---
title: "A fish is like a dish that floats in the sea but is no greater than m… — James Thurber Quote #62 | QuotesBy.net"
description: "A fish is like a dish that floats in the sea but is no greater than me. — a quote by James Thurber."
image: "https://quotesby.net/wp-content/themes/quotesby-editorial/assets/og-default.png"
---

> # A fish is like a dish that floats in the sea but is no greater than me.

[James Thurber](https://quotesby.net/James-Thurber)\#62

[Humor](https://quotesby.net/James-Thurber/humor/)[Nature](https://quotesby.net/James-Thurber/nature/)[Self](https://quotesby.net/topics/self/)

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## About this quote

What does it mean?The speaker compares a fish to a dish to diminish its perceived importance relative to himself.In plain termsA fish is just a floating thing, no better than me.What can you take from it?Humility can be masked by absurd comparisons.

### Where it applies

- nature writing
- comic relief
- philosophical musing

### Putting it to work

- write humorous nature notes
- reflect on self-importance

### Questions to consider

- How do we measure worth in nature?
- Why use food metaphors for animals?

### Another view

The comparison is logically flawed and serves mostly as a joke.

## More from James Thurber

1. > Don't let that chip on your shoulder be your only reason for walking erect.

[Permalink to quote \#61](https://quotesby.net/James-Thurber/61/ "Permalink to quote 61")
2. > He was always leaning forward, pushing something invisible ahead of him.

[Permalink to quote \#63](https://quotesby.net/James-Thurber/63/ "Permalink to quote 63")
3. > A lady of forty-seven who had been married twenty-seven years and has six children knows what love really is and once described it for me like this: 'Love is w…

[Permalink to quote \#60](https://quotesby.net/James-Thurber/60/ "Permalink to quote 60")

## Related quotes

1. > Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!

[Peter Sellers](https://quotesby.net/Peter-Sellers)[Peter Sellers quote \#2](https://quotesby.net/Peter-Sellers/2/ "Permalink to quote 2")
2. > I am never quite sure whether I am one of the cinema's elder statesmen or just the oldest whore on the beat.

[Joseph L. Mankiewicz](https://quotesby.net/Joseph-L.-Mankiewicz)[Joseph L. Mankiewicz quote \#2](https://quotesby.net/Joseph-L.-Mankiewicz/2/ "Permalink to quote 2")
3. > I am nature.

[Jackson Pollock](https://quotesby.net/Jackson-Pollock)[Jackson Pollock quote \#2](https://quotesby.net/Jackson-Pollock/2/ "Permalink to quote 2")

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