Metaphor List

The Less Common Metaphors

The following metaphor list covers metaphors that are not commonly used. Those are perhaps the ones that can suggest the most creative ideas.

Reality is an Enemy - Reality points to the failure of his ideas, and so his ideas demand that he attack the accusing enemy.

Truth is Food - Truth is apparently an acquired taste, and one which is still too bitter for most palates, although the bitter foods are often the ones that nourish us most.

Fear is a Beast That Feeds On Attention - Fear is just a warning, but it becomes a little beast that grows in us as we feed it with too much attention to it's voice.

God is a A Deadbeat Father - God has abandoned his children, denying them even basic child support. Yet they still wait for him, like all children who confuse abuse and neglect with love.

Spiritual Seeking is Treasure Hunting - His spiritual tools were metal detectors and shovels, helping him to locate and uncover the treasures in his mind and heart.

Life's Journey is a Bicycle Ride - "Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if, at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle, he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things." - William Golding

Words are False Idols - We cling to our words and defend them. We worship them as a source of truth. We look at their shiny beauty and miss what is real, what they hoped to point to, but what they only distracted us from.

Ideas are Wings - Ideas are wings that take us beyond what is seen around us, but it must be remembered that it is not the feathers we want, but the places they take us to.

Ideas are Water - Ideas are fluid. Hold on to tightly and they'll slip through your fingers. Hold on too long and they'll evaporate. Drink deeply and let them nourish you - then move on to the next lake.

Thoughts are a Storm - Thoughts torment us, but they are just a storm which will eventually pass. The blue sky is always there waiting to reveal itself once again, and as soon as we remember this the clouds begin to clear.

Evil is a Stain - Injustice and cruelty and other forms of evil are stains upon governments, religions and ideologies. When something has too many stains it can no longer be clean, and it is time to replace it.

Democracy is Mob-Rule - Not a thousand people's vote nor a billion make a thing right. Worship of democracy is worship of the will of the mob, and the mob eventually and always turns against some group of innocent people and persecutes them.

Ego is a Slave Master - When you think too much of yourself and follow your own thoughts without reflection, you become a slave of who you think you are. Those images and ideas and opinions that you call yourself become your master.

Note: This metaphor list will be added to from time to time, either here or on pages that will be linked to from here.