks like all camels, but no camel looks like all clouds.” [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote illustrates that symbols must represent an entire class, not just a single instance, highlighting asymmetry in representation. **In simple terms:** Symbols must capture whole categories, not just one example. Key Takeaway Design symbols that encompass the full range of what they represent. Themes representation symbolism visual perception semantics Mood thoughtful analytical Type explanatory educational When to use this quote - branding - education - user interface design - visual art - communication Key Concepts semiotics category theory cognitive psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure a symbol covers all aspects of its meaning? - When might a specific example be a better representation? A Different Perspective It can be hard to create symbols that fully capture complex categories without oversimplifying. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camels/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) ## Related quotes > [A camel looks like a horse that was planned by a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-issigonis/a-camel-looks-like-a-horse-that-was-planned-by-a-committee/) [Alec Issigonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-issigonis/) > [He runs like a camel. A really pissed off camel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-donovan/he-runs-like-a-camel-a-really-pissed-off-camel/) [Art Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-donovan/) > [You walk into the room like a camel and then put your eyes in your pockets and your nose on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/you-walk-into-the-room-like-a-camel-and-then-put-your-eyes-in-your/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [The covetous man is like a camel with a great hunch on his back; heaven's gate must be made Higher and broader, or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-adams/the-covetous-man-is-like-a-camel-with-a-great-hunch-on-his-back/) [Thomas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-adams/) > [Do you see yonder cloud that’s almost in shape of a camel? Polonius: By the mass, and ‘tis like a camel, indeed. Hamlet: Methinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/do-you-see-yonder-cloud-that-s-almost-in-shape-of-a-camel-polonius-by/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Aren't the clouds beautiful? They look like big balls of cotton... I could just lie here all day, and watch them drift by... If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/aren-t-the-clouds-beautiful-they-look-like-big-balls-of-cotton-i/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [What are you looking at?" Jordan demanded finally, watching her. "A dragon." When he looked bewildered she lifted her arm and pointed to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/what-are-you-looking-at-jordan-demanded-finally-watching-her-a-dragon/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“The straw that breaks the camel's back always looks light enough, until it lands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cantero/the-straw-that-breaks-the-camel-s-back-always-looks-light-enough/) [Edgar Cantero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cantero/) > [“Are you done now?” he asked as Cinderella drank her fill. “Yes, I think so,” she said, handing the water skin back to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-shea/are-you-done-now-he-asked-as-cinderella-drank-her-fill-yes-i-think-so/) [K.M. Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-shea/) > [“I often feel like a camel in the mountains, and a goat in the desert. Ah, but that’s life, no?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-often-feel-like-a-camel-in-the-mountains-and-a-goat-in-the-desert/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“I hope I fed you enough. While I'm here. So you carry it with you. Like a camel.' I can hear the smile in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-hope-i-fed-you-enough-while-i-m-here-so-you-carry-it-with-you-like/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“What is heavy? so asks the spirit that would bear much, and then kneels down like the camel, and wants to be well laden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-heavy-so-asks-the-spirit-that-would-bear-much-and-then-kneels/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“And you had to do that in a thunderstorm pissing down like a camel?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppet/and-you-had-to-do-that-in-a-thunderstorm-pissing-down-like-a-camel/) Poppet > [“My lord, the queen would speak with you, and presently. HAMLET Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in shape of a camel? POLONIUS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/my-lord-the-queen-would-speak-with-you-and-presently-hamlet-do-you/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Or else you can say, like the camel driver who took me there: "I arrived here in my first youth, one morning, many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/or-else-you-can-say-like-the-camel-driver-who-took-me-there-i-arrived/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) ## More by Rudolf Arnheim > [Order is a prerequisite of survival; therefore the impulse to produce orderly arrangements is inbred by evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/order-is-a-prerequisite-of-survival-therefore-the-impulse-to-produce/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Seeing consists of the grasping of structural features rather than the indiscriminate recording of detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/seeing-consists-of-the-grasping-of-structural-features-rather-than/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [The dance, just as the performance of the actor, is kinesthetic art, art of the muscle sense. The awareness of tension and relaxation within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/the-dance-just-as-the-performance-of-the-actor-is-kinesthetic-art-art/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Order is a necessary condition for anything the human mind is to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/order-is-a-necessary-condition-for-anything-the-human-mind-is-to/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [The rehabilitation of order as a universal principle, however, suggested at the same time that orderliness by itself is not sufficient to account for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/the-rehabilitation-of-order-as-a-universal-principle-however/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Entropy theory, on the other hand, is not concerned with the probability of succession in a series of items but with the overall distribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/entropy-theory-on-the-other-hand-is-not-concerned-with-the/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Modem science, then, maintains on the one hand that nature, both organic and inorganic, strives towards a state of order and that man's actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/modem-science-then-maintains-on-the-one-hand-that-nature-both-organic/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [It would be most wholesome if for at least twenty years art historians were forbidden to refer to any derivations. If they were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/it-would-be-most-wholesome-if-for-at-least-twenty-years-art/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Television is a new, hard test of our wisdom. If we succeed in mastering the new medium it will enrich us. But it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/television-is-a-new-hard-test-of-our-wisdom-if-we-succeed-in/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Today we no longer regard the universe as the cause of our own undeserved troubles but perhaps, on the contrary, as the last refuge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/today-we-no-longer-regard-the-universe-as-the-cause-of-our-own/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Now equilibrium is the very opposite of disorder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/now-equilibrium-is-the-very-opposite-of-disorder/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Just as a chemist "isolates" a substance from contaminations that distort his view of its nature and effects, so the work of art purifies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/just-as-a-chemist-isolates-a-substance-from-contaminations-that/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [The fundamental peculiarity of the photographic medium; the physical objects themselves print their image by means of the optical and chemical action of light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/the-fundamental-peculiarity-of-the-photographic-medium-the-physical/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Variety is more than a means of avoiding boredom, since art is more than an entertainment of the senses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/variety-is-more-than-a-means-of-avoiding-boredom-since-art-is-more/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [The least touchable object in the world is the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/the-least-touchable-object-in-the-world-is-the-eye/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) [Explore all 62 Rudolf Arnheim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. 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