--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It looks rather ordinary,\" said the…" description: "\"It looks rather ordinary,\" said the Snork. \"Unless you consider that a top hat is always somewhat extraordinary, of course.\" — Tove Jansson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/tove-jansson-1846_extraordinary_it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork_67788.jpg" --- # It looks rather ordinary," said the Snork. "Unless you… ![“It looks rather ordinary," said the Snork. "Unless you consider that a top hat is always somewhat extraordinary, of course.” quote by Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/tove-jansson-1846_extraordinary_it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork_67788.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/tove-jansson-1846_extraordinary_it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork_67788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/tove-jansson-1846_extraordinary_it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork_67788.jpg) > “It looks rather ordinary," said the Snork. "Unless you consider that a top hat is always somewhat extraordinary, of course.” [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker suggests that even seemingly mundane objects can possess hidden uniqueness, especially when viewed through an imaginative lens. **In simple terms:** Ordinary things can be extraordinary. Key Takeaway Perspective reveals hidden wonder. Themes perception imagination ordinary vs extraordinary subjectivity Mood playful thoughtful Type philosophical humorous When to use this quote - describing a quirky character - illustrating a whimsical scene - explaining a paradoxical observation Key Concepts top hat snork normalcy exceptionality Practical Applications - creative writing - teaching perspective shifts Questions to Reflect On - How does context alter our view of the ordinary? - What everyday objects might you see as extraordinary? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consider Hat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consider-hat-897720/) [Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary/) [Hat Somewhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hat-somewhat-897717/) [Hats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hats/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Looks Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks-ordinary-897716/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Snork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-snork-897719/) [Somewhat Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somewhat-extraordinary-897718/) [Top hats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/top-hats/) ## Related quotes > [Meanwhile someone is shining my head to get it dry to attach my top-hat to my head with toupee tape. I get into microphone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/meanwhile-someone-is-shining-my-head-to-get-it-dry-to-attach-my-top/) [Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/) > [At Columbus Circle, a juggler wearing a trench cloak and top hat, who is usually at this location afternoons and who calls himself Stretch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/at-columbus-circle-a-juggler-wearing-a-trench-cloak-and-top-hat-who/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [I don't like top hats, white ties, and tails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-astaire/i-don-t-like-top-hats-white-ties-and-tails/) [Fred Astaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-astaire/) > [People increase their use of the term 'sir' when their angry. Little do they know, it only causes me to feel more like I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/people-increase-their-use-of-the-term-sir-when-their-angry-little-do/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [ Foreign diplomats could have modeled their conduct on the way the Negro postmen, Pullman porters, and dining car waiters of Roxbury \[Massachusetts\] acted, striding… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/foreign-diplomats-could-have-modeled-their-conduct-on-the-way-the/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I had Halloween parties every year, as it was my birthday five days before. My parents would actually put prosthetic noses on, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/i-had-halloween-parties-every-year-as-it-was-my-birthday-five-days/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [Oh, there's no such thing as my favorite performance. I can't sit here today and look back, and say, Top Hat was better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-astaire/oh-there-s-no-such-thing-as-my-favorite-performance-i-can-t-sit-here/) [Fred Astaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-astaire/) > [Music really influenced me when I was growing up. I did go through a Jimi Hendrix phase. My hair was naturally quite afro, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mccrory/music-really-influenced-me-when-i-was-growing-up-i-did-go-through-a/) [Helen McCrory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mccrory/) > [Being a cab river is not unlike being a magician--minus the top hat, the cape, the rabbit, an the gorgeous assistant. But you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-reilly/being-a-cab-river-is-not-unlike-being-a-magician-minus-the-top-hat/) [Gary Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-reilly/) > [My bedtime was 8 P.M. But on 'Cosby' nights, I got to stay up until 8:30. Real big deal. 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I kept all my workout clothes in that top hat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/don-t-be-fooled-i-kept-all-my-workout-clothes-in-that-top-hat/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [People think I was born in top hat and tails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-astaire/people-think-i-was-born-in-top-hat-and-tails/) [Fred Astaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-astaire/) > [Perhaps eggs are like neurons, which also are not replenished in adulthood: they know too much. Eggs must plan the party. Sperm need only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-angier/perhaps-eggs-are-like-neurons-which-also-are-not-replenished-in/) [Natalie Angier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-angier/) ## More by Tove Jansson > [I'm not sure I would have ever started to draw, let alone write, if my childhood hadn't been so happy. It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) > [“The star we're looking for isn't so very friendly," said Moomintroll. "Quite the contrary, in fact." "What did you say?" said Sniff. 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One day you are all a society of outlaws, adventurous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-cannot-stress-enough-the-perils-of-your-friends-marrying-or/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) > [“Sophia," she said, "this is really not something to argue about. You can see for yourself that life is hard enough without being punished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/sophia-she-said-this-is-really-not-something-to-argue-about-you-can/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) > [Before we left, Grandmother talked a lot about the arctic night we would fly through. 'Isn't it a mystical word, "arctic"? Pure and quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/before-we-left-grandmother-talked-a-lot-about-the-arctic-night-we/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) > [It is still summer, but the summer is no longer alive. It has come to a standstill; nothing withers, and fall is not ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/it-is-still-summer-but-the-summer-is-no-longer-alive-it-has-come-to-a/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) > [“It'd be awful if the world exploded, it's so wonderfully splendid”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/it-d-be-awful-if-the-world-exploded-it-s-so-wonderfully-splendid/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) > [“Grandmother walked up over the bare granite and thought about birds in general. It seemed to her no other creature had the same dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/grandmother-walked-up-over-the-bare-granite-and-thought-about-birds/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) > [But he thought all the strange words were beautiful, and he had never had a book of his own before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/but-he-thought-all-the-strange-words-were-beautiful-and-he-had-never/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) > [“I can dive", Sophia said. "Do you know what it feels like when you dive?" Of course I do," her grandmother said. 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Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Newspapers have an extraordinary amount of local content, including real estate listings and restaurant reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/newspapers-have-an-extraordinary-amount-of-local-content-including/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [The contributions being made by Latinos are extraordinary, and we need to talk about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/the-contributions-being-made-by-latinos-are-extraordinary-and-we-need/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [Jeb Bush was supposed to be the establishment candidate, but he didn't catch on. And the extraordinary thing about this Republican primary is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/jeb-bush-was-supposed-to-be-the-establishment-candidate-but-he-didn-t/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [We are very fortunate to be recognized here in such an extraordinary manner for work that we enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/we-are-very-fortunate-to-be-recognized-here-in-such-an-extraordinary/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/) [Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/) > [My books are about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-robards/my-books-are-about-ordinary-people-caught-up-in-extraordinary/) [Karen Robards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-robards/) > [If you like I'll be furious flesh elemental, or- changing to tones that the sunset arouses- if you like- I'll be extraordinary gentle, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/if-you-like-i-ll-be-furious-flesh-elemental-or-changing-to-tones-that/) [Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/) > [It isn't necessary to seek out adventure. Opening to what is around you will produce the most extraordinary experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-b-lewis/it-isn-t-necessary-to-seek-out-adventure-opening-to-what-is-around/) [Edward B. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-b-lewis/) > [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) [Browse all 2,906 Extraordinary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It looks rather ordinary,\" said the Snork. \"Unless you consider that a top hat is always somewhat extraordinary, of course.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tove Jansson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork-unless-you-consider-that-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Extraordinary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork-unless-you-consider-that-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/tove-jansson-1846_extraordinary_it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork_67788.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/tove-jansson-1846_extraordinary_it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork_67788.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/tove-jansson-1846_extraordinary_it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork_67788.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It looks rather ordinary,\" said the Snork. \"Unless you consider that a top hat is always somewhat…” — Tove Jansson", "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": "Tove Jansson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It looks rather ordinary,\" said the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork-unless-you-consider-that-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/it-looks-rather-ordinary-said-the-snork-unless-you-consider-that-a/#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 } } ] } ```