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I readily admit it is easy to make of horses what we will. Silent, in some ways reserved, they allow us to train them, and to project our ideas upon them; to ride and drive them, and to make them symbolic, perhaps to a greater degree than any other species.
Jane Smiley
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Horses symbolize our ability to project human ideas and emotions onto animals through training and companionship.

This quote reflects on the unique relationship humans have with horses, highlighting how horses can be molded and interpreted in various ways to represent our thoughts and feelings. It underscores the idea that, while horses are silent and often reserved creatures, they allow us to engage with them on profound levels, becoming symbols of our aspirations, emotions, and concepts.

Themes

HorsesSymbolismTrainingProjectionEmotions

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about companionship, one could reference this quote to illustrate the deep connection between humans and animals.

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I was depressed, but that was a side issue. This was more like closing up shop, or, say, having a big garage sale, where you look at everything you've bought in your life, and you remember how much it meant to you, and now you just tag it for a quarter and watch 'em carry it off, and you don't care. That's more like how it was.
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Somehow, knowing that Alzheimer's is coming mocks all one's aspirations - to tell stories, to think through certain issues as only a novel can do, to be recognised for one's accomplishments and hard work - in a way that old familiar death does not.
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Quote by Jane Smiley | QuoteProject