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Grain Quotes

Small grains, big meaning

These grain quotes play with the word's double meaning, from advice given generously but taken sparingly to consciously going against the grain in one's own work.

We give advice by the bucket, but take it by the grain.

Quotes by Tom Stoppard

I always seem to be singing against the grain.

Quotes by Morrissey

We had grain but no mills, so I designed a special mill of wood so we could make flour.

Quotes by Mikhail Kalashnikov

A grain of poetry suffices to season a century.

Quotes by Jose Marti

Emotion Quotes

I take everything with a grain of salt.

Quotes by Hope Solo

Analysis kills spontaneity. The grain once ground into flour springs and germinates no more.

Quotes by Henri Frederic Amiel

The idea that people are nutritionally deprived because they don't eat grain has no scientific basis.

Quotes by David Perlmutter

Frequently Asked Questions

How is "grain" used as a metaphor in these quotes?
It's used to describe taking advice sparingly, only a small amount at a time, and to describe going against expectations.
Is grain discussed in a literal, agricultural sense too?
Yes, one quote recalls having grain but no mills, leading to building a special wooden mill to produce flour.
Is there a poetic use of the word grain?
Yes, one memorable line claims a single grain of poetry can flavor an entire century, a striking metaphor for lasting impact.
Does "against the grain" appear in a creative context?
Yes, one speaker describes singing against the grain, suggesting a deliberately unconventional artistic approach. Related themes are in Simplicity quotes.
What connects these grain quotes overall?
They move fluidly between grain as a literal foodstuff and grain as a symbol of small amounts, resistance, or lasting flavor.

Others turn literal, recalling a shortage of mills that led to building a wooden one for flour, while one memorable line claims a single grain of poetry can flavor an entire century, close to Nature quotes.