100+ Quotes About Symbols to Reflect on Meaning

Quotes About Symbols: Symbols are powerful tools for conveying complex ideas and meanings. They allow us to represent concepts, objects, people, emotions, and more through images, words, or other representations that take on deeper significance. Exploring famous quotes about symbols can help us reflect on how symbols shape meaning and perception in our lives and society.

Below are over 100 quotes categorized by different aspects of symbolism to spark introspection and discussion.

Quotes About Symbols

• “Symbols allow us to move back and forth between the reality of the senses and the mirage of the imagination.” – Unknown
• “A symbol is an image that suggests more than it shows.” – Unknown
• “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin
• “Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung
• “The most powerful symbols are not those created by paper and ink. They are the ones we keep forever in our hearts.” – Vera Nazarian
• “No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently.” – Agnes de Mille
• “Symbols are the imaginative signposts of life.” – Margot Asquith
• “The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking.” – Christopher Morley
• “Words are but symbols for the relations of things to one another and to us; nowhere do they touch upon absolute truth.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
• “Symbols are the stepping stones to a world of deeper meaning.” – Suzy Kassem
• “Symbols and signs are the language of dreams.” – Carl Jung
• “A smile is the simplest and cheapest symbol of joy, friendship, confidence and sincerity.” – Debasish Mridha
• “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” – John Muir
• “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
• “The symbol is the enemy of the thing it symbolizes.” – Eric Micha’el Leventhal
• “We live by symbols.” – John Sterling
• “A great symbol is both simple and inexhaustible.” – Robertson Davies
• “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.” – John Donne
• “Everything that can be named can be reduced to mere appearance.” – Wilhelm von Humbolt
• “In symbolism, the navel is a symbol of strength and of the need to stand up for oneself.” – Carl Jung
• “Symbols open the mind and awaken the psyche.” – Carl Jung
• “Symbols have the power to change our thoughts, beliefs, our faith, our future.” – Lailah Gifty Akita
• “The way to change the world is through individual responsibility and taking local action in your own community.” – Jeff Bridges
• “The reality of the other person lies not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather to what he does not say.” – Khalil Gibran
• “There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” – Aldous Huxley
• “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” – Albert Einstein
• “The truth dazzles gradually.” – Emily Dickinson
• “There is no great revelation that comes without a commitment to follow.” – Eric Micha’el Leventhal

The quotes above reflect on how symbols represent ideas and concepts beyond their literal meaning. They prompt us to look deeper into the symbols that permeate our lives and culture. Thinking about the role of symbols can unlock new perspectives and understanding.

Quotes About Symbolism

• “Symbolism exists to adorn and enrich, not to create an artificial sense of profundity.” – Tom Robbins
• “Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.” – Wassily Kandinsky
• “The usefulness of the butterflies to the naturalist is that, besides being among the most beautiful objects in nature, they are an inexhaustible source of instruction as regards the mysteries of symbolism in the animal creation.” – William Alexander
• “There is no life that does not contribute to history.” – Dorothy West
• “Dreams are symbolic stories from our deeper self to surface awareness about our lives, via a process called the ‘transcendent function’ by Jung.” – Jean Bolen
• “Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created.” – Edward Steichen
• “We’d like to know a little more about you for our files. We’d like to help you learn to help yourself.” – Bob Dylan
• “Language… has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone.” – Paul Tillich
• “People are made up of stories. Our memories are singular impressions that together build an idea of who we are, the movie of our life. Story is how we remember.” – Carmiña Martínez
• “Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; this interdependence produces the highest form of living.” – Anais Nin
• “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso
• “Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.” – Graham Greene
• “To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.” – Milton Glaser
• “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” – Percy Bysshe Shelley
• “Things are symbols of themselves.” – Suzanne Collins
• “The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.” – Maya Angelou
• “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” – Angela Davis
• Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living. – Anais Nin
• Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. – Carl Jung
• The usefulness of the butterflies to the naturalist is that, besides being among the most beautiful objects in nature, they are an inexhaustible source of instruction as regards the mysteries of symbolism in animal creation. – William Alexander
• Symbolism exists to adorn and enrich, not to create an artificial sense of profundity. – Tom Robbins
• Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, and the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul. – Wassily Kandinsky
• There is no life that does not contribute to history. – Dorothy West
• Dreams are symbolic stories from our deeper self to surface awareness about our lives, via a process called the ‘transcendent function’ by Jung. – Jean Bolen
• No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently. – Agnes de Mille
• Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. – Edward Steichen
• We’d like to know a little more about you for our files. We’d like to help you learn to help yourself. – Bob Dylan
• People are made up of stories. Our memories are singular impressions that together build an idea of who we are, the movie of our life. The story is how we remember. – Carmiña Martínez
• Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. – Pablo Picasso
• Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, panic and fear that is inherent in a human situation. – Graham Greene
• To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master. – Milton Glaser
• Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. – Percy Bysshe Shelley
• Things are symbols of themselves. – Suzanne Collins
• The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. – Maya Angelou
• I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept. – Angela Davis
• Language… has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone. – Paul Tillich

The quotes above reflect on how symbolism in art, literature, culture, and life adds deeper meaning and significance. Thinking about symbolism opens our minds to new perspectives and truths.

Famous Quotes About Symbols

• “A book is a mirror; if an ass peers into it, you can’t expect an apostle to look out.” – Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
• “Language… has created the word ‘loneliness’ to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word ‘solitude’ to express the glory of being alone.” – Paul Tillich
• The quotes above from famous writers, thinkers, and artists provide insight into the power and meaning of symbols. Reflecting on these famous quotes can help us appreciate the role of symbols in art, culture, and our inner lives.
• Quotes About National Symbols
• “A national flag that does not fly also goes limp in the human spirit.” – Stefan Zweig
• “Each national culture contributes a stone to help in building the common cathedral.” – Frantz Fanon
• “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy
• “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.” – Thomas Jefferson
• “Where liberty dwells, there is my country.” – Benjamin Franklin
• “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” – Nathan Hale
• “The patriot volunteer, fighting for country and his rights, makes the most reliable soldier on earth.” – Thomas J. Jackson
• “My patriotic heart beats red, white, and blue.” – Unknown
• “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” – John F. Kennedy
• “The U.S. Constitution doesn’t guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.” – Benjamin Franklin

The quotes above reflect on patriotism, national pride, and sacrifice for one’s country. National symbols can engender deep emotions and loyalty through what they represent about a nation’s identity and values.

Quotes About Religious Symbols

• “The Cross was two pieces of dead wood; and a helpless, unresisting Man was nailed to it; yet it was mightier than the world, and triumphed, and will ever triumph over it.” – Augustus William Hare
• “Hope is the pillar that holds up the world. Hope is the dream of a waking man.” – Pliny the Elder
• “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” – John 14:27
• “God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” – Martin Luther
• “The Cross! There, and there only though the deist rave, and atheist, if Earth bears so base a slave; There and there only, is the power to save.” – William Cowper
• “The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.” – Martin Luther
• “If I were a flower, I would be a daisy, simple and sweet with hope to face each day.” – Jarod Kintz
• “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” – Desmond Tutu
• “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “All Bibles are man-made.” – Thomas Edison
• The quotes above contemplate religious symbols and their deeper spiritual meaning. Religious symbols connect us to faith, tradition, and community.
• Bible Quotes About Symbols
• “And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.” – Daniel 5:25-26
• “And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations.'” – Genesis 9:12
• “And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.'” – Genesis 9:16
• “And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily forms, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased.'” – Luke 3:22
• “The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!'” – John 1:35-36
• “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” – John 3:14-15
• “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5
• “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” – John 10:9
• “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” – John 8:12
• “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” – John 6:35

The symbolic language in these Bible verses represents theological concepts and spiritual truths. The symbols point to the deeper meanings behind the literal interpretation.

Quotes About Symbols in The Great Gatsby

• “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And one fine morning——” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
• “The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
• “Angry, and half in love with her, and tremendously sorry, I turned away.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
• “Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
• “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby uses vivid symbols to represent ideas and themes related to the American dream, social class, obsession, and more. Analyzing the quotes gives insight into how symbolism deepens the novel’s meaning.

Conclusion

The diverse quotes gathered above provide insight into symbols and their significance across many facets of life and culture. From art to religion to literature, symbols speak to the human search for meaning. They allow us to communicate complex concepts and touch deeper human truths. Reflecting on what symbols represent can spark new understanding, whether it be of oneself, others, society, or existence itself. The examination of symbols leads to greater wisdom, empathy, and self-awareness. As many of the quotes suggest, symbols open doors to enlightenment.