Metaphor List and Life Quotes

Welcome! A metaphor list and life quotes together under the same roof. Strange bedfellows you may think...not really.

Quotes are attractive because they sum up our feelings about things, usually in a wise, witty or comical way. The ones we love for ouselves are usually those that strike a chord with us and will invariably use a metaphor (maybe one from this metaphor list) with which we are able to identify. Why ...because a metaphor 'opens the door' to communication conveying more meaning in fewer words.

How do you view your life?

This metaphor list looks at some life metaphors. Listen closely to yourself, to friends and family and you'll likely hear how they perceive their life or their situations. You'll probably notice too when their glass is 'half full' or 'half empty.' Have fun listening for and unearthing more metaphors for your own metaphor list!

life is a rollercaoster life is a mountain to climb life is a game to play life is about winning and losing

Metaphor List - Life Metaphors	Life Quotes
A BATTLE - every encounter in life is either win or lose. Everything is a struggle or a battle. fight, battle, conflict, struggle. strife, war, soldiers, army	You fall out of your mother's womb, you crawl across open country under fire, and drop into your grave. ~Quentin Crisp We're all accidental soldiers in the army of life. -Ymber Delecto
A BED OF ROSES - this assumes positive luck and judgement and that everything in the garden is rosy perfume, aroma, petals, beauty, flowers, garden	I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall. - Eleanor Roosevelt I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose-garden, along with the sunshine, there's gotta be a little rain sometimes - Lyn Anderson
A GAME - there are rules to the game, but sometimes the rules are not stated or they change. Not everyone plays to the same rules. cards, chess, team, sports, cricket, fooball, player, win, lose, luck	Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well. -- Josh Billings In the game of life it's a good idea to have a few early losses, which relieves you of the pressure of trying to maintain an undefeated season. -- Bill Baughan
A MOUNTAIN CLIMB - life is an uphill struggle. It consists of heirarchies, people at the top, or on their way up / down steep, rugged, summit, achieve, conquer, climb, mount an assault	Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain. anonymous
A RACE - always finding the fastest route.Being at the forefront. Competition is king competition, challenge, win/lose, taking part, front runner, back marker	Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working in the present toward the future.? -Denis Waitley If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score? - Vince Lombardi
A CLASSROOM - always new lessons to learn - learn by our mistakes instructed, teacher, professor, university of life, school of thought, lessons	Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will. ~Vernon Howard People learn something every day, and a lot of times it's that what they learned the day before was wrong. ~Bill Vaughan
A ROLLERCOASTER - life has ups and downs, highs and lows, peaks and troughs. traction, speed, acceleration, thrill, wild ride, excitement, adrenaline, dare, daredevil	Life is a rollercoaster just gotta ride it - Ronan Keating song (2000) Life is a roller coaster. Sometimes you're at the top of the hill feeling good. Other times your heading for the bottom feeling totally out of control. Life is full of things that are hard to handle, but you can get through them. -Reggie Dabbs
A COURTROOM - this is one about fairness and justice fair / unfair, justice, trustworthy, lawful, legal, judgement, honour, oath	"I know life isn't fair, but how come it's never unfair in my favor" -Bill Watterson?If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead.? -Johnny Carson
A MISSION -a belief that we have the truth and we need to convince others that our point-of-view is right. operation, special assignment, headquarters, leader, commitment, truth	Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you're alive, it isn't. ~Richard Bach Part of your mission in life then must be to share your gifts with as many people as possible. That means being willing to play big. -T. Harv Eker - Secrets of the MIllionaire Mind

Return from Metaphor List to Examples of Metaphor

And...Business

If, for example, we view business through the prism of warfare, we will be more likely to regard others as either enemies or allies and to think in terms of battlefield tactics and strategy. If we see business as a game, we will focus on finding the underlying rules and developing the skills to play by them more effectively.
Jeff Howe 2006

Check out some happiness and life metaphor poems. Perhaps you have some more metaphors you'd like to add to this metaphor list. contact me here