--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Look at almost any passage, and you'll…" description: "\"Look at almost any passage, and you'll find that a paragraph has five or six metaphors in it. It's not that the speaker is trying to be poetic, it's ju..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/steven-pinker-526_five_look-at-almost-any-passage-and-you-ll-fi_1745315.jpg" --- # Look at almost any passage, and you'll find that a… ![“Look at almost any passage, and you'll find that a paragraph has five or six metaphors in it. It's not that the speaker is trying to be poetic, it's just that that's the way language works.” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/steven-pinker-526_five_look-at-almost-any-passage-and-you-ll-fi_1745315.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/steven-pinker-526_five_look-at-almost-any-passage-and-you-ll-fi_1745315.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/steven-pinker-526_five_look-at-almost-any-passage-and-you-ll-fi_1745315.jpg) > “Look at almost any passage, and you'll find that a paragraph has five or six metaphors in it. It's not that the speaker is trying to be poetic, it's just that that's the way language works.” [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language naturally uses many metaphors, not to be poetic but because metaphor is a core cognitive tool. **In simple terms:** Metaphors are built into language. Key Takeaway Recognize metaphor as a thinking tool. Themes language cognition communication Mood analytical curious Type educational observational When to use this quote - writing - teaching - public speaking - analysis Key Concepts metaphor theory cognitive linguistics Questions to Reflect On - How do metaphors shape your understanding? - When might literal language be better? A Different Perspective Overreliance on metaphor can obscure clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors/) [Metaphors Speaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors-speaker-1556301/) [Paragraph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paragraph/) [Paragraph Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paragraph-metaphors-1556300/) [Passages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passages/) [Poetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetic/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Speakers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speakers/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Trying Poetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-poetic-1556302/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Semantics is about the relation of words to thoughts, but it also about the relation of words to other human concerns. 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About the misattribution Williamson said, "Several years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-famous-passage-from-her-book-is-often-erroneously-attributed-to/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) ## More by Steven Pinker > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. 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Reason-free zones, in which people can assert arbitrary beliefs safe from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/knowledge-is-a-continuous-fabric-in-which-ideas-are-connected-to/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) [Explore all 495 Steven Pinker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## More Five quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. 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A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-remember-my-friend-johnny-von-neumann-used-to-say-with-four/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/) [Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. 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