--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why on earth do you carry a mirror around…" description: "\"Why on earth do you carry a mirror around with you?” “It's purely a defensive device. We seldom quarrel, and this is one of the reasons. Can you imagin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/theodore-sturgeon-4560_devices_why-on-earth-do-you-carry-a-mirror-aroun_2559998.jpg" --- # Why on earth do you carry a mirror around with you?” “It's… ![“Why on earth do you carry a mirror around with you?” “It's purely a defensive device. We seldom quarrel, and this is one of the reasons. Can you imagine yourself getting all worked up and contorted and illogical and then coming face to face with yourself, looking at yourself exactly as you look to…” quote by Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/theodore-sturgeon-4560_devices_why-on-earth-do-you-carry-a-mirror-aroun_2559998.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/theodore-sturgeon-4560_devices_why-on-earth-do-you-carry-a-mirror-aroun_2559998.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a4/theodore-sturgeon-4560_devices_why-on-earth-do-you-carry-a-mirror-aroun_2559998.jpg) > “Why on earth do you carry a mirror around with you?” “It's purely a defensive device. We seldom quarrel, and this is one of the reasons. Can you imagine yourself getting all worked up and contorted and illogical and then coming face to face with yourself, looking at yourself exactly as you look to everyone else?” [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He uses a mirror as a defensive tool to prevent emotional escalation and self‑deception. **In simple terms:** A mirror helps keep emotions in check and see oneself clearly. Key Takeaway Use self‑reflection to manage anger. Themes self‑awareness defense emotional regulation Mood thoughtful calm Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - conflict resolution - therapy - personal growth Key Concepts mirror metaphor psychology self‑control Questions to Reflect On - How can you internalize the mirror’s effect? - What habits foster genuine self‑awareness? A Different Perspective Relying on external objects may not replace internal discipline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Face to face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-to-face/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [I get the 'Daily Mirror,' purely and simply because they put the Racing Post prices in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-virgo/i-get-the-daily-mirror-purely-and-simply-because-they-put-the-racing/) [John Virgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-virgo/) > [The way you get to know yourself is by the expressions on other people's faces, because that's the only thing that you can see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/the-way-you-get-to-know-yourself-is-by-the-expressions-on-other/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [“There's only three times you see a look like that on a guy's face, when he's looking at the world's best basketball player, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/there-s-only-three-times-you-see-a-look-like-that-on-a-guy-s-face/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“Claire's face looking pretty and serene, as if she were gifted with a madness that left her ignorant of worry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-lawrence/claire-s-face-looking-pretty-and-serene-as-if-she-were-gifted-with-a/) [R.J. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-lawrence/) > [“Old age. All the facial detail is visible; all the traces life has left there are to be seen. The face is furrowed, wrinkled,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/old-age-all-the-facial-detail-is-visible-all-the-traces-life-has-left/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [I do, indeed, close my door at times and surrender myself to a book, but only because I can open the door again and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/i-do-indeed-close-my-door-at-times-and-surrender-myself-to-a-book-but/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [“I wondered, as I wondered so often when I was that age, who I was, and what exactly was looking at the face in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-wondered-as-i-wondered-so-often-when-i-was-that-age-who-i-was-and-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The pages and the words are my world, spread out before your eyes and for your hand to touch. 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There is nothing as ridiculous and tragic as a religious government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/religions-are-illogical-primitive-ignorance-there-is-nothing-as/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [People are unrealistic, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/people-are-unrealistic-illogical-and-self-centered-love-them-anyway/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## More by Theodore Sturgeon > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [For years, I thought I simply didn't dream. I felt left out. Everybody else had a thing I didn't have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/for-years-i-thought-i-simply-didn-t-dream-i-felt-left-out-everybody/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I learned how to live on five and sometimes ten dollars a week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/i-learned-how-to-live-on-five-and-sometimes-ten-dollars-a-week/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [“She was perhaps seventeen when it happened. She was in Central Park, in New York. It was too warm for such an early spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/she-was-perhaps-seventeen-when-it-happened-she-was-in-central-park-in/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [“Anger was foreign to him; he had only felt it once before. But now it came, a wash of it that made him swell,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/anger-was-foreign-to-him-he-had-only-felt-it-once-before-but-now-it/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Fear is a survival instinct; fear in its way is a comfort for it means that somewhere hope is alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/fear-is-a-survival-instinct-fear-in-its-way-is-a-comfort-for-it-means/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I repeat Sturgeon's Revelation, which was wrung out of me after twenty years of wearying defense of science fiction against attacks of people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/i-repeat-sturgeon-s-revelation-which-was-wrung-out-of-me-after-twenty/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Once I had all the facts in, I found I didn't have the immoral courage to pull the caper. So I wrote it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/once-i-had-all-the-facts-in-i-found-i-didn-t-have-the-immoral-courage/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [It should consist of short, sharply focused sentences, each of which is a whole scene in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/it-should-consist-of-short-sharply-focused-sentences-each-of-which-is/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Logic and truth are two very different things, but they often look the same to the mind that's performing the logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/logic-and-truth-are-two-very-different-things-but-they-often-look-the/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Science fiction, outside of poetry, is the only literary field which has no limits, no parameters whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/science-fiction-outside-of-poetry-is-the-only-literary-field-which/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Create a world in which these things do or do not exist, or in which they are extended in some way. Test reality against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/create-a-world-in-which-these-things-do-or-do-not-exist-or-in-which/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [“Living things aren't finished, you see. Everything they have ever been in contact with, each thought they have had, each person they have known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/living-things-aren-t-finished-you-see-everything-they-have-ever-been/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [Fiction is very important to me. It's what I do, it's what I do with my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/fiction-is-very-important-to-me-it-s-what-i-do-it-s-what-i-do-with-my/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [The first writing I did was short short stories for a newspaper syndicate for which I was paid five dollars a piece on publication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/the-first-writing-i-did-was-short-short-stories-for-a-newspaper/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) [Explore all 102 Theodore Sturgeon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) ## More Devices quotes > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Televisions are devices with screens that things appear on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/televisions-are-devices-with-screens-that-things-appear-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I would warn against holsters with devices for quick-draw. Devices always fail when you need them most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-powell/i-would-warn-against-holsters-with-devices-for-quick-draw-devices/) [William Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-powell/) > [As we go through this transition where a lot more people will be reading on devices, nobody is paying enough attention to make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/as-we-go-through-this-transition-where-a-lot-more-people-will-be/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [I think we're probably only about halfway through the number of revelations. I'm pretty certain there will be quite detailed stuff on other uses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-a-watson/i-think-we-re-probably-only-about-halfway-through-the-number-of/) [Tom A. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-a-watson/) > [The documentary style is an incredibly flexible and useful one. 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