--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Clay can be a metaphor for many things. I…" description: "\"Clay can be a metaphor for many things. I made it a metaphor for flesh and earth, and these are two kinds of generic givens of life, if you look at it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/stephen-de-staebler-70841_ashes_clay-can-be-a-metaphor-for-many-things-i_1653031.jpg" --- # Clay can be a metaphor for many things. I made it a… ![“Clay can be a metaphor for many things. I made it a metaphor for flesh and earth, and these are two kinds of generic givens of life, if you look at it poetically, biblically, the idea of the life of beings, of man, being transitory, the earth abides-ashes to ashes, dust to dust-man returns to…” quote by Stephen De Staebler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/stephen-de-staebler-70841_ashes_clay-can-be-a-metaphor-for-many-things-i_1653031.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/stephen-de-staebler-70841_ashes_clay-can-be-a-metaphor-for-many-things-i_1653031.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd1/stephen-de-staebler-70841_ashes_clay-can-be-a-metaphor-for-many-things-i_1653031.jpg) > “Clay can be a metaphor for many things. I made it a metaphor for flesh and earth, and these are two kinds of generic givens of life, if you look at it poetically, biblically, the idea of the life of beings, of man, being transitory, the earth abides-ashes to ashes, dust to dust-man returns to earth, grows out of earth like a flower, wilts, goes back to the earth... We are frail, transitory creatures with aspirations of immortality, conscious of our inevitable death, and we have to deal with it somehow.” Stephen De Staebler ## 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 uses clay as a symbol for human fragility and the cycle of life, emphasizing our temporary nature and yearning for permanence. **In simple terms:** Clay symbolizes our fleeting existence and desire for lasting impact. Key Takeaway Accept mortality and find meaning despite impermanence. Themes mortality transience aspiration spirituality Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative writing - philosophical discussion - life coaching Key Concepts existentialism symbolism anthropology Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile your desire for immortality with life's impermanence? - What rituals help you accept transience? A Different Perspective It may overlook cultural variations in views on death. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes/) [Aspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiration/) [Dust to dust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dust-to-dust/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) [Inevitable death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable-death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [We had put almost all of our possessions in storage, which was a metaphor for being twenty, as were so many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/we-had-put-almost-all-of-our-possessions-in-storage-which-was-a/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I'm a metaphor for all of the things I couldn't say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-pope/i-m-a-metaphor-for-all-of-the-things-i-couldn-t-say/) [Ron Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-pope/) > [“Everything was a metaphor; all things were something other than themselves. The pain, for example, was an ocean, and he was adrift on it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/everything-was-a-metaphor-all-things-were-something-other-than/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. Every day one should meditate on being carried away by surging waves, falling from thousand-foot cliffs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/meditation-on-inevitable-death-should-be-performed-daily-every-day-2/) [Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/) > [“There are two inevitable conditions of life, confronting all of us, which destroy its whole meaning; (1) death, which may at any moment pounce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/there-are-two-inevitable-conditions-of-life-confronting-all-of-us/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [We all owe life a death, an inevitable death which we can meet. But the unnecessary death that wastes life denies all consolation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bohannan/we-all-owe-life-a-death-an-inevitable-death-which-we-can-meet-but-the/) Laura Bohannan > [“The type of the Inevitable is death. I remember well that in my youth I believed that I was certainly exempt from its operation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/the-type-of-the-inevitable-is-death-i-remember-well-that-in-my-youth/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. Every day when one’s body and mind are at peace, one should meditate upon being ripped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/meditation-on-inevitable-death-should-be-performed-daily-every-day/) [Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/) > [“Decay is as inevitable as death, as nothing lives in this temporary world for eternity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usama-hussain/decay-is-as-inevitable-as-death-as-nothing-lives-in-this-temporary/) Usama Hussain > [“His eyes hold mine and won’t let go. “Because we are all dying?” “Yes, And a kiss is a spark of life in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-c-martin/his-eyes-hold-mine-and-won-t-let-go-because-we-are-all-dying-yes-and/) [K.C. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-c-martin/) > [Our desire for immortality through our individual & collective creativity despite inevitable death is the only truly funny thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-desire-for-immortality-through-our-individual-collective/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We’re all just people making decisions and accepting consequences as we march toward an impending and inevitable death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnostic-zetetic/we-re-all-just-people-making-decisions-and-accepting-consequences-as/) Agnostic Zetetic > [“Decay is inevitable, but death is not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-rza/decay-is-inevitable-but-death-is-not/) The RZA > [“What is inevitable is not death but change. Change is the only abiding reality. The metaverse evolves, fractally and forever. Saints become sinners, sinners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/what-is-inevitable-is-not-death-but-change-change-is-the-only-abiding/) [Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/) > [The fear of an eternal life compared to an inevitable death is that of a wise man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-queen/the-fear-of-an-eternal-life-compared-to-an-inevitable-death-is-that/) [Derek Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-queen/) ## More by Stephen De Staebler > [Artists don’t get down to work until the pain of working is exceeded by the pain of not working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-de-staebler/artists-don-t-get-down-to-work-until-the-pain-of-working-is-exceeded/) Stephen De Staebler > [I have discovered that the unasked-for accident can be the salvation of what you are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-de-staebler/i-have-discovered-that-the-unasked-for-accident-can-be-the-salvation/) Stephen De Staebler > [There is an investment of your own life experience in something as innocent as colour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-de-staebler/there-is-an-investment-of-your-own-life-experience-in-something-as/) Stephen De Staebler Explore all 4 Stephen De Staebler quotes ## More Ashes quotes > [You can flush my ashes down the toilet, for all I care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-flush-my-ashes-down-the-toilet-for-all-i-care/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-is-gold-does-not-glitter-not-all-those-who-wander-are-lost/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want to have a gravestone. I want to have all my friends burn me and then snort the ashes. I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-don-t-want-to-have-a-gravestone-i-want-to-have-all-my-friends-burn/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [He said that he will never let you cry,he will always be there for you no matter how hard the situation is,that he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhra/he-said-that-he-will-never-let-you-cry-he-will-always-be-there-for/) Zhra > [“The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-past-is-to-be-learned-from-but-not-lived-in-we-look-back-to-claim/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Much can they praise the trees so straight and high, The sailing pine,the cedar proud and tall, The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/much-can-they-praise-the-trees-so-straight-and-high-the-sailing-pine/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [When any civilization is dust and ashes," he said, "art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-any-civilization-is-dust-and-ashes-he-said-art-is-all-that-s/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/man-is-a-noble-animal-splendid-in-ashes-and-pompous-in-the-grave/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [“Bury us, and mark our names above. Let us be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/bury-us-and-mark-our-names-above-let-us-be-free/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [There is nothing quite like an Ashes trip Down Under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anderson/there-is-nothing-quite-like-an-ashes-trip-down-under/) [James Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anderson/) > [I think momentum is huge in sport, especially in a series like the Ashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stokes/i-think-momentum-is-huge-in-sport-especially-in-a-series-like-the/) [Ben Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stokes/) > [Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man-yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hairsbreadth of time assigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/mark-how-fleeting-and-paltry-is-the-estate-of-man-yesterday-in-embryo/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“When you burn a bridge, you have to be prepared to live with some ashes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-coppernoll/when-you-burn-a-bridge-you-have-to-be-prepared-to-live-with-some-ashes/) [Chris Coppernoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-coppernoll/) > [I would rather be ashes than dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) [Browse all 900 Ashes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Clay can be a metaphor for many things. 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