--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The supernatural, and all it represents…" description: "\"“The supernatural, and all it represents, is profoundly abnormal, and therefore unreal. Few would argue with these conclusions. Fine. Now the highest a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/950/thomas-ligotti-2073_hope-love_the-supernatural-and-all-it-represents-i_1345403.jpg" --- # The supernatural, and all it represents, is profoundly… ![“The supernatural, and all it represents, is profoundly abnormal, and therefore unreal. Few would argue with these conclusions. Fine. Now the highest aim of the realistic horror writer is to prove, in realistic terms, that the unreal is real. The question is: “Can this be done?” The answer is: “Of…” quote by Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/950/thomas-ligotti-2073_hope-love_the-supernatural-and-all-it-represents-i_1345403.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/950/thomas-ligotti-2073_hope-love_the-supernatural-and-all-it-represents-i_1345403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/950/thomas-ligotti-2073_hope-love_the-supernatural-and-all-it-represents-i_1345403.jpg) > ““The supernatural, and all it represents, is profoundly abnormal, and therefore unreal. Few would argue with these conclusions. Fine. Now the highest aim of the realistic horror writer is to prove, in realistic terms, that the unreal is real. The question is: “Can this be done?” The answer is: “Of course not.” One would look silly attempting such a thing. Consequently, the realistic horror writer, wielding the hollow proofs and premises of his art, must settle for merely seeming to smooth out the ultimate paradox. In order to achieve this effect, the supernatural realist must really know the normal world, and deeply take for granted its reality. (It helps if he himself is normal and real.) Only then can the unreal, the abnormal, the supernatural be smuggled in as a plain brown package marked Hope, Love, or Fortune Cookies, and postmarked: the Edge of the Unknown.”” [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realistic horror must ground the uncanny in everyday reality, using familiar settings to make the supernatural feel plausible. **In simple terms:** Make the strange feel ordinary. Key Takeaway Anchor the bizarre in the mundane. Themes horror realism paradox supernatural literature Mood thoughtful analytical creative Type critical theoretical inspirational When to use this quote - writing fiction - film directing - game design - psychology - teaching literature Key Concepts metafiction philosophical inquiry genre theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you make the unreal feel real without losing mystery? - What everyday details best conceal the supernatural? A Different Perspective The approach may limit pure imagination, risking blandness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fortune Cookies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fortune-cookies/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If you think your life is stupid, try typing fortunes for fortune cookies as a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-think-your-life-is-stupid-try-typing-fortunes-for-fortune/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want us to cool down for a while before we end up on horses' said Scully. 'What?' Hank asked. 'A definition of confusion.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-us-to-cool-down-for-a-while-before-we-end-up-on-horses-said/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I’m starting to sound like that halfwit Demeter. If I start spouting half-formed proverbs, feel free to send me back from whence I came—…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/i-m-starting-to-sound-like-that-halfwit-demeter-if-i-start-spouting/) [Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/) > [“If someone seems to have changed from one session to another, make sure you haven’t changed instead.” A warning from his mother, once upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/if-someone-seems-to-have-changed-from-one-session-to-another-make/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [You're not very good at being contemplative," Milo said. "You always sound like some bad caricature of a philosopher, like those fortune cookies with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/you-re-not-very-good-at-being-contemplative-milo-said-you-always/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [“...but I could see how hard it would be for him to imagine the rest of his life, and where it would lead him...It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kasischke/but-i-could-see-how-hard-it-would-be-for-him-to-imagine-the-rest-of/) [Laura Kasischke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kasischke/) > [“God didn’t give Moses ten fortune cookies in a to-go box. God didn’t lead the Israelites through the wilderness with a neon all-you-can-eat sign.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/god-didn-t-give-moses-ten-fortune-cookies-in-a-to-go-box-god-didn-t/) [Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/) > [“Patience, young grasshopper,” he teased. “Good things come to those who wait.” “How very wise of you,” I teased back. Russ shrugged. “I eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-oram/patience-young-grasshopper-he-teased-good-things-come-to-those-who/) [Kelly Oram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-oram/) > [God's promises are not fortune cookies. We do not use them in order to get a spiritual "fix" for the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-b-ferguson/god-s-promises-are-not-fortune-cookies-we-do-not-use-them-in-order-to/) [Sinclair B. Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-b-ferguson/) > [Fortune cookies are a good idea. 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So if we have blundered by regarding consciousness as a blunder, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/nature-proceeds-by-blunders-that-is-its-way-it-is-also-ours-so-if-we/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [We live in a permanent state of bad faith, a mutual representation of ourselves to one another for the sake of remaining sane and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/we-live-in-a-permanent-state-of-bad-faith-a-mutual-representation-of/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“The darkness of the grotesque is an immortal enigma: in all legends of the dead, in all the tales of creatures of the night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-darkness-of-the-grotesque-is-an-immortal-enigma-in-all-legends-of/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“If truth is what you seek, then the examined life will only take you on a long ride to the limits of solitude and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/if-truth-is-what-you-seek-then-the-examined-life-will-only-take-you/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“The dismembered limbs of dolls and puppets are strewn about everywhere. Posters, signs, billboards, and leaflets of various sorts are scattered around like playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-dismembered-limbs-of-dolls-and-puppets-are-strewn-about/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“As I drifted along with my bodiless invisibility, I felt myself more and more becoming an empty, floating shape, seeing without being seen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/as-i-drifted-along-with-my-bodiless-invisibility-i-felt-myself-more/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“The lessons in measurement of cloacal forces. Time as a flow of sewage. The excrement of space, scatology of creation. The voiding of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-lessons-in-measurement-of-cloacal-forces-time-as-a-flow-of-sewage/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [And the worst possible thing we could know — worse than knowing of our descent from a mass of microorganisms — is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/and-the-worst-possible-thing-we-could-know-worse-than-knowing-of-our/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [“Only catatonics and coma patients can persevere in a dignified withdrawal from life’s rattle and hum. Without a “yes” in our hearts, nothing would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/only-catatonics-and-coma-patients-can-persevere-in-a-dignified/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) [Explore all 187 Thomas Ligotti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) ## More Hope love quotes > [Love is I rather be poor and in the gutters than rich and with out you Love is selfish Love is hope love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracesel-balangue-collado/love-is-i-rather-be-poor-and-in-the-gutters-than-rich-and-with-out/) [Gracesel Balangue Collado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracesel-balangue-collado/) > [The Hope, Love & Healing necklace is the perfect embodiment of what we are trying to bring to Haiti through safe and sustainable housing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/the-hope-love-healing-necklace-is-the-perfect-embodiment-of-what-we/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [May the gifts of the season...peace, hope, love, health and happiness be yours throughout the New Year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-the-gifts-of-the-season-peace-hope-love-health-and-happiness-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“True religion, according to Romans, is about faith, hope, love; about the cross of Christ, and the love of God. It is about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-ford/true-religion-according-to-romans-is-about-faith-hope-love-about-the/) [Desmond Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-ford/) > [On the quality of life: #1. Realize that each human being has a built-in capacity for recuperation and repair. #2. Recognize that the quality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/on-the-quality-of-life-1-realize-that-each-human-being-has-a-built-in/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [Youth, hope, and love: To build a new life on a ruined life, To make the future fairer than the past, And make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/youth-hope-and-love-to-build-a-new-life-on-a-ruined-life-to-make-the/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“when the inner garden is under cultivation and God's Spirit is present, harvests are regular events. The fruits? Things like courage, hope, love, endurance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-macdonald/when-the-inner-garden-is-under-cultivation-and-god-s-spirit-is/) [Gordon MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-macdonald/) > [Faith, hope, love, and insight are the highest achievements of human effort. They are found-given-by experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/faith-hope-love-and-insight-are-the-highest-achievements-of-human/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My hope is that anyone who is in love, has been in love, understands love, will be a person who will stand up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-champion/my-hope-is-that-anyone-who-is-in-love-has-been-in-love-understands/) [Sam Champion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-champion/) > [A fight is going on inside me," said an old man to his son. "It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mass/a-fight-is-going-on-inside-me-said-an-old-man-to-his-son-it-is-a/) [Wendy Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-mass/) > [strenght-faith-hope-love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/strenght-faith-hope-love/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [You went out with a girl at first because the sheer sight of her made you weak in the knees. You fell in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/you-went-out-with-a-girl-at-first-because-the-sheer-sight-of-her-made/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [One of these days I hope to love a man as much as he loves me¦Im waiting for it to not be uneven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-these-days-i-hope-to-love-a-man-as-much-as-he-loves-me-im/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“…there's hope in love. And a world without hope is a sad one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paige-rion/there-s-hope-in-love-and-a-world-without-hope-is-a-sad-one/) Paige Rion Browse all 127 Hope love quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The supernatural, and all it represents, is profoundly abnormal, and therefore unreal. Few would argue with these conclusions. Fine. Now the highest aim of the realistic horror writer is to prove, in realistic terms, that the unreal is real. The question is: “Can this be done?” The answer is: “Of course not.” One would look silly attempting such a thing. Consequently, the realistic horror writer, wielding the hollow proofs and premises of his art, must settle for merely seeming to smooth out the ultimate paradox. In order to achieve this effect, the supernatural realist must really know the normal world, and deeply take for granted its reality. (It helps if he himself is normal and real.) 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