--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think you should run through life…" description: "\"“I don't think you should run through life with a real erect penis. But you should approach each book - you should approach life - with the real possib..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/sherman-alexie-444_books_i-don-t-think-you-should-run-through-lif_1206469.jpg" --- # I don't think you should run through life with a real… ![“I don't think you should run through life with a real erect penis. But you should approach each book - you should approach life - with the real possibility that you might get a metaphorical boner at any point.” quote by Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/sherman-alexie-444_books_i-don-t-think-you-should-run-through-lif_1206469.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/sherman-alexie-444_books_i-don-t-think-you-should-run-through-lif_1206469.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/sherman-alexie-444_books_i-don-t-think-you-should-run-through-lif_1206469.jpg) > ““I don't think you should run through life with a real erect penis. But you should approach each book - you should approach life - with the real possibility that you might get a metaphorical boner at any point.”” [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He humorously suggests treating life and books with openness, ready for unexpected inspiration. **In simple terms:** Stay open to surprising inspiration in life and reading. Key Takeaway Approach everything with curiosity and humor. Themes openness humor inspiration learning Mood playful reflective Type humor inspirational When to use this quote - daily reading - personal growth - creative brainstorming Key Concepts metaphorical excitement creative mindset literary engagement Questions to Reflect On - What does a “metaphorical boner” represent for you? - How can you cultivate surprise without pressure? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper anxieties about expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Erect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erect/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“Sophie hadn't tought an erect penis would be so big. Or so hard. Or so silky. "I thought it would be like a hot-dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-clare/sophie-hadn-t-tought-an-erect-penis-would-be-so-big-or-so-hard-or-so/) [Pamela Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-clare/) > [“Penis erectus non habet conscientiam. An erect penis has no conscience and so I d-”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-david/penis-erectus-non-habet-conscientiam-an-erect-penis-has-no-conscience/) [S. A. David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-david/) > [“You should approach each book -- you should approach life -- with the real possibility that you might get a metaphorical boner at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/you-should-approach-each-book-you-should-approach-life-with-the-real/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“I was emotionally erect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/i-was-emotionally-erect/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“On the card I wrote, “Thinking of you,” and the picture was of my erect penis. I hope my local congressman got it OK.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/on-the-card-i-wrote-thinking-of-you-and-the-picture-was-of-my-erect/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“It seemed that the penis per se, except to male homosexuals, was not a very salable commodity in the sexual marketplace of America. Few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gay-talese/it-seemed-that-the-penis-per-se-except-to-male-homosexuals-was-not-a/) [Gay Talese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gay-talese/) > [Dick erect like tiggers tail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tigger/dick-erect-like-tiggers-tail/) [Tigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tigger/) > [“All erect dicks are bent. Or, if not all, then at least enough of them to be eulogized in a poem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/all-erect-dicks-are-bent-or-if-not-all-then-at-least-enough-of-them/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [When the male organ of a man stands erect, two thirds of his intelect go away. And one third of his religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/when-the-male-organ-of-a-man-stands-erect-two-thirds-of-his-intelect/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [The average penis is 5 to 5.7 inches long when erect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-average-penis-is-5-to-5-7-inches-long-when-erect/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Be cheerful also, and seek not external help nor the tranquility which others give. A man then must stand erect, not be kept erect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/be-cheerful-also-and-seek-not-external-help-nor-the-tranquility-which/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [I come correct in full effect have all my hoes in check and before I get the butt the jim must be erect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-tribe-called-quest/i-come-correct-in-full-effect-have-all-my-hoes-in-check-and-before-i/) [A Tribe Called Quest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-tribe-called-quest/) > [“walked erect out of my sleep”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/walked-erect-out-of-my-sleep/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/a-man-must-stand-erect-not-be-kept-erect-by-others/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [All this discussion though politically correct, is dead beyond destruction though it leaves me quite erect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/live-band/all-this-discussion-though-politically-correct-is-dead-beyond/) [Live (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/live-band/) ## More by Sherman Alexie > [“He says the earth is an oval marble that nobody can win. He says the sky is not blue and the grass is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/he-says-the-earth-is-an-oval-marble-that-nobody-can-win-he-says-the/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“Now, in the old days, Indians used to be forgiving of any kind of eccentricity. In fact, weird people were often celebrated. Epileptics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/now-in-the-old-days-indians-used-to-be-forgiving-of-any-kind-of/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [Since Jesus was human then he most assuredly farted and burped. And if God did create us in God's image then God must fart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/since-jesus-was-human-then-he-most-assuredly-farted-and-burped-and-if/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“A century ago she might have been beautiful, her face reflected in the river instead of a mirror. But all the years have changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/a-century-ago-she-might-have-been-beautiful-her-face-reflected-in-the/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“In all those stories, I could fly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/in-all-those-stories-i-could-fly/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [I don't think there's a whole lot of class literature at all. I think most of that has become racially based, and people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-whole-lot-of-class-literature-at-all-i-think/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [She wanted to be buried in a coffin filled with used paperbacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/she-wanted-to-be-buried-in-a-coffin-filled-with-used-paperbacks/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“Is there really a difference between that killing and this killing? Does God approve of some killing and not other killing? If I kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/is-there-really-a-difference-between-that-killing-and-this-killing/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“Son, things have never been like how you think they used to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/son-things-have-never-been-like-how-you-think-they-used-to-be/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [My parents banned nothing, though the Christian fundamentalists in my tribe held book-and-record burnings every now and again. So, yes, fundamentalist assholes can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/my-parents-banned-nothing-though-the-christian-fundamentalists-in-my/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“Or maybe I could have anesthetized myself with homework and extra credit and binge-reading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/or-maybe-i-could-have-anesthetized-myself-with-homework-and-extra/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“Dear wife, I'm sorry that I am mysteriously incapable of folding clean laundry, but I iron, oh, I iron. Sweetheart, I'll make your white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/dear-wife-i-m-sorry-that-i-am-mysteriously-incapable-of-folding-clean/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“Gordy,” I said. “I need to talk to you." "I don't have time," he said. "Mr. Orcutt and I have to debug some PCs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/gordy-i-said-i-need-to-talk-to-you-i-don-t-have-time-he-said-mr/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“The United States wants all of us to forget the crimes it committed against the indigenous. The United States wants us to forget. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/the-united-states-wants-all-of-us-to-forget-the-crimes-it-committed/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [I think that white women are more apt to read laterally. So I think there's some strong identification for women, and their political and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/i-think-that-white-women-are-more-apt-to-read-laterally-so-i-think/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) [Explore all 546 Sherman Alexie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I don't think you should run through life with a real erect penis. 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