Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, toss it. Toss it even if you love it.
Stephen KingRead
And all that weirdness isn't just going on outside. It's in you too, right now, growing in the dark like magic mushrooms. Call it the Thing in the Cellar. Call it the Blow Lunch Factor. Call it the Loony Tunes File. I think of it as my private dinosaur, huge, slimy, and mindless, stumbling around in the stinking swamp of my subconscious, never finding a tar pit big enough to hold it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the idea that everyone has their own inner struggles and weirdness that they may not fully understand.
In this quote, Stephen King highlights the complexities and peculiarities of the human mind, suggesting that our inner thoughts and emotions can often be messy and chaotic. By using vivid metaphors like 'magic mushrooms' and 'private dinosaur,' he illustrates how these uncomfortable aspects of ourselves exist in our subconscious, shaping who we are while remaining largely hidden from our conscious awareness. The imagery evokes a sense of mystery and challenges us to confront and embrace the strange parts of ourselves rather than ignore them.
Themes
SubconsciousWeirdnessSelf-DiscoveryInner StrugglesChaos
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about embracing one's quirks, this quote can inspire others to acknowledge their inner complexities.
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That's the day's business. Thinking. Thinking and isolation, because it doesn't matter if you pass the time of day with someone or not; in the end, you're alone. He seemed to have put in as many miles in his brain as he had with his feet. The thoughts kept coming and there was no way to deny them.
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Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.
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