---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everyone knows that metaphors are…"
description: "\"Everyone knows that metaphors are important, yet we have no idea why.\" — Vilayanur S. Ramachandran"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/vilayanur-s-ramachandran-15514_everyone_everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-import_2524480.jpg"
---

#  Everyone knows that metaphors are important, yet we have…

![“Everyone knows that metaphors are important, yet we have no idea why.” quote by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/vilayanur-s-ramachandran-15514_everyone_everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-import_2524480.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/vilayanur-s-ramachandran-15514_everyone_everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-import_2524480.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/vilayanur-s-ramachandran-15514_everyone_everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-import_2524480.jpg)

> “Everyone knows that metaphors are important, yet we have no idea why.”

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

## About This Quote

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

Metaphors are essential for thought, yet their cognitive purpose remains unclear, highlighting a research gap.

**In simple terms:** Metaphors help thinking, but why is unknown.

Key Takeaway

Explore metaphor research.

Themes

cognition language psychology creativity

Mood

inquisitive analytical curious

Type

academic lecture scientific discussion

When to use this quote

- teaching
- creative writing
- advertising
- AI language models

Key Concepts

neuroscience communication education

Questions to Reflect On

- Why are metaphors useful in reasoning?
- How can we study their brain mechanisms?

A Different Perspective

The statement may overgeneralize across cultures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Everyone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyone/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-idea-831170/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Knows Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows-metaphors-1283785/) [Metaphors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors/) [Metaphors Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphors-important-233307/) [No idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-idea/) [Why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why/)

## Related quotes

> [You might laugh because every time I sign my name I put a gold star after it, but its a metaphor, and metaphors are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-berry/you-might-laugh-because-every-time-i-sign-my-name-i-put-a-gold-star/)

[Rachel Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-berry/)

> [When you know in your heart that you and your ideas are important, you will give every idea you have a fighting chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-cooper/when-you-know-in-your-heart-that-you-and-your-ideas-are-important-you/)

[Sarah Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-cooper/)

> [Having a great idea is simply not enough. The eventual goal is vastly more important than any idea. It is how ideas are implemented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/having-a-great-idea-is-simply-not-enough-the-eventual-goal-is-vastly/)

[Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/)

> [In the arts the way in which an idea is rendered, and the manner in which it is expressed, is much more important than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-louis-david/in-the-arts-the-way-in-which-an-idea-is-rendered-and-the-manner-in/)

[Jacques-Louis David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-louis-david/)

> [It's usually important to me to get my idea out first because a lot of times my ideas will seem weird to musicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/it-s-usually-important-to-me-to-get-my-idea-out-first-because-a-lot/)

[Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/)

> [Every important idea in science sounds strange at first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kuhn/every-important-idea-in-science-sounds-strange-at-first/)

[Thomas Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kuhn/)

> [If only a group of people were more important to me than the idea of a Novel, I might begin a novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/if-only-a-group-of-people-were-more-important-to-me-than-the-idea-of/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [You have know idea how important you are to me and I have no idea how to explain it to you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-know-idea-how-important-you-are-to-me-and-i-have-no-idea-how/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The way we get our news is very important, and the idea that the media doesn't always do right by us, and that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-f-tompkins/the-way-we-get-our-news-is-very-important-and-the-idea-that-the-media/)

[Paul F. Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-f-tompkins/)

> [Well, I think what's most important is the idea of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/well-i-think-what-s-most-important-is-the-idea-of-something/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-de-bono/an-idea-that-is-developed-and-put-into-action-is-more-important-than/)

[Edward de Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-de-bono/)

> [If you seek enlightenment, then career is a very important idea on your agenda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-seek-enlightenment-then-career-is-a-very-important-idea-on/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Moving with the times is an important idea for strategy today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/moving-with-the-times-is-an-important-idea-for-strategy-today/)

[Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/)

> [The ability to express an idea is well nigh as important as the idea itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-baruch/the-ability-to-express-an-idea-is-well-nigh-as-important-as-the-idea/)

[Bernard Baruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-baruch/)

> [You have no idea how important you are to me, and I have no idea how to explain it to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-no-idea-how-important-you-are-to-me-and-i-have-no-idea-how/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran

> [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [It may well be our brains are wired up to be slightly more optimistic than they should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/it-may-well-be-our-brains-are-wired-up-to-be-slightly-more-optimistic/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [If you're a thinking person, the liver is interesting, but nothing is more intriguing than the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/if-you-re-a-thinking-person-the-liver-is-interesting-but-nothing-is/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [Even today no computer can understand language as well as a three-year-old or see as well as a mouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/even-today-no-computer-can-understand-language-as-well-as-a-three/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [Without ducking responsibility, what's wrong with medicine today is that it is predicated on providing treatment, not on reducing suffering. Not on solving problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/without-ducking-responsibility-what-s-wrong-with-medicine-today-is/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [There is no real independent self, aloof from other human beings, inspecting the world, inspecting other people. You are, in fact, connected not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/there-is-no-real-independent-self-aloof-from-other-human-beings/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [A culture without mythology is not really a civilisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/a-culture-without-mythology-is-not-really-a-civilisation/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [The boundary between neurology and psychiatry is becoming increasingly blurred, and its only a matter of time before psychiatry becomes just another branch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-boundary-between-neurology-and-psychiatry-is-becoming/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [The visual system of the brain has the organization, computational profile, and architecture it has in order to facilitate the organism's thriving at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-visual-system-of-the-brain-has-the-organization-computational/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [Remember that politics, colonialism, imperialism and war also originate in the human brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/remember-that-politics-colonialism-imperialism-and-war-also-originate/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [The minute you succumb to outside pressure, you cease to be creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-minute-you-succumb-to-outside-pressure-you-cease-to-be-creative/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [When I speak of artistic universals, I am not denying the enormous role played by culture. Obviously culture plays a tremendous role, otherwise you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/when-i-speak-of-artistic-universals-i-am-not-denying-the-enormous/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [Great art allows you to transcend your mortal frame and to reach for the stars. I think great science does the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/great-art-allows-you-to-transcend-your-mortal-frame-and-to-reach-for/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [Lofty questions about the mind are fascinating to ask, philosophers have been asking them for three millennia both in India where I am from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/lofty-questions-about-the-mind-are-fascinating-to-ask-philosophers/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

> [Here is this three-pound mass of jelly you can hold in the palm of your hand, and it can contemplate the vastness of interstellar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/here-is-this-three-pound-mass-of-jelly-you-can-hold-in-the-palm-of/)

[Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

[Explore all 43 Vilayanur S. Ramachandran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/)

## More Everyone quotes

> [I think it's a wonderful thing, turning 50. I think everyone should do it at least once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-duran/i-think-it-s-a-wonderful-thing-turning-50-i-think-everyone-should-do/)

[Elvis Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-duran/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [Everyone has their own process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-patrick-martin/everyone-has-their-own-process/)

[Graham Patrick Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-patrick-martin/)

> [A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-erhard/a-compromise-is-the-art-of-dividing-a-cake-in-such-a-way-that/)

[Ludwig Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-erhard/)

> [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/)

[Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/)

> [When I wrote 'Paradise,' it was going to be an interlude - like a segue from the song before. Then I just added more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mnek/when-i-wrote-paradise-it-was-going-to-be-an-interlude-like-a-segue/)

[MNEK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mnek/)

> [You want everyone to succeed in your family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-olsen/you-want-everyone-to-succeed-in-your-family/)

[Elizabeth Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-olsen/)

> [Our whole thing was that we wanted to challenge ourselves and go out of the box that everyone else was doing, and even what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-real/our-whole-thing-was-that-we-wanted-to-challenge-ourselves-and-go-out/)

[B-Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-real/)

> [Ronaldo will always score against everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-chiellini/ronaldo-will-always-score-against-everyone/)

[Giorgio Chiellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-chiellini/)

> [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/)

[Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/)

> [If I serve good and play aggressive from the baseline, I can beat everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karolina-pliskova/if-i-serve-good-and-play-aggressive-from-the-baseline-i-can-beat/)

[Karolina Pliskova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karolina-pliskova/)

> [Business, much like life, is not a movie, and not everyone gets to have a storybook ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/business-much-like-life-is-not-a-movie-and-not-everyone-gets-to-have/)

[Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/)

> [Everyone knows you use box dye to do violet red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/everyone-knows-you-use-box-dye-to-do-violet-red/)

[Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/)

> [I was a huge fan of Steve Martin, as everyone I knew in comedy was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-short/i-was-a-huge-fan-of-steve-martin-as-everyone-i-knew-in-comedy-was/)

[Martin Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-short/)

> [I feel like everyone has a preference. You have women who don't like shorter guys. You have women who like taller guys. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sevyn-streeter/i-feel-like-everyone-has-a-preference-you-have-women-who-don-t-like/)

[Sevyn Streeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sevyn-streeter/)

[Browse all 5,332 Everyone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyone/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Everyone knows that metaphors are important, yet we have no idea why.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vilayanur S. Ramachandran"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-important-yet-we-have-no-idea-why/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Everyone"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-important-yet-we-have-no-idea-why/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/vilayanur-s-ramachandran-15514_everyone_everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-import_2524480.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/vilayanur-s-ramachandran-15514_everyone_everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-import_2524480.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d3/vilayanur-s-ramachandran-15514_everyone_everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-import_2524480.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Everyone knows that metaphors are important, yet we have no idea why.” — Vilayanur S. Ramachandran",
                "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": "Vilayanur S. Ramachandran",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Everyone knows that metaphors are important,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-important-yet-we-have-no-idea-why/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/everyone-knows-that-metaphors-are-important-yet-we-have-no-idea-why/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
