James Geary Quotes & Sayings

Advice is given freely because so much of it is worthless. — James Geary

Metaphor is not just the detection of patterns; it is the creation of patterns. — James Geary

Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute. — James Geary

London always reminds me of a brain. It is similarly convoluted and circuitous. A lot of cities, especially American ones like New York and Chicago, are laid out in straight lines. Like the circuits on computer chips, there are a lot of right angles in cities like this. But London is a glorious mess. It evolved from a score or so of distinct villages, that merged and meshed as their boundaries enlarged. As a result, London is a labyrinth, full of turnings and twistings just like a brain. — James Geary

A simile is just a metaphor with the scaffolding still up. — James Geary

There is no aspect of our experience not molded in some way by metaphor's almost imperceptible touch. — James Geary

The mind revels in conjecture. Where information is lacking, it will gladly fill in the gaps. — James Geary

Metaphor impinges on everything, allowing us - poets and non-poets alike - to experience and think about the world in fluid, unusual ways. — James Geary

Metaphor creates a kind of conceptual synesthesia, in which we understand one concept in the context of another. — James Geary

Metaphors hide in plain sight, and their influence is largely unconscious. We should mind our metaphors, though, because metaphors make up our minds. — James Geary

By bringing together what we know and what we don't know through analogy, metaphorical thinking strikes the spark that ignites discovery, — James Geary

Metaphor matters because it creates expectations. — James Geary

I believe aphorisms are best when first read in the wild, free from the confines of any categories. — James Geary

Heroism often results as a response to extreme events. — James Geary

Sometimes, you need a door slammed in your face before you can hear opportunity knock. — James Geary

Aphorisms are food for thought - like sushi, they come in small portions that are both delicious and exquisitely formed. And, like sushi, I can never get enough. — James Geary

You only really discover the strength of your spine when your back is against the wall. — James Geary

In the margin for error lies all our room for maneuver. — James Geary

Aphorisms are literature's hand luggage. Light and compact, they fit easily into the overhead compartment of your brain. — James Geary