---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Next comes the realist phase (\"After all…"
description: "\"Next comes the realist phase (\"After all, from a purely geometrical point of view a cat is only a tube with a door at the top.\").\" — Terry Pratchett"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/terry-pratchett-19_cat_next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-f_1709626.jpg"
---

#  Next comes the realist phase ("After all, from a purely…

![“Next comes the realist phase (&quot;After all, from a purely geometrical point of view a cat is only a tube with a door at the top.&quot;).” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/terry-pratchett-19_cat_next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-f_1709626.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/terry-pratchett-19_cat_next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-f_1709626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/terry-pratchett-19_cat_next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-f_1709626.jpg)

> “Next comes the realist phase ("After all, from a purely geometrical point of view a cat is only a tube with a door at the top.").”

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The realist phase sees things as they are, stripping away romanticism to reveal practical truth.

**In simple terms:** Seeing reality plainly.

Key Takeaway

Accept facts, act accordingly.

Themes

realism pragmatism perception humor

Mood

thoughtful wry analytical

Type

philosophical humorous

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- design planning
- personal relationships
- creative projects

Key Concepts

geometry metaphor social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How does realism affect your optimism?
- When is idealism more useful?

A Different Perspective

May overlook emotional nuance or human complexity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Cat Tube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat-tube-1232723/) [Comes Realist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-realist-1232721/) [Doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doors/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Phases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phases/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Purely Geometrical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purely-geometrical-1232722/) [Realist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realist/) [Realist Phase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realist-phase-1232720/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Tubes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tubes/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/)

## Related quotes

> [There is still a difference between something and nothing, but it is purely geometrical and there is nothing behind the geometry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/there-is-still-a-difference-between-something-and-nothing-but-it-is/)

[Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/)

> [I've gradually fooled myself into becoming a real painter... I really just like to sit in my air-conditioned Rome painting studio surrounded by Medieval…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kostabi/i-ve-gradually-fooled-myself-into-becoming-a-real-painter-i-really/)

[Mark Kostabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kostabi/)

> [A tragedy's first act is crowded with supporting players: witnesses crimping their faces, policemen scribbling in pads and making radio calls, EMS guys unfolding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darin-strauss/a-tragedy-s-first-act-is-crowded-with-supporting-players-witnesses/)

[Darin Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darin-strauss/)

> [There seems to be a common strain of miserliness in the American people when it comes to throwing away toothpaste tubes which havea little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/there-seems-to-be-a-common-strain-of-miserliness-in-the-american/)

[Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/)

> [I also became interested in chemistry and gradually accumulated enough test tubes and other glassware to do chemical experiments, using small quantities of chemicals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-brenner/i-also-became-interested-in-chemistry-and-gradually-accumulated/)

[Sydney Brenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-brenner/)

> [In the increasingly mechanized, automated, cybernated environment of the modern world a cold, bodiless world of wheels, smooth plastic surfaces, tubes, pushbuttons, transistors, computers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eldridge-cleaver/in-the-increasingly-mechanized-automated-cybernated-environment-of/)

[Eldridge Cleaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eldridge-cleaver/)

> [I go into town every day on the tube. I've got an Oyster card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-flemyng/i-go-into-town-every-day-on-the-tube-i-ve-got-an-oyster-card/)

[Jason Flemyng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-flemyng/)

> [ \[Math is\] not at all like science. There's no experiment I can do with test tubes and equipment and whatnot that will tell me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lockhart/math-is-not-at-all-like-science-there-s-no-experiment-i-can-do-with/)

[Paul Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lockhart/)

> [A comic, all they have to do is, if you do something funny in a comedy club and you put it up on you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rogan/a-comic-all-they-have-to-do-is-if-you-do-something-funny-in-a-comedy/)

[Joe Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rogan/)

> [We know have the power of God in many ways: the atomic bomb, the ability to create life in a test tube, cloning, artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/we-know-have-the-power-of-god-in-many-ways-the-atomic-bomb-the/)

[James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/)

> [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [So someday in the near future hopefully rather than having a foot or a leg amputated we'll just give you an injection of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/so-someday-in-the-near-future-hopefully-rather-than-having-a-foot-or/)

[Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/)

> [The Behaviorist cannot find consciousness in the test-tube of his science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-watson/the-behaviorist-cannot-find-consciousness-in-the-test-tube-of-his/)

[John B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-watson/)

> [I know how to set an irrigation tube, and I helped with the harvest. I learned the law of the harvest without even knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-l-dew/i-know-how-to-set-an-irrigation-tube-and-i-helped-with-the-harvest-i/)

[Sheri L. Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-l-dew/)

> [We are perhaps too near the age of transition to see clearly the interplay of all that made for progress. Each of us has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cargill-gilston-knott/we-are-perhaps-too-near-the-age-of-transition-to-see-clearly-the/)

[Cargill Gilston Knott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cargill-gilston-knott/)

## More by Terry Pratchett

> [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

[Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## More Cat quotes

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/)

[Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/)

> [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/)

[Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/)

> [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/)

[Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/)

> [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/)

[Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/)

> [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/)

[Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/)

> [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [In the olden days in England, you could be hung for stealing a sheep or a loaf of bread. However, if a sheep stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-harding/in-the-olden-days-in-england-you-could-be-hung-for-stealing-a-sheep/)

[Mike Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-harding/)

> [Kittens can happen to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/kittens-can-happen-to-anyone/)

[Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/)

> [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“All right, you deadly little ghostlings,” I muttered. “Mama says go back to bed! - Cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/all-right-you-deadly-little-ghostlings-i-muttered-mama-says-go-back/)

[Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/)

> [Man wishes woman to be peaceable, but in fact she is essentially warlike, like the cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/man-wishes-woman-to-be-peaceable-but-in-fact-she-is-essentially/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [There are videos I used to take at home, pretending to be a newscaster, interviewing the teapot or my house cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-wagner/there-are-videos-i-used-to-take-at-home-pretending-to-be-a-newscaster/)

[Alex Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-wagner/)

[Browse all 2,996 Cat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Next comes the realist phase (\"After all, from a purely geometrical point of view a cat is only a tube with a door at the top.\").",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terry Pratchett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-from-a-purely-geometrical/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cat"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-from-a-purely-geometrical/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/terry-pratchett-19_cat_next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-f_1709626.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/terry-pratchett-19_cat_next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-f_1709626.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29b/terry-pratchett-19_cat_next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-f_1709626.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Next comes the realist phase (\"After all, from a purely geometrical point of view a cat is only a tube with…” — Terry Pratchett",
                "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": "Terry Pratchett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Next comes the realist phase (\"After...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-from-a-purely-geometrical/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/next-comes-the-realist-phase-after-all-from-a-purely-geometrical/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
