--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poetic simile was strictly limited to…" description: "\"Poetic simile was strictly limited to statements like 'his mighty steed was as fleet as the wind on a fairly calm day, say about Force Three,' and any ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/terry-pratchett-19_beloved_poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-st_84152.jpg" --- # Poetic simile was strictly limited to statements like 'his… ![“Poetic simile was strictly limited to statements like 'his mighty steed was as fleet as the wind on a fairly calm day, say about Force Three,' and any loose talk about a beloved having a face that launched a thousand ships would have to be backed by evidence that the object of desire did indeed…” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/terry-pratchett-19_beloved_poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-st_84152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/terry-pratchett-19_beloved_poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-st_84152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/terry-pratchett-19_beloved_poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-st_84152.jpg) > “Poetic simile was strictly limited to statements like 'his mighty steed was as fleet as the wind on a fairly calm day, say about Force Three,' and any loose talk about a beloved having a face that launched a thousand ships would have to be backed by evidence that the object of desire did indeed look like a bottle of champagne.” [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 quote critiques overly literal or forced similes, insisting that figurative language must be grounded in observable similarity rather than fanciful exaggeration. **In simple terms:** Demand for evidence in metaphorical comparisons. Key Takeaway Metaphors need credible basis. Themes Language Creativity Precision Humor Mood Wry Playful Type Satirical Observational When to use this quote - Writing workshops - Literary analysis - Teaching metaphor usage Key Concepts Figurative speech Literary criticism Practical Applications - Guiding clear descriptive writing Questions to Reflect On - When does a metaphor become misleading? - How can writers balance imagination with clarity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beloved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved/) [Calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) [Champagne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/champagne/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Poetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetic/) [Simile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simile/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [The point is that descriptive writing is very rarely entirely accurate and during the reign of Olaf Quimby II as Patrician of Ankh-Morpork some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-point-is-that-descriptive-writing-is-very-rarely-entirely/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Getting an education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/getting-an-education-was-a-bit-like-a-communicable-sexual-disease/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Getting an education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/getting-an-education-was-a-bit-like-a-communicable-sexual-disease-it/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Grinning like a necrophiliac in a morgue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/grinning-like-a-necrophiliac-in-a-morgue/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Well, basically there are two sorts of opera," said Nanny, who also had the true witch's ability to be confidently expert on the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/well-basically-there-are-two-sorts-of-opera-said-nanny-who-also-had/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [He'd heard that writers spent all day in their dressing gowns drinking champagne. This is, of course, absolutely true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-d-heard-that-writers-spent-all-day-in-their-dressing-gowns/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The amount of perfume she had on was like a human sacrifice on Incense Night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moles/the-amount-of-perfume-she-had-on-was-like-a-human-sacrifice-on/) Stephen Moles > [It sounded like a piece of blackboard being dragged over the nails of a wall of severed fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-sounded-like-a-piece-of-blackboard-being-dragged-over-the-nails-of/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Insanity hovered close at hand, like an eager waiter at an expensive restaurant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/insanity-hovered-close-at-hand-like-an-eager-waiter-at-an-expensive/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“A novel rough draft is like bread dough; you need to beat the crap out of it for it to rise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-baty/a-novel-rough-draft-is-like-bread-dough-you-need-to-beat-the-crap-out/) [Chris Baty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-baty/) > [“Detonations crash in from nearby like walls she's a void at the center of.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/detonations-crash-in-from-nearby-like-walls-she-s-a-void-at-the/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [A simile is just a metaphor with the scaffolding still up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-geary/a-simile-is-just-a-metaphor-with-the-scaffolding-still-up/) [James Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-geary/) > [“Faded like morning fog in the rising sun, sports team logo on a cheap T-shirt, ninety-nine dollar paint job on a Chevy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-vickers/faded-like-morning-fog-in-the-rising-sun-sports-team-logo-on-a-cheap/) [Dennis Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-vickers/) > [“gleaming like a searchlight, Iowa moon, silver plate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-vickers/gleaming-like-a-searchlight-iowa-moon-silver-plate/) [Dennis Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-vickers/) > [“Emotions unreel in her like spools of cotton.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/emotions-unreel-in-her-like-spools-of-cotton/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) ## 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 Beloved quotes > [My Chosen Daughter, No one can define you without your permission. I want you to be so secure in who you are in Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/god/my-chosen-daughter-no-one-can-define-you-without-your-permission-i/) God > [Why should the Marquis de Cussy wage war on soup? I cannot understand a dinner without it. I hold soup to be the well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-antoine-careme/why-should-the-marquis-de-cussy-wage-war-on-soup-i-cannot-understand/) [Marie-Antoine Careme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-antoine-careme/) > [Beloved, let your eyes half close, and your heart beat Over my heart, and your hair fall over my breast, Drowning love's lonely hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/beloved-let-your-eyes-half-close-and-your-heart-beat-over-my-heart/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I made you, dear, and all I make is perfect. Please come close, for I desire you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/i-made-you-dear-and-all-i-make-is-perfect-please-come-close-for-i/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [A lover asked his beloved, Do you love yourself more than you love me? Beloved replied, I have died to myself and I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lover-asked-his-beloved-do-you-love-yourself-more-than-you-love-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/he-who-believes-in-god-is-not-careful-for-the-morrow-but-labors/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [My beloved like a jewel on my crown, In my vast and blue sky you are like a full-moon. I wish to stay entrapped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranjan-dey/my-beloved-like-a-jewel-on-my-crown-in-my-vast-and-blue-sky-you-are/) [Ranjan Dey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranjan-dey/) > [Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/love-is-doing-what-will-enthrall-the-beloved-with-the-greatest-and/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Rest you well, beloved Jesus, Caesar’s Lord and Israel’s King, In the brooding of the Spirit, in the darkness of the spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/rest-you-well-beloved-jesus-caesar-s-lord-and-israel-s-king-in-the/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) > [My beloved friend - one of the most unique and charming personalities of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/my-beloved-friend-one-of-the-most-unique-and-charming-personalities/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [A lover goes toward his beloved as enthusiastically as a schoolboy leaving his books, but when he leaves his girlfriend, he feels as miserable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-lover-goes-toward-his-beloved-as-enthusiastically-as-a-schoolboy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I lost my dad when I was younger, and I know what its like to lose a beloved parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/i-lost-my-dad-when-i-was-younger-and-i-know-what-its-like-to-lose-a/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [My beloved dog defied treatment from the best and most expensive veterinarians, holistic practitioners, trainers, and animal communicators. He was simply beyond my ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/my-beloved-dog-defied-treatment-from-the-best-and-most-expensive/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) > [Perhaps if only once you did enjoy The thousandth part of all the happiness A heart beloved enjoys, returning love, Repentant, you would surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torquato-tasso/perhaps-if-only-once-you-did-enjoy-the-thousandth-part-of-all-the/) [Torquato Tasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torquato-tasso/) > [Wicked sons do not have the Holy Ghost in the same way as do beloved sons, and yet they do have Baptism. So, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/wicked-sons-do-not-have-the-holy-ghost-in-the-same-way-as-do-beloved/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) [Browse all 1,440 Beloved quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Poetic simile was strictly limited to statements like 'his mighty steed was as fleet as the wind on a fairly calm day, say about Force Three,' and any loose talk about a beloved having a face that launched a thousand ships would have to be backed by evidence that the object of desire did indeed look like a bottle of champagne.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-statements-like-his-mighty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beloved" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-statements-like-his-mighty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/terry-pratchett-19_beloved_poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-st_84152.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/terry-pratchett-19_beloved_poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-st_84152.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/terry-pratchett-19_beloved_poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-st_84152.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Poetic simile was strictly limited to statements like 'his mighty steed was as fleet as the wind on a fairly…” — 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": "Poetic simile was strictly limited to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-statements-like-his-mighty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/poetic-simile-was-strictly-limited-to-statements-like-his-mighty/#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 } } ] } ```