analogy meaning essay

What is an Analogy? Explained With 10 Top Examples

What is an analogy? Read our guide with top examples and in-depth explanations so you can wrap your head around this literary device.

Literary devices make your prose more colorful and vivid, allowing the reader to make associations. What is an analogy? An analogy compares two seemingly unlike things to help draw a conclusion by highlighting their similarities. Unlike other comparisons, like similes and metaphors, an analogy gives more detail about the comparison to help the reader understand it better. 

While there are many different types of analogy to study, the best way to understand this and other figures of speech is to consider examples. After reading a few analogies, you will be better equipped to spot them or write your own. And when you have finished here, check out our comparison article, simile vs metaphor .

What is An Analogy?

What are the benefits of using an analogy, analogy examples, 1. a name is a rose from romeo and juliet, 2. life is a shadow from macbeth, 3. the crowd is like a fisherman in “a hanging”, 4. life is like a box of chocolates from forrest gump, 5. pulling out troops is like salted peanuts from henry kissinger, 6. the futility of a new author from cocktail time, 7. the mystery of life in let me count the ways, 8. the push for freedom is like summer’s heat in “i have a dream”, 9. a needle in a haystack, 10. rearranging deck chairs on the titanic, 11. the matrix’s pill analogy, 12. harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone, what is the opposite of an analogy, what is an example of an analogy, what is the simple definition of analogy, what are 5 examples of analogy, what is another word for an analogy.

An analogy compares two concepts, usually to explain or clarify an idea. Writers use analogies to help people understand complex or abstract topics by relating something abstract to the familiar or concrete. They also use them as a type of literary device to improve the readability of their works.

By highlighting similarities, a writer helps readers see how one thing works or behaves by comparing the characteristics of abstract ideas to more familiar ideas. As a result, a concept or idea becomes easier to understand and even more memorable.

For example, a news reporter could employ this word analogy: “The presidential race for 2024 is like a chessboard…” Teachers use different types of analogies to demonstrate a concept to a student. For this reason, analogy tests often form part of standardized tests in any good English curriculum.

Analogies work in the real world too! For example, if a running coach wants to explain how a runner can run faster, they could use an analogy like “Pump your arms like a train” to help people understand how they should use their arms and legs to run faster. You might also be interested in learning  what is tautology .

Examples of analogies exist in classic literature, the latest books, movies and TV shows. Here are a few:

Often, analogies compare abstract concepts to something you can touch and feel. There are several examples of analogy in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In this analogy, the playwright compares someone’s name to a rose. The rose retains its sweet smell no matter how it is named, as does the person, regardless of his name. Read our guide to the best books of classic literature .

“If you want my final opinion on the mystery of life and all that, I can give it to you in a nutshell. The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination. But the combination is locked up in the safe.”

Life is a difficult concept to understand, making it a favorite topic for people who write analogies. In Act V of Macbeth, Shakespeare creates an analogy example by comparing a person’s life, and its brevity, to a fleeting shadow:

“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale  Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”

Because life is so fleeting, this analogy works. The reader can see the shadow flitting about on the stage, then disappearing, reminding the reader how short life really is. You might also find these  headings and subheadings examples  helpful.

Some analogies take a little more time to explain yet still compare unlike things to make a point. For example, in his essay entitled  A Hanging  George Orwell describes the crowd gripping a man as they lead him to the gallows. The analogy is the comparison to the way a man would hold a slippery fish:

“They crowded very close about him, with their hands always on him in a careful, caressing grip, as though all the while feeling him to make sure he was there. It was like men handling a fish which is still alive and may jump back into the water. But he stood quite unresisting, yielding his arms limply to the ropes, as though he hardly noticed what was happening.”

This analogy is also an example of a simile because it uses the word “like” to make the comparison. However, because it extends beyond just one statement but has a complete description and explanation, it brings more imagery to the reader’s mind and thus is an analogy. Read our guide to the  best satirical authors .

Some analogies are short and sweet, rather than taking up an entire literary work. In the movie Forrest Gump, both the title character and his mother refer to life as a “box of chocolates.” In one of the most famous figures of speech from this movie, Forest says:

“My mom always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

Though this is a simple statement, it is an example of an analogy. The reader has probably experienced the feeling of grabbing chocolate and wondering what flavor it is, so this is a good analogy. But, like life, that box of chocolates always has the potential to give you the unexpected. You might also be wondering,  what is point of view?

Though technically a historian and not a literary genius, Henry Kissinger was famous for many of his analogies. One of his most commonly quoted is this:

“Withdrawal of U.S. troops will become like salted peanuts to the American public; the more U.S. troops come home, the more will be demanded. This could eventually result, in effect, in demands for unilateral withdrawal.”

This quote comes from a  memorandum Kissinger sent to President Nixon  regarding the conflict in Vietnam. He warned the president that bringing troops home a little at a time would create demand for more withdrawal, just like eating tasty peanuts makes you want to eat more. 

Writing a book is definitely challenging, especially when doing so for the first time. This fact is the source of one famous analogy in literature. In  Cocktail Time , P.G. Wodehouse compares a new author to someone performing an impossible task:

“It has been well said that an author who expects results from a first novel is in a position similar to that of a man who drops a rose petal down the Grand Canyon of Arizona and listens for the echo.”

Clearly, expecting to hear an echo from a rose petal at the Grand Canyon is foolishness. Thus, based on this analogy, the logical argument that expecting to see significant returns from a first novel is also foolish. You might also be wondering  what is a split infinitive .

In his novel  Let Me Count the Ways , Dutch author and journalist  Peter De Vries  compares life and a safe. He writes:

In this analogy, the safe can’t be unlocked. Similarly, the mystery of life is something people can’t fully understand.

Speechwriters who are good at their jobs often use analogies to make their words more memorable. In his famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” Martin Luther King, Jr., makes an analogy between the anger of African-Americans and the heat of summer in this quote:

“This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.”

Just like the heat of summer is unquenchable, the frustration of those facing endless prejudice cannot be quenched. Yet when freedom comes, it is like the relief of the cool autumn breeze. This quote is still used today when people remember the famous civil rights activist.

Finding a needle in a haystack is a nearly impossible task. This catchphrase or analogy example is often applied to tasks that seem out of reach. For instance, one common analogy says:

“Finding a good man is as easy as finding a needle in a haystack.”

This analogy indicates it is nearly impossible to find a “good man.” Though unfair to the male gender, it does make its point through the use of analogy. Most people can picture digging through the hay to find a needle, but to no avail, which makes the analogy work.

This analogy does not come from any famous literary work or speech but from a well-known historical moment. The sinking of the Titanic was one such event. Sometimes people, when talking about something futile, will say:

“That’s as useful as rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.”

Since the Titanic was a doomed vessel, the futility of the effort is seen in this use of figurative language. The phrase can apply to any effort that would not matter because the result is a failure, like the sinking of the infamous ship. Check out our metonymy examples .

In The Matrix , there is a famous scene where Morpheus presents the red pill/blue pill analogy to Neo. The analogy is a turning point in the movie where Neo has to pick which path he wants to go down. The red pill represents embracing the uncomfortable truth and becoming aware of the real world he lives in. The blue pill represents choosing the familiar and comfortable path where he can remain in his world, oblivious to the dark reality he suspects.

“You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

J.K. Rowling uses analogies throughout her works, often to give insight into the minds and personalities of the characters. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone , Professor Dumbledore speaks to Harry and imparts some of his famous wisdom.

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

In this analogy example sentence, he suggests that while having dreams and aspirations are important, it’s just as important to be grounded and present in the current moment. The analogy aims to show Harry that he should balance his ambition and reality and become mindful in the midst of the chaos that he lives in. It also encourages Harry to let go of regrets and become fully present in his life as it is today.

An antithesis highlights the differences between two contrasting ideas. For example, the analogy “Man plans, and God laughs” shows how we can strive and work towards a goal, only for God or fate to intervene and uproot our best plans. For further reading on a similar subject, check out our post on examples of metaphors in literature .

FAQs About What is an Analogy

An example of an analogy is “Hope is the lighthouse that stands tall amidst the stormy seas of despair.” The analogy emphasizes the idea that hope can help us navigate through the storms of life, guiding us toward a better future and helping us persevere in the face of challenges.

An analogy is a comparison between two things that are alike in some way, often used to help explain something or make it easier to understand.

1. Her laughter was music to his ears. 2. Time is money. 3. He is a shining star in the world of science. 4. The classroom was a zoo during the group activity. 5. Life is a journey with its share of twists and turns.

A related term for analogy is comparison. A comparison is a way of describing the similarities or differences between two things in order to better understand them.

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Analogy: Definition & Meaning (with Examples)

Analogy is one of the most common types of literary devices. It's also one of the hardest to understand because it's similar to other types of figurative language. Today, we're going to dive into the meaning of analogy with in-depth explanations and examples.

Analogy Definition: What Is an Analogy?

Let's start with the dictionary definition of an analogy. According to Merriam-Webster, an analogy is "a comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on a resemblance of a particular aspect."

We use analogies all the time in speaking and fields like history and science. They help us illustrate a point that might be hard to comprehend. For example, we might make an analogy between the Trail of Tears of U.S. History and the Jewish Diaspora of World History. In biology, you might discuss the analogous relationship of bat wings and bird wings.

As a literary device, however, analogy's meaning has more nuance that separates it from other types of rhetorical devices. Let's look at the literary meaning of analogy in more detail in the next section.

Analogy Meaning

As a rhetorical device, analogy compares two unlike things with the purpose of both illustrating a comparison and explaining it. You aren't just trying to show a similarity when you use an analogy. You are also trying to make a point about this similarity.

Analogies can be useful to explain complex concepts by comparing them to a familiar idea. Analogies also help paint a picture in a reader's mind and add emphasis to important ideas in writing.

Let's take a look at a popular example of an analogy from the movie Forrest Gump . In the movie, Forrest says that his mother always told him, "Life is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you're gonna get."

If Forrest just said that life was like a box of chocolates, we would wonder what the similarity is. What point is he trying to get across? It might be that life is sweet or that life is a gift from someone who loves you. But then he explains that we never know where life will take us or what circumstances we will fall into. We don't know until we get there; we can't see the future.

He's not just painting a picture about life. He's making a point about the uncertainty of life and the many twists and turns it takes. This analogy goes further and illustrates the entire premise of the film. Forrest goes from being a boy in leg braces to an international ping pong champion to a dad. No one could have predicted that!

Analogies look similar to other types of figurative language. So, what's the difference?

Analogy vs. Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that shows a likeness between two otherwise different things. The point of a metaphor is comparison. For example, we can say, "the kids were a bunch of monkeys today." We are comparing kids to monkeys.

An analogy not only compares but explains. "The kids were a bunch of monkeys today, climbing all over the furniture, running all over the house, and shrieking."

As you can see, an analogy might feature a metaphor, but it goes further in making a point. This is also different from an extended metaphor. An extended metaphor continues to use a comparison to illustrate similarities of two objects. An analogy requires some explicit explanation to make its point.

Analogy vs. Simile

A simile is a type of metaphor, but it uses "like" or "as" to draw comparisons. Just like with a metaphor, an analogy might use a simile to compare two things, but then the analogy goes on to explain the idea behind it.

The Forrest Gump quote is an example of this. The part of the quote, "Life is like a box of chocolates," is a simile. The next part of the quote that tells how life and a box of chocolates are related is what makes this quote an analogy.

Many analogies use similes and metaphors to make comparisons, but it is not required.

Analogy vs. Allusion

Another figurative language element that is easy to confuse with analogy is allusion.

Allusion is a mention of a person, place, or thing that is considered common knowledge. It's often a reference to a famous person or event or a well-known story, like fairy tales, myths, or religious parables.

Allusion is a way to compare two things. Let's look at an example:

• "The books on the top shelf were forbidden fruit."

Forbidden fruit refers to the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in the Bible. This is an allusion. We can draw enough conclusions from this allusion to understand what the books represent.

Allusions can be part of analogies, too. Remember, where allusions compare, analogies explain:

• "If the library was Eden, the books on the top shelf were forbidden fruit. They opened my eyes to a world beyond the life I had always known."

All of these are useful types of figurative language. The difference lies in the purpose. If the goal is to explain an idea or get a specific point across, it's an analogy.

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Analogies, idioms, and clichés.

Sometimes analogies become so well-known that they become part of our everyday lexicon. Idioms are phrases that don't make sense literally, but they do make sense figuratively. Overused idioms can become clichés.

An example of an analogy that is a cliché is "she's as blind as a bat." It's a very overused comparison. Use ProWritingAid's Clichés Report to help identify the clichés and idioms in your writing. While some common analogies might help you get your point across, some can actually hinder your writing's clarity, especially to non-native speakers.

Try the Cliché Report with a free ProWritingAid account.

Analogy Examples

You probably hear or read analogy examples all the time—they're a common rhetorical device. Today, we'll take a look at some analogy examples from everyday sentences and literature.

Examples of Analogy in a Sentence

Humans love figurative language, and we create analogies in our everyday speech. Here are some examples.

• Ordering clothes online is like playing the lottery. Some fit great, and some are a complete waste of money when they don't even go over your head!
• His voice was warm honey on toast, sweet and comforting and familiar.
• She thought the sound of babies crying was as annoying as fingernails on a chalkboard. Babies definitely weren't for her.

Can you create any analogies?

Examples of Analogy in Literature

Analogy is a powerful rhetorical device. Here are some famous examples of analogy in literature:

• "All the world’s a stage / And all the men and women merely players / They have their exits and their entrances / And one man in his time plays many parts / His acts being seven ages."— As You Like It , William Shakespeare
• “I can admire the perfect murderer—I can also admire a tiger—that splendid tawny-striped beast. But I will admire him from outside his cage. I will not go inside . . . . That is to say, not unless it is my duty to do so. For you see, Mr. Shaitana, the tiger might spring . . . .”— Cards on the Table , Agatha Christie
• "Memory is to love what the saucer is to the cup."— The House in Paris , Elizabeth Bowen

Tips on How to Write an Analogy

When you're writing an analogy to express an idea, it's important to keep two things in mind. First, make sure that at least one of the two things you're comparing is familiar and easy to understand. An analogy should make your point clear to the reader, not leave them confused! Animal or nature imagery, allusions to well-known tales, and everyday objects are good things to use in your analogies.

Secondly, make sure that your comparison is clear without much explanation. If you compare a shy, demure princess to a tiger, you need to explain what specific aspects of the princess and the tiger are similar. Is she ferocious when her loved ones are attacked? Does she prefer to spend time alone outdoors and seethe when caged?

If it takes too many sentences to explain the analogy, try using different imagery that is simpler to understand.

Different Types of Analogy

There are two main types of analogy. These are based on how closely related the two things being compared are.

Literal Analogy

The first type of analogy is a literal analogy. When two things are very closely related, we compare them with literal analogies. These are the types of analogies commonly used in science. Literal analogies can help scientists draw comparisons or make a logical argument.

For example, a virologist might compare the viral structure of two different viruses. If the virus has a similar structure and similar symptoms to another, they are analogous. This will help them theorize that the second virus can be treated similarly to the first.

Literal analogies don't have to be just for science! If you're a baker, you might know that you can make a cheesecake out of either cream cheese or mascarpone. As an analogy, we can say that mascarpone is a lot like cream cheese. They both have high fat content, are very soft, and are not aged.

Literal analogies are the type you might see on standardized tests. They used to feature on the SAT and looked like this: A:B::C:D. You can read literal analogies as "A is to B as C is to D."

Here's a simple example:

• Night is to sleep as morning is to wake .

Standardized tests would have one or more of the words blank, and you had to determine the connection in the analogy. How are they connected?

Figurative Analogy

A figurative analogy makes a comparison between two or more things that aren't necessarily that similar at first glance. The analogy focuses on making a comparison based on a specific aspect of the unrelated things. This is called shared abstraction .

Take a look at the following analogy:

• "Giving candy and coffee as appreciation gifts is just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. It's not actually fixing the issues that are causing low morale, like low pay, long hours, and micromanaging."

If the Titanic is sinking, it's pointless to rearrange deck chairs. Likewise, this quote suggests spending money on little gifts is pointless because it's not addressing the real issues at hand that are causing employee dissatisfaction.

No one is suggesting that low morale at a company is the same thing as the hundreds of lives lost on the Titanic. The shared abstraction is doing something pointless in the face of a disaster.

Should You Use Analogies in Your Writing?

Analogies are powerful literary devices because they create an image in the reader's mind while making a point in a deeper way than a metaphor. Remember, an analogy compares two objects with the purpose of explaining a deeper idea. A literal analogy compares two very similar objects, while a figurative analogy relies on shared abstractions.

Common Questions about Analogy: Definition & Meaning (with Examples)

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Analogy Definition

What is an analogy? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

An analogy is a comparison that aims to explain a thing or idea by likening it to something else. For example, a career coach might say, "Being the successful boss or CEO of a company is like being an orchestra conductor: just as the conductor needs to stand up front where everyone— even the musicians in the back row—can see him, a good CEO needs to make sure he or she is visible and available to all of the company's employees." The career coach is not saying that CEOs are exactly like orchestra conductors in every way. Rather, comparing CEOs to conductors through analogy allows the coach to articulate an important leadership quality in a memorable way.

Some additional key details about analogies:

• Analogy has different meanings in the context of different academic fields. For instance, someone studying logic would say that analogy is "an inference that, if two things are similar in some ways, they must also be alike in others." A cognitive scientist or a lawyer would have a different definition altogether. Despite the term's broad usage, this guide will focus solely on the literary definition of analogy summarized above.
• Analogy is closely related to metaphor and simile . Sources vary in how they define the relationship between these terms, but most can agree that metaphor and simile are types of analogy.

Analogy Pronunciation

Here's how to pronounce analogy: uh- nal -oh-jee

Analogy Explained

Developing a richer understanding of one thing by comparing it to another is the basic idea behind analogy. Far more than simply an illustrative or explanatory technique, analogies are fundamental to the way people think. The writer Douglas Hofstadter even went so far as to say that analogy is "the core of cognition," suggesting that the most fundamental tool we have for understanding the world is the ability to make comparisons between things.

What Makes an Analogy

Analogies can be broken down into two elements: the target and the source . The target is the unknown concept—the thing that the analogy seeks to explain—while the source (also referred to as the analog ) is the known concept, or the thing used to explain the target.

For example, if you've ever seen the Disney movie Shrek , you may remember the phrase "ogres are like onions." In a memorable scene, the ogre (Shrek) tries to explain something about the true nature of ogres to his non-ogre friend by saying:

"Ogres are like onions... Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. You get it? We both have layers."

Shrek creates an analogy comparing the source (something familiar and known, in this case an onion) to the target (something mysterious and unknown, in this case ogres). His goal is to reveal something about ogres (the unfamiliar target ) by showing that he's not so different from onions (the familiar source ) . Not all analogies are as cut-and-dry as this one, but Shrek's comparison is a good example of the basic structure of analogies. Keep in mind, it's perfectly acceptable to analyze analogies without talking about targets and sources—but these terms can be helpful in understanding the structure of analogies, especially with more complicated examples.

Analogy, Metaphor, and Simile

Analogy, metaphor and simile are all similar in that they all have to do with making comparisons. But there's some debate about the precise nature of the relationship between these three concepts. There are two main camps in this debate:

• The first camp believes that metaphor and simile are types of analogies.
• The second camp believes that metaphor and simile are not types of analogies, but distinct tools that can be used to articulate analogy.

Camp 1: Metaphors and Similes are Types of Analogies

Members of this camp see analogies as a broader category into which metaphors and similes fit. They would say that metaphors are implicit analogies, while similes are explicit analogies. In other words, metaphors implicitly perform the function of analogy—pointing out similarities between two different things—by saying that something is something else. For example, "Juliet is the sun." People in the first camp would argue that the metaphor "Juliet is the sun" is a type of analogy because it operates by making an implicit comparison, such as "Juliet and the sun are similar; just like the sun, Juliet is radiant and fills Romeo's days with light." Meanwhile, first-campers would say that the simile "Juliet is like the sun" is also a type of analogy because it draws a comparison explicitly by saying that something is like something else in some respect: "Juliet is beautiful like the sun."

Camp 2: Metaphors and Similes are Tools for Making Analogies

The second camp, however, would say that the metaphor "Juliet is the sun" does not count as analogy. Instead, they would say that the metaphor is being used as a tool to support the distinct and overarching analogy between a woman and the sun. Similarly, second-campers would say that the sentence "Juliet is beautiful like the sun" is a simile which supports the overall analogy comparing Juliet to a celestial body.

The second camp argues that analogy is distinct from metaphors and similes. It argues that analogy is a rational type of argument or explanation—that analogy is the actual conceptual comparison being made. In contrast, it argues that metaphor and simile are figures of speech —that is, they are literary devices or tools whose purpose is to describe something with figurative language rather than to explain or argue something.

However, this distinction can start to seem fuzzy when you start to ask where "describing" ends and "explaining" begins. When Romeo says that "Juliet is the sun," isn't he—in addition to describing her beauty— e xplaining to the reader his love for Juliet by comparing it to the sun?

Summing up the Camp 1 and Camp 2 Debate

It's not necessarily the case that one camp's view is better or more proper than the other, but the first camp's definition of the relationship between analogy, metaphor, and simile is more common—if only because it's not as rigid as the second camp's definition. That said, you only need to know that there are these competing definitions, and then be able to say why you think a given example is an analogy, simile, or metaphor based on the definition you think best fits each term.

Analogy Examples

Analogy in shakespeare's romeo and juliet.

In this example from Act 2 Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet , Juliet Capulet puzzles over the main obstacle in her love for Romeo Montague: the Capulet and Montague families are rivals. She creates an analogy comparing Romeo to a rose, reasoning that just as the "sweetness" or loveliness of a rose is entirely independent of its name, the "perfection" she sees in Romeo is independent of—and not at all compromised by— his name and family:

’Tis but thy name that is my enemy. Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title.

Analogy in Shakespeare's As You Like It

The melancholy character Jaques crafts the following analogy in Act 2 Scene 7 of As You Like It . In one of the most famous lines from all of Shakespeare, Jaques compares the world to stage, and each individual to an actor playing a part that changes with age.

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth...

Jaques concludes his speech by describing the remaining three "parts" or "seven ages": those of the Just Leader, The Silly Old Man who thinks he's still young, and the Truly Old Man who's as helpless as a baby. Using this analogy to compare "the world" to "a stage," and by extension "life" to "a play," allows Jaques to point out what he sees as a fundamental aspect of both real and theatrical experience: performance. These lines function as a particularly powerful analogy when read aloud in the theater, because they simultaneously demand that audience members confront the ways in which they're performing their own lives, remind them of their own mortality, and collapse the traditional boundary between actors on the stage and the audience watching them.

Analogy in Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

In Chapter 26 of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance , the narrator attempts to describe his philosophical world view by drawing an analogy between knowledge and a train.

The narrator's concept of "Quality" refers to a holistic, balanced manner of existing in the world. The narrator believes that in modern life, we often fail to achieve Quality because we create an artificial distinction between an artistic, "Romantic" way of living life—being "in the moment," not stopping to analyze or reflect on things—and a scientific, "Classical" way of living life which involves analyzing how pragmatic things (like technology) work. Through the analogy of the Train, the narrator argues that both the Classical and Romantic modes of thought are necessary to living a balanced life in pursuit of Quality:

In my mind now is an image of a huge, long railroad train...In terms of the analogy, Classic Knowledge, the knowledge taught by the Church of Reason, is the engine and all the boxcars. All of them and everything that’s in them. If you subdivide the train into parts you will find no Romantic Knowledge anywhere. And unless you’re careful it’s easy to make the presumption that’s all the train there is. This isn’t because Romantic Knowledge is non-existent or even unimportant. It’s just that so far the definition of the train is static and purposeless...The real train of knowledge isn’t a static entity that can be stopped and subdivided. It’s always going somewhere. On a track called Quality...Romantic reality is the cutting edge of experience. It’s the leading edge of the train of knowledge that keeps the whole train on the track... The leading edge is where absolutely all the action is. The leading edge contains all the infinite possibilities of the future. It contains all the history of the past. Where else could they be contained?...At the leading edge there are no subjects. No objects, only the track of Quality ahead, and if you have no formal way of evaluating, no way of acknowledging this Quality, then the train has no way of knowing where to go.

Just as a train can't exist without its engine, its boxcars, or its lead locomotive, so too—the narrator argues—Quality cannot be pursued without applying both Classical and Romantic knowledge in a balanced way. This is a long and, obviously, complex example of analogy.

Analogy in Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger

The White Tiger tells the story of Balram Halwai, a self-made entrepreneur who (somewhat illegally) works his way up from the bottom rungs of the social ladder in Indian society. In Chapter 5, Balram introduces the analogy of the Rooster Coop to explain how members of the Indian elite repress the poor:

The greatest thing to come out of this country in the ten thousand years of its history is the Rooster Coop. Go to Old Delhi, behind the Jama Masjid, and look at the way they keep chickens there in the market. Hundreds of pale hens and brightly coloured roosters, stuffed tightly into wire-mesh cages, packed as tightly as worms in a belly, pecking each other and shitting on each other, jostling just for breathing space; the whole cage giving off a horrible stench – the stench of terrified, feathered flesh. On the wooden desk above this coop sits a grinning young butcher, showing off the flesh and organs of a recently chopped-up chicken, still oleaginous with a coating of dark blood. The roosters in the coop smell the blood from above. They see the organs of their brothers lying around them. They know they’re next. Yet they do not rebel. They do not try to get out of the coop. The very same thing is done with human beings in this country.

Balram uses the concrete, ordinary image of a rooster coop to explain the invisible but cruel forces constraining India's poor from making social progress. Not only does he use the rooster coop as an analog for his country, but he also uses it to justify his own behavior throughout the novel.

Why Do Writers Use Analogies?

Writers, and people in general, use analogies for a wide variety of reasons:

• To explain a new, unfamiliar concept in relatable and easy-to-understand terms.
• To help the reader make a new, insightful connection between two different entities.
• To appeal to the reader's sense of reason or logic when proving a point.

The anthropologist Mark Nichter once said (using an analogy) that "a good analogy is like a plow which can prepare a population's field of associations for the planting of a new idea." In other words, analogies pull together information and knowledge we have already stored to create novel combinations, which become the foundation for new ideas.

Other Helpful Analogy Resources

• The Wikipedia Page on Analogy: A very wide-ranging yet thorough explanation of analogy and its varied uses across disciplines.
• The Dictionary Definition of Analogy: A basic definition and etymology of the term—it comes from the Greek analogia meaning "proportion."
• Analogy in action: An interesting article from Entrepreneur Magazine entitled, "4 Leadership Lessons Learned From Orchestra Conductors."
• Analogy on Youtube: The "Ogres are like Onions" scene from Disney's Shrek .

• Figurative Language
• Figure of Speech
• Protagonist
• Antanaclasis
• Epanalepsis
• Falling Action
• Static Character
• Bildungsroman
• Extended Metaphor
• Internal Rhyme
• Dynamic Character
• Antimetabole
• Understatement
• Round Character

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What Is Analogy in Writing?

• 3-minute read
• 3rd June 2023

An analogy is a rhetorical device we use to compare two things based on a quality they share. Analogy is a useful writing technique because it can help explain complex concepts in a simple, memorable way. Check out our guide below on how to use analogies in your writing.

What Is Analogy?

Analogy is a form of simile in which you state that one thing is like something else. For example, Stepping out into the summer heat felt like standing in front of an oven is a simile.

Analogies take a simile to the next level by explaining why something is like something else. Usually, we use an analogy to compare two things that are seemingly unrelated. Take this famous example from the film Forrest Gump :

Here, Forrest compares life with a box of chocolates, and then he goes on to explain the point behind the comparison. The listener can imagine a box of chocolates, each with a different filling, and connect it with the uncertainties, twists, and turns of life.

Why Are Analogies Useful?

An analogy takes two things that are unlike and points out something that they have in common. Often, we use analogies to explain an unfamiliar or complex concept by linking it with something familiar and easy to visualize:

Analogies are also useful for evoking imagery and making a point in a more memorable way. Sure, you can say that someone is clumsy, but using an analogy to do so crafts a more vivid picture:

Word Analogies

Word or verbal analogies are specific types of analogies that compare one kind of relationship with another. The possibilities are endless with word analogies, which we can use in many contexts. For example:

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Here, two unconnected relationships are compared. To explain how pillows add a necessary decorative touch to a couch, this analogy refers to the role that hot fudge plays in an ice cream sundae.

Summary: Analogies in Writing

Analogy is a useful writing technique that you can use to make certain concepts easier to understand and/or to evoke imagery that brings your writing to life. We’d love to see how you put this device into practice! Send us a copy of your work, and we’ll ensure that it has perfect grammar, spelling, word choice, and more. Try us out for free today!

Analogy FAQs

What is the difference between an analogy and a simile.

A simile compares two things using like or as . An analogy takes similes a step further by explaining why the two things are alike.

Do analogies appear only in creative writing?

We can use analogies in many contexts, including academic, scientific, and formal writing. They’re useful in scientific writing to compare complex ideas with familiar, simple concepts.

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Analogy in Writing (Definition, How To Write + Examples)

What is an analogy?

An analogy is a figurative of speech that allows the writer to express one thing by comparing it to another apparently unrelated thing. When your high school teacher said, “Camels are the ships of the desert”, they did not mean camels are ships. They meant camels do the same job as a ship does in the sea – transportation.

Analogy in writing helps connect familiar things to unfamiliar things and this in turn helps the reader understand the scenario better. An analogy compares and relates to two objects at once and forms a meaningful connection that helps explain a point better.

Analogies use other literary devices like similes and metaphors to form comparisons. It helps by connecting an unfamiliar thing to a familiar thing fo the ease of understanding.

The word analogies come from the ancient Greek word  analogos  which means ‘proportionate’.

What are the types of analogy?

There are two types of analogy that we understand: identical relationships, and abstract concepts.

Identical Relationship

Dark is to light as on is to off.

You have often come across this kind of sentence. This is what is called forming identical relationships. It is where one idea is paralleled to another idea of the same pattern. Dark and light here have the same relation as on and off in the above sentence.

Most identical relationships have the sentence pattern of ‘A is to B as C is to D’.

• Airplane is to sky as ship is to sea.
• Soil is to plant as house is to human.

At times identical analogies can be extended in a way to express the intense relationship two things of people share. For example, “Books are to Sarah as water is to plant”, or “Chewing bubble gum is to Marty as drinking is to drunkards.” These are used to exaggerate and express the relation between two things or people or any habits they have.

Abstract Concept

Abstract concept analogies compares two unrelated things that have a similar pattern. For example, raising children and gardening are often compared. We have come across the saying that “ Raising children is like gardening. ” They share this analogy because both of these tasks require tending, patience ans a lot of care.

Let us take another example. “ Recovering lost money is like finding needle in a haystack .” This sentence connects recovering lost money and finding needle in a stack of hay because both of these activities bear unfruitful results and are not worth wasting time on.

This kind of analogy helps in concretizing abstract ideas by connecting them to something tangible and graspable by the human mind.

Examples of Analogy in Literature

Some analogy examples from great literature are as follows:

Romeo and Juliet , William Shakespeare

“ What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called. “

‘ A Hanging ’, George Orwell

“ They crowded very close about him, with their hands always on him in a careful, caressing grip, as though all the while feeling him to make sure he was there. It was like men handling a fish which is still alive and may jump back into the water. “

Kamand Kojouri

“ Reading poetry is like undressing before a bath. You don’t undress out of fear that your clothes will become wet. You undress because you want the water to touch you. You want to completely immerse yourself in the feeling of the water and to emerge anew. “

Macbeth , William Shakespeare

“ Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing. “

Let Me Count the Ways , Peter De Vries

“ If you want my final opinion on the mystery of life and all that, I can give it to you in a nutshell. The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination. But the combination is locked up in the safe. “

Sootfall and Fallout , EB White

“A nation wearing atomic armor is like a knight whose armor has grown so heavy he is immobilized; he can hardly walk, hardly sit his horse, hardly think, hardly breathe. The H-bomb is an extremely effective deterrent to war, but it has little virtue as a weapon of war, because it would leave the world uninhabitable. “

‘ There is no frigate like a book ’, Emily Dickinson

“ There is no frigate like a book

To take us lands away,

Nor any coursers like a page

Of prancing poetry.

This traverse may the poorest take

Without oppress of toll;

How frugal is the chariot

That bears a human soul!”

‘ Night Clouds ’ , Amy Lowell

“ The white mares of the moon rush along the sky

Beating their golden hoofs upon the glass Heavens;

The white mares of the moon are all standing on their hind legs

Pawing at the green porcelain doors of the remote Heavens. “

Why is an analogy used in writing?

Like every literary device, an analogy is used in literature as a tool to express something better. Analogies should be used to familiarize your audience with complicated ideas or inspire them with big ones.

Analogy also helps writers create a vivid picture of the deeper thought they are going for and this in turn better engages the reader’s mind.

How to use analogies in your writing?

Analogies are everywhere. We use verbal analogies in everyday speech, often with the intention of expressing a point. A good analogy improves the quality of writing. And writing a good analogy can be achieved by many ways. Think of it like a logical argument, especially i case of identical analogies. For abstract idea, find a familiar pattern that fits your writing. Let us understand in detail.

• Opting for  commonly understood things  can familiarize the reader with what you are trying to express.
• Try to use the  compare and contrast  technique to make your analogies more powerful.
• Understand what type of figurative language would complement your  audience .
• An effective analogy is simple, easy to understand, and  inspires   your readers .

Examples of Analogies

Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall.

Living my life like there is no tomorrow.

“Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.”  ( Forrest Gump )

A puppy is to a dog as a kitten is to a cat.

A hammer is to nail as a master is to a butler.

The book was a roller coaster of emotions.

“Writing a book of poetry is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo.”  (Don Marquis)

A car is to me as a ship is to a sailor.

“Pupils are more like oysters than sausages. The job of teaching is not to stuff them and then seal them up, but to help them open and reveal the riches within. There are pearls in each of us, if only we knew how to cultivate them with ardor and persistence.”  (Sydney J. Harris,  What True Education Should Do )

“Dumb gorgeous people should not be allowed to use literature when competing in the pick-up pool. It’s like bald people wearing hats.”  ( Broken Hearts Club )

• Analogy is a literary device in the English language that compares and contrasts closely related things together or things that share the same relationship or pattern.
• Analogies are of two types: identical and abstract. Identical analogies compare two pairs of things that share similar relationships. Abstract analogies compare two things that same the same pattern or attribute.
• Effective analogies should be easy to comprehend, familiar, and inspiring to the readers. Analogy uses similes and metaphors to make comparisons.
• An analogy should be used to express a new idea better. The ultimate goal of an analogy should be to make the reader understand a complex idea using literary devices such as analogy.

Tomas Laurinavicius

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Definition of Analogy

Common examples of analogy, famous examples of analogy, examples of analogy by thomas carlyle, difference between analogy, metaphor, and simile, writing analogy, types of analogy: literal and figurative, types of analogy in writing, use of analogy in sentences, examples of analogy in literature, example 1: there is no frigate like a book by emily dickinson.

There is No Frigate like a Book To take us Lands away Nor any Coursers like a Page Of prancing Poetry – This Traverse may the poorest take Without oppress of Toll – How frugal is the Chariot That bears the Human Soul –

Example 2: Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Example 3: A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers by Henry David Thoreau

This world is but a canvas to our imaginations.

Synonyms of Analogy

Related posts:, post navigation.

• Literary Terms

When & How to write an Analogy

• Definition & Examples
• When & How to write an Analogy

How to Write an Analogy

You should use analogies in your writing when you want to show strong support by comparison. Here are some examples of how to use them:

Normal Sentence:

He ran incredibly fast in the race.

With Analogy:

In the race, he ran with the grace and speed of a cheetah—smooth, flawless, and natural, as if he had been raised running across the plains of Africa.

Those two are very close.

Those two unlikely friends are surprisingly close, like a shark and its cleaner fish—though they have different qualities and purposes, it is clear that neither could survive without the

Although analogies are useful and essential devices, they can be surprisingly difficult to use effectively! You don’t want to make comparisons to just anything, or your writing may start to look sloppy and careless. Here are some examples of poor analogies to show you the kinds of common mistakes you should try to avoid:

Poor Analogy : He ran as fast as a cheetah in the race.

Why It’s Poor : Wait, there was a cheetah in the race? No, of course not. That phrase is a dangling modifier . So just move it to the beginning, as in the sentence above (“In the race, he ran…”).

Poor Analogy : On that warm summer day, we went down to the beach, where the sand was as white as snow.

Why It’s Poor : The author has done so much to show the reader that the setting is a warm, sunny beach in summer. But the word “snow” completely undermines that by bringing up images of cold, grey winter. Rather than improving  the imagery, the analogy actually works against it.

When to Use Analogy

Analogies can be an extremely powerful addition to your writing, so experiment! Using analogies is a really useful skill for improving your powers of logic, reasoning, and writing, and the best way to learn it is to practice.

When you experiment with analogies in your writing, keep the following principles in mind:

• Make sure it’s clear what aspect(s) of the two objects you want to compare.
• Draw an analogy to something concrete , ideally something that people can actually visualize in their minds. If you’re trying to explain an abstract idea, it doesn’t help to compare it to another abstract idea, but it might help a lot if you compare it to something tangible!
• If you’re using analogies in creative writing, make sure they’re suited to the setting ! If the story is set on a boat, try to use analogies having to do with water or islands. Remember the example with the sand and the snow. In that case, the problem was that the setting was all wrong – snow doesn’t belong on a warm, sandy beach!

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Figures of Speech
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

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What Is an Analogy?

Analogies are a type of figurative language that helps enhance understanding by comparing an unfamiliar topic with a familiar one.

What Are Analogies?

An analogy is a figure of speech that explains something unfamiliar by relating it to something familiar.

• “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” —Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

If your writing is a dirty window your readers can’t see through, then analogies are the glass cleaners that clear everything up.

Below, we’ll elaborate on what an analogy is and how it can be a useful rhetorical device.

Analogies: Explanation and Examples

An analogy is a figure of speech that helps your readers understand something that would otherwise be difficult to comprehend. There are different types of analogies, but most work by comparing two unrelated things or ideas.

Here’s an example of an analogy that is often attributed to Albert Einstein:

You see, wire telegraph is kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat.

This analogy makes a complex subject—the way telegraph and radio work—easier to understand by comparing it to the meow of a (long) cat.

Different Types of Analogies

The two most common types of analogies are one that conveys an identical relationship and another that identifies a shared abstraction.

Identical Relationship

The formula for this type of analogy is: A is to B as C is to D.

A dog is to a cat as sunshine is to rain.

This analogy expresses the comparable relationship between a dog and cat, sunshine and rain: they’re considered opposites.

Shared Abstraction

This type of analogy is one that brings clarity by comparing two unrelated topics and identifying a similar idea, pattern, or attribute.

Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.

This famous analogy draws a parallel between eating a box of chocolates and life: Sometimes you don’t know which chocolate you’re going to eat, like in life, in which you don’t know what’s going to happen to you.

This analogy starts with a simile , but its last sentence, which adds further explanation, is what makes it an analogy . We’ll elaborate below.

Analogies, Similes, and Metaphors: What’s The Difference?

Analogies, similes, and metaphors are all similar figures of speech that make comparisons. Similes and metaphors can be used to make an analogy . The difference between them is that analogies take the comparison a step further by adding an explanation.

• Simile: She is like the sun.
• Metaphor: She is my sun.
• Analogy: “He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.” —Leo Tolstoy (Anna Karenina)

How To Write an Analogy

Analogies are a powerful tool that can enhance your writing by making things that are usually obscure and complex easier to understand.

If you’re writing about something that may be considered uncommon to your readers, use analogies to make it easier to comprehend. A good analogy:

• Draws a clear parallel between the familiar and unfamiliar topic or idea.
• Elaborates on the comparison to enhance understanding.

Another equally powerful tool that can strengthen your writing is LanguageTool . This advanced and multilingual spelling and grammar checker not only corrects all types of errors, but can help rephrase your sentences to be more formal, fluent, and even shorter.

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What is an Analogy? Definition, Examples of Analogies in Literature

Home » The Writer’s Dictionary » What is an Analogy? Definition, Examples of Analogies in Literature

Analogy definition: An analogy is a comparison between two things that are quite different in nature. An analogy often explains a complex subject with one that is simpler or more familiar.

What is an Analogy?

What does analogy mean? An analogy is a comparison between two things. By nature, those two things are quite different from each other.

An analogy looks at complex subjects and simplifies them through comparison. The simplified or more familiar aspect of an analogy helps a reader understand the more complex concept.

An analogy may be as short as a sentence or as long as a few paragraphs.

Analogy Example:

Here is a familiar example of an analogy (which also happens to be an English idiom) is:

• The grass is always greener on the other side.

It is difficult to explain trying times in life. This expression simplifies the matter to one that is easier to grasp and understand.

Analogy vs. Simile and Metaphor

Even though it is a comparison, an analogy is not a simile nor is it a metaphor.

What does simile mean? A simile compares to entities with comparison words such as like, as, and resembles.

• He stood as solid as a rock.

What does metaphor mean? A metaphor compares two things without using comparison words.

• He was a rock.

However, an analogy focuses on the similarities between the two entities or situations in order to make a topic more digestible. A metaphor is a figure of speech that says one thing is another.

Modern Examples of Analogy

Example of analogy: A common expression that is an example of analogy is to “let a situation thaw.”

This analogy compares any difficult situation to a block of ice. To let any situation thaw would mean to let it rest, to give it space.

Ice and a difficult situation are not similar by nature. However, an analogy compares the two to show the similarities. Ice is a much simpler subject to explain than a trying situation.

For example, if an employee is frustrated with his employer, a coworker might tell him “to let the situation thaw.”

The situation itself cannot thaw; this analogy is a way to compare a complex subject to a simpler idea. The intention is to give the situation space to let it rest and “melt” before making any serious decisions.

This analogy takes a complex topic (like a heated relationship between two individuals) and makes it more familiar by comparing it to ice.

The Purpose of Analogy

For example, a writer may introduce his work with an analogy to prepare his audience for the difficulty of his subject matter. The comparison may not be evident until the reader has completed the text. Nonetheless, the comparison serves to gently introduce a complex topic and to make that topic more familiar to the audience.

Examples of Analogy in Literature

Analogy Examples in Literature:

In Silent Spring, Carson presents a town which was once rich and flourishing. Then, as man invades the town, nature becomes “silent” because man destroys it.

Carson begins with this “fable” in order to prepare her audience for her complex essay regarding man’s detrimental impact on the natural world.

Carson’s audience can relate to a quiet, peaceful town in Middle America. They can see through Carson’s imagery the beauty and serenity of nature. They understand how man’s impact changes the town.

This familiar story prepares the audience for a less familiar one—that this is not a fable at all, and that man has a destructive impact on his surrounding world.

Summary: What are Analogies?

Define analogy: The definition of analogy is a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

Their key features are,

• a comparison between two unlike things
• extended and often situational
• a way to explain a complex subject in familiar or simpler terms

Analogy — Definition and Examples

What is an analogy.

An  analogy  is a comparison made to show how two things are similar for explanation or clarification. Although the things compared are physically different, the analogy identifies how they are figuratively similar.

Think of analogies as an extension of a metaphor or simile.

People use analogies to link unfamiliar ideas with common ones, making complex or abstract ideas easier to understand.

Analogy examples

It is common to use analogies to make comparisons in the English language. The following is an example analogy comparing a warrior's sword to a writer's pen:

Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer.

A warrior uses his sword as a weapon, while a writer's weapon is their words written with their pen.

In the next example, the analogy is comparing a book to a rollercoaster:

That book was a rollercoaster of emotion.

The book's plot had many emotional highs and lows, making it feel like you rode the ups and downs of a rollercoaster.

Analogy examples in literature

Analogies are commonly used in literature. A famous example can be found in  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare:

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, / by any other word would smell as sweet. / So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called.”

This analogy is saying a rose would smell the same even if it were called something different; therefore, Romeo's name does not define him.

Another example from literature is found in George Orwell's  Animal Farm:

The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

In Orwell's analogy, the pigs have become that which they fought against (man).

The House in Paris  by Elizabeth Bowen contains this analogy:

Memory is to love what the sauce’r is to cup.

Like a saucer holds a cup, a memory holds onto love.

Analogy in poetry

Types of analogies

An analogy can be both a literary device and a rhetorical device, depending upon its use.

As a rhetorical device, word analogies are often found on standardized tests. This assesses the test taker's ability to identify various relationships.

When writing a word analogy as a rhetorical device, colons stand in for words. Analogies written in this way use pairs of words to make a logical argument. Consider the following example:

Stove is to kitchen as bed is to bedroom

Stove : kitchen :: bed : bedroom

There are a variety of types of rhetorical verbal analogies that identify different kinds of relationships:

Analogy vs. metaphor vs. simile

A metaphor is a figure of speech used to compare or suggest a similarity between two items, whereas a simile is a comparison that uses the words "like" or "as." While metaphors and similes help writers show instead of tell, an analogy provides explanation or clarification.

Consider the following example comparing thoughts to a storm:

Metaphor : His thoughts were a storm.

Simile : His thoughts were like a storm.

Analogy : His thoughts were like a storm causing chaos.

Writers can use metaphors and similes to create analogies; however, not all metaphors and similes are analogies.

Learn more about  difference between metaphors, similes, and analogies .

Analogical arguments

Analogical reasoning is any thinking that involves an analogy. It compares something new with something known. Argument by analogy is a way to inform, persuade, or explain, such as in the following examples:

The new movie is supposed to be similar to the one that came out last summer, so it too is probably dull.

Not everyone had a computer in their homes 20 years ago, but most of them do now; therefore, one can expect the same of virtual reality.

The new planet is the same distance from its star as the Earth is from the sun, meaning it could support life.

• Scriptwriting

What is an Analogy — Definition, Examples in Literature & Film

A ll writers aim to engage their audience. And to engage their audience, their writing must be effective. So what are the tricks of the trade to effective writing? There are various elements to great writing, but two fundamental elements are clear communication of ideas and conciseness. One of the best tools a writer has to achieve both is analogy.  In this article, we’ll define analogy and distinguish it from other literary devices. We’ll also take a look at some analogy examples in some of the most iconic lines in literature and film and how it has contributed to both. 

Tools For Screenwriters

Literary devices.

Literary Elements

• Deuteragonist
• Foil Character
• Point of View
• Protagonist

Literary Techniques

• Alliteration
• Connotation
• Deus ex Machina
• Foreshadowing
• Iambic Pentameter
• Juxtaposition
• Onomatopoeia
• Personification
• Red Herring

What is Analogy in Literature 

First, let’s define analogy.

Analogies have an overlap with other literary devices such as metaphors and similes. To better distinguish analogy, let’s take a look at the analogy literary definition. 

ANALOGY LITERARY DEFINITION

What is analogy in literature.

An analogy is a literary device used to compare similarities between two unrelated things as a way to make a point through the comparison. Analogies are primarily used to identify similar relationships or to identify similar abstractions between two things or ideas. Analogies are often mistaken for similes and metaphors. While they are similar, analogies differ in that they aim to make a logical argument by showing similarities between two dissimilar things. Analogies can utilize similes or metaphors but are further elaborated on to support in argument or claim. 

What is analogy used for?

• Creating a persuasive argument
• Making abstract ideas more concrete
• Relating to the audience or reader

What Does Analogy Mean in Literature?

Analogy vs. metaphor vs. simile.

An analogy is often mixed up with other literary devices like metaphors and similes . Although they all share similarities to one another in that they compare two unlike things, they differ in specific ways. 

• Creates a relationship based on similarities between two ideas
• Generally a longer comparison, more than a sentence
• More elaborate or extensive than a simile
• Compares two objects with connecting words
• Generally a shorter comparison, like in a single sentence
• More simple and basic than an analogy

Similes compare the similarities between two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.” For example, “Life is like a mountain.”

A metaphor is a literary device used to say something  is  something else. It allows the reader to do further interpretation. For example, “Life is a mountain.”

An analogy is a comparison between two things with the goal to make a larger point. For example, “Life is like a mountain. Hard to climb, but the view at the top is worth it.” This further explanation, stated or not, is what distinguishes an analogy. Metaphors and similes can be used within  an analogy to drive the point home. 

ANALOGY MEANING IN LITERATURE

It is not uncommon for writers to find difficulty in communicating ideas both abstract and literal to their audience. Learning how to write analogies will help you as a writer tackle these obstacles. Communicating these ideas effectively can be the difference in writing an engaging novel, a persuasive argument, or an effective explanation. 

1. Support an argument

In forms other than traditional literature such as essays, critiques, or analyses, analogies can be an effective tool at making a persuasive argument. This is often used in counter arguments to negate the logic of another claim. 

2. Make abstract concepts relatable

One of the more difficult tasks writers have is being concise when explaining or communicating abstract ideas. Analogies can be extremely effective at making abstract ideas more concrete. They do this by including something relatable within analogies that audiences can understand and latch onto. 

For example, the idea of raising a child is rather large and abstract. Let’s take a look at an example that can explain what raising a child is like using something relatable. “Raising a child is like gardening. It takes both patience and practice.” By using gardening within the analogy, readers can better understand what the author is trying to say about parenting. 

3. Add depth to imagery and emotions

In literature, analogies are commonly used to add depth to the imagery of the story. Literal writing has its own limitations that can inhibit an audience's emotional connection to a piece of writing. Analogies address this by relating to the user’s experience to have them better understand the imagery or emotions of the story. 

For example, to say “He loved her very much” is ineffective at communicating the affection a character has for another person. But using analogies and saying “His love for her was as vast and deep as the ocean itself” can better communicate this love because of the reader’s ability to relate to the imagery of the ocean. 

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Analyzing Analogy Examples

Analogy examples in literature.

To analyze how analogies are effective at communicating higher concepts effectively and concisely, let’s take a look at William Shakespeare’s iconic Romeo and Juliet . In this moment in the play, Juliet comes to the conclusion that the names Montague and Capulet are irrelevant. No matter the name, Romeo is still the same person, and that’s what matters.

To put this more poetically and in a way that is more relatable, Shakespeare uses an analogy comparing Romeo to a rose. 

‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

What’s Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,

Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part

Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name which is no part of thee

Take all myself.”

— William Shakespeare

The analogy is able to compare a rose, its smell, and its name to Romeo, his character, and his name. Not only does this make the speech romantically poetic, it effectively communicates an abstract idea in a concise, relatable way. 

What Does Analogy Mean in Cinema

Analogy examples in film.

Analogies are used beyond the realm of literature. In filmmaking and screenwriting, analogies are used similarly to communicate ideas in less time. Time is a valuable resource when it comes to film, and using analogies can be effective at saving this resource.

One of the most iconic lines in all of cinema is in fact an analogy. It’s none other than the quote about life from Forrest Gump . We brought the script into StudioBinder's screenwriting software so you can read how this iconic analogy is written on the page. Click the image below to read the entire scene.

Forrest Gump  •  Life is Like a Box of Chocolates analogy examples

In one of the most iconic lines in cinema, Forrest (or rather Forrest’s mom) compares life to the unpredictability of a box of chocolates with the line “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

Not only does this foreshadow the plot that follows this specific line as it follows Forrest’s life, it establishes one of the film’s themes . The relatability and conciseness of this makes it easily memorable and iconic.  

• A Complete Guide to Literary Devices →
• How Writers and Filmmakers Use Motifs →

What is a Simile? With Examples

One of the most common ways to create an analogy is by using a simile. What is the difference between simile and metaphor? How can similes be used other than in an analogy? We answer both of those questions and more in our next article.

Up Next: Similes With Examples →

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Metaphors and Analogies: How to Use Them in Your Academic Life

Certain Experiences in life can't be captured in simple words. Especially if you are a writer trying to connect with your audience, you will need special threads to evoke exact feelings.

There are many literary devices to spark the readers' imagination, and analogies and metaphors are one of that magical arsenal. They enrich your text and give it the exact depth it will need to increase your readers' heartbeat.

Taking a particular characteristic and associating it with the other not only enriches your text's linguistic quality but gives the reader a correct pathway to deeper layers of a writer's psyche.

In this article, we are going to take a good look at the difference between analogy and metaphor and how to use them in your academic writing, and you will find some of the most powerful examples for each. Learn more about this and other vital linguistic tools on our essay writer service website.

What are Metaphors: Understanding the Concept

Let's discuss the metaphors definition. Metaphors are a figure of speech that compares two unrelated concepts or ideas to create a deeper and more profound meaning. They are a powerful tool in academic writing to express abstract concepts using different analogies, which can improve the reader's understanding of complex topics. Metaphors enable writers to paint vivid pictures in the reader's mind by comparing something familiar with an abstract concept that is harder to grasp.

The following are some of the most famous metaphors and their meanings:

• The world is your oyster - the world is full of opportunities just waiting for you to grab them
• Time is money - time is a valuable commodity that must be spent wisely
• A heart of stone - someone who is emotionally cold and unfeeling

Analogies Meaning: Mastering the Essence

Analogies, on the other hand, are a comparison of two concepts or ideas that have some similarity in their features. They are used to clarify complex ideas or to make a new concept more relatable by comparing it to something that is already familiar.

Analogies are often followed by an explanation of how the two concepts are similar, which helps the reader to understand and make connections between seemingly disparate ideas. For example, in academic writing, if you were explaining the function of a cell membrane, you might use an analogy, such as comparing it to a security gate that regulates what enters and exits a building.

Check out these famous analogies examples:

• Knowledge is like a garden: if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested.
• Teaching a child without education is like building a house without a foundation.
• A good friend is like a four-leaf clover; hard to find and lucky to have.

Benefits of Metaphors and Analogies in Writing

Chances are you are wondering why we use analogies and metaphors in academic writing anyway?

The reason why metaphors are beneficial to writers, especially in the academic field, is that they offer an effective approach to clarifying intricate concepts and enriching comprehension by linking them to more familiar ideas. Through the use of relatable frames of reference, these figures of speech help authors communicate complicated notions in an appealing and comprehensible way.

Additionally, analogies and metaphors are a way of artistic expression. They bring creativity and imagination to your writing, making it engaging and memorable for your readers. Beautiful words connect with readers on a deeper emotional level, allowing them to better retain and appreciate the information being presented. Such linguistic devices allow readers to open doors for imagination and create visual images in their minds, creating a more individualized experience.

However, one must be mindful not to plagiarize famous analogies and always use original ideas or appropriately cite sources when necessary. Overall, metaphors and analogies add depth and beauty to write-ups, making them memorable for years to come.

Understanding the Difference Between Analogy and Metaphor

While metaphors and analogies serve the similar purpose of clarifying otherwise complex ideas, they are not quite the same. Follow the article and learn how they differ from each other.

One way to differentiate between analogies and metaphors is through the use of 'as' and 'like.' Analogies make an explicit comparison using these words, while metaphors imply a comparison without any overt indication.

There is an obvious difference between their structure. An analogy has two parts; the primary subject, which is unfamiliar, and a secondary subject which is familiar to the reader. For example, 'Life is like a box of chocolates.' The two subjects are compared, highlighting their similarities in order to explain an entire concept.

On the other hand, a metaphor describes an object or idea by referring to something else that is not literally applicable but shares some common features. For example, 'He drowned in a sea of grief.'

The structural difference also defines the difference in their usage. Analogies are often used in academic writing where hard concepts need to be aligned with an easier and more familiar concept. This assists the reader in comprehending complex ideas more effortlessly. Metaphors, on the other hand, are more often used in creative writing or literature. They bring depth and nuance to language, allowing for abstract ideas to be communicated in a more engaging and imaginative way.

Keep reading and discover examples of metaphors and analogies in both academic and creative writing. While you are at it, our expert writers are ready to provide custom essays and papers which incorporate these literary devices in a seamless and effective way.

Using Famous Analogies Can Raise Plagiarism Concerns!

To avoid the trouble, use our online plagiarism checker and be sure that your work is original before submitting it.

Analogies and Metaphors Examples

There were a few analogies and metaphors examples mentioned along the way, but let's explore a few more to truly understand their power. Below you will find the list of metaphors and analogies, and you will never mistake one for the other again.

• Love is like a rose, beautiful but with thorns.
• The human body is like a machine, with many intricate parts working together in harmony.
• The structure of an atom is similar to a miniature solar system, with electrons orbiting around the nucleus.
• A computer's motherboard is like a city's central system, coordinating and communicating all functions.
• The brain is like a muscle that needs constant exercise to function at its best.
• Studying for exams is like training for a marathon; it requires endurance and preparation.
• Explaining a complex scientific concept is like explaining a foreign language to someone who doesn't speak it.
• A successful team is like a well-oiled machine, with each member playing a crucial role.
• Learning a new skill is like planting a seed; it requires nurturing and patience to see growth.
• Navigating through life is like sailing a ship with unpredictable currents and changing winds.
• Life is a journey with many twists and turns along the way
• The world's a stage, and we are all mere players.
• Her eyes were pools of sorrow, reflecting the pain she felt.
• Time is a thief, stealing away moments we can never recapture.
• Love is a flame, burning brightly but at risk of being extinguished.
• His words were daggers piercing through my heart.
• She had a heart of stone, unable to feel empathy or compassion.
• The city was a jungle, teeming with life and activity.
• Hope is a beacon, guiding us through the darkest of times.
• His anger was a volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.

How to Use Metaphors and Analogies in Writing: Helpful Tips

If you want your readers to have a memorable and engaging experience, you should give them some level of autonomy within your own text. Metaphors and analogies are powerful tools to let your audience do their personal interpretation and logical conclusion while still guiding them in the right direction.

First, learn about your audience and their level of familiarity with the topic you're writing about. Incorporate metaphors and analogies with familiar references. Remember, literary devices should cleverly explain complex concepts. To achieve the goal, remain coherent with the theme of the paper. But be careful not to overuse metaphors or analogies, as too much of a good thing can make your writing feel overloaded.

Use figurative language to evoke visual imagery and breathe life into your paper. Multiple metaphors can turn your paper into a movie. Visualizing ideas will help readers better understand and retain the information.

In conclusion, anytime is a great time to extend your text's impact by adding a well-chosen metaphor or analogy. But perfection is on the border of good and bad, so keep in mind to remain coherent with the theme and not overuse any literary device.

Metaphors: Unveiling Their Cultural Significance

Metaphors are not limited to just academic writing but can also be found in various forms of culture, such as art, music, film, and television. Metaphors have been a popular element in creative expression for centuries and continue to play a significant role in modern-day culture. For instance, metaphors can help artists convey complex emotions through their music or paintings.

Metaphors are often like time capsules, reflecting the cultural and societal values of a particular era. They shelter the prevailing beliefs, ideals, and philosophies of their time - from the pharaohs of ancient Egypt to modern-day pop culture.

Metaphors often frame our perception of the world and can shape our understanding of our surroundings. Certain words can take on new meanings when used metaphorically in certain cultural contexts and can assimilate to the phenomenon it is often compared to.

Here you can find a list of literature and poems with metaphors:

• William Shakespeare loved using metaphors, and here's one from his infamous Macbeth: 'It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.'
• Victor Hugo offers a timeless metaphor in Les Misérables: 'She is a rose, delicate and beautiful, but with thorns to protect her.'
• Robert Frost reminds us of his genius in the poem The Road Not Traveled: 'The road less traveled.'

Movies also contain a wide range of English metaphors:

• A famous metaphor from Toy Story: 'There's a snake in my boot!'
• A metaphor from the famous movie Silver Lining Playbook: 'Life is a game, and true love is a trophy.'
• An all-encompassing and iconic metaphor from the movie Star Wars: 'Fear is the path to the dark side.'

Don't forget about famous songs with beautiful metaphors!

• Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind uses a powerful metaphor when he asks: 'How many roads must a man walk down?'
• A metaphor from Johnny Cash's song Ring of Fire: 'Love is a burning thing, and it makes a fiery ring.'
• Bonnie Tyler's famous lyrics from Total Eclipse of the Heart make a great metaphor: 'Love is a mystery, everyone must stand alone.'

Keep reading the article to find out how to write an essay with the effective use of metaphors in academic writing.

Exploring Types of Metaphors

There is a wide variety of metaphors used in academic writing, literature, music, and film. Different types of metaphors can be used to convey different meanings and create a specific impact or evoke a vivid image.

Some common types of metaphors include similes / simple metaphors, implicit metaphors, explicit metaphors, extended metaphors, mixed metaphors, and dead metaphors. Let's take a closer look at some of these types.

Simple metaphors or similes highlight the similarity between two things using 'like' or 'as.' For example, 'Her eyes were as bright as the stars.'

Implicit metaphors do not make a direct comparison. Instead, they imply the similarity between the two concepts. An example of an implicit metaphor is 'Her words cut deep,' where the similarity between words and a knife is implied. Good metaphors are often implicit since they require the reader to use their own understanding and imagination to understand the comparison being made.

Explicit metaphors are straightforward, making a clear comparison between two things. For instance, 'He is a shining star.'

An extended metaphor, on the other hand, stretches the comparison throughout an entire literary work or section of a text. This type of metaphor allows the writer to create a more complex and elaborate comparison, enhancing the reader's understanding of the subject.

Mixed metaphors combine two or more unrelated metaphors, often leading to confusion and lack of clarity. If you are not an expert on the subject, try to avoid using confusing literary devices.

Dead metaphors are another danger. These are metaphors that have been overused to the extent that they have lost their original impact, becoming clichés and not being able to evoke original visual images.

In academic writing, metaphors create a powerful impact on the reader, adding color and depth to everyday language. However, they need to be well-placed and intentional. Using an inappropriate or irrelevant metaphor may confuse readers and distract them from the main message. If you want to avoid trouble, pay for essay writing service that can help you use metaphors effectively in your academic writing.

Exploring Types of Analogies

Like metaphors, analogies are divided into several categories. Some of the common types include literal analogies, figurative analogies, descriptive analogies, causal analogies, and false/dubious analogies. In academic writing, analogies are useful for explaining complex ideas or phenomena in a way that is easy to understand.

Literal analogies are direct comparisons of two things with similar characteristics or features. For instance, 'The brain is like a computer.'

Figurative analogies, on the other hand, compare two unrelated things to highlight a particular characteristic. For example, 'The mind is a garden that needs to be tended.'

Descriptive analogies focus on the detailed similarities between two things, even if they are not immediately apparent. For example, 'The relationship between a supervisor and an employee is like that of a coach and a player, where the coach guides the player to perform at their best.'

Causal analogies are used to explain the relationship between a cause and an effect. For instance, 'The increase in global temperatures is like a fever caused by environmental pollution.'

Finally, false/dubious analogies are comparisons that suggest a similarity between two things that actually have little in common. For example, 'Getting a college degree is like winning the lottery.'

If you are trying to explain a foreign concept to an audience that may not be familiar with it, analogies can help create a bridge and make the concept more relatable. However, coming up with a perfect analogy takes a lot of time. If you are looking for ways on how to write an essay fast , explore our blog and learn even more.

If you want your academic papers to stand out and be engaging for the reader, using metaphors and analogies can be a powerful tool. Now that you know the difference between analogy and metaphor, you can use them wisely to create a bridge between complex ideas and your audience.

Explore our blog for more information on different writing techniques, and check out our essay writing service for more help on crafting the perfect papers.

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Understanding the Concept of Analogy: its Meaning and Application

This essay discusses the concept of analogy, emphasizing its role in various fields such as language, science, mathematics, and philosophy. It explains how analogies help make abstract or unfamiliar ideas more relatable by comparing them to something familiar. Examples from education, literature, and scientific discovery illustrate the power of analogical thinking. The essay highlights the importance of analogies in everyday life, business, and technology, showing how they enhance communication and innovation. By connecting the familiar with the unfamiliar, analogies facilitate understanding and creativity, proving to be fundamental tools in human thought and expression.

How it works

Analogy is a fundamental concept that permeates various fields of study, including language, science, mathematics, and philosophy. At its core, an analogy is a comparison between two entities that are similar in some respects but otherwise dissimilar. This comparison is used to explain a concept, draw a parallel, or make a point clearer. Analogies are powerful tools in communication and reasoning, helping to bridge the gap between the known and the unknown, the simple and the complex.

The essence of an analogy lies in its ability to make abstract or unfamiliar ideas more relatable by comparing them to something familiar.

For instance, when teachers explain the structure of an atom by comparing it to the solar system—where electrons orbit the nucleus like planets orbit the sun—they are using an analogy. This helps students grasp the concept more easily because they can relate to the well-understood model of the solar system. Such analogies are not just pedagogical aids; they also reflect deep insights into the nature of the phenomena being compared.

In the realm of language and literature, analogies play a crucial role. They enrich our understanding of texts and enhance the expressive power of language. Writers often use analogies to convey complex emotions and ideas succinctly and vividly. For example, in Shakespeare’s play “As You Like It,” the famous line “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” is an analogy that encapsulates the idea of life as a performance, with its roles, acts, and eventual conclusion. This not only paints a vivid picture but also invites readers to reflect on the nature of existence and identity.

Analogies are also indispensable in scientific and mathematical reasoning. In science, analogical thinking can lead to breakthroughs by allowing researchers to apply known principles from one domain to another. The discovery of the structure of DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick, for example, was influenced by their understanding of the double-helix structure, an analogy derived from the study of X-ray diffraction patterns. In mathematics, analogies between different branches can reveal underlying connections and foster a deeper comprehension of abstract concepts. The analogy between electrical circuits and hydraulic systems, for example, helps engineers and physicists understand the flow of current by comparing it to the flow of water.

Philosophically, analogy has been a subject of extensive analysis and debate. Aristotle was one of the earliest thinkers to systematically explore the use of analogies in reasoning. He distinguished between different types of analogical arguments and emphasized their importance in scientific and philosophical inquiry. More recently, cognitive scientists have studied how humans naturally think in analogies, using them to solve problems, learn new concepts, and make decisions. This cognitive perspective underscores the idea that analogy is not just a rhetorical device but a fundamental aspect of human thought.

Moreover, analogies are not confined to formal education and academic discourse; they are pervasive in everyday life. We constantly use analogies in our daily conversations, often without realizing it. When we say that a person is “as busy as a bee” or that a task is “a piece of cake,” we are employing analogies to convey our thoughts more effectively. These expressions enrich our language, making it more colorful and impactful.

In business and technology, analogies drive innovation and strategic thinking. Entrepreneurs and managers often draw analogies between different industries or market situations to devise new strategies or develop novel products. For instance, the analogy of “Uber for X” has been widely used to describe various startups that apply the Uber business model to different services, such as food delivery or home cleaning. This analogical thinking helps entrepreneurs conceptualize their ideas and communicate them to investors and customers.

In conclusion, analogy is a versatile and powerful tool that enhances our understanding, communication, and creativity. It transcends disciplinary boundaries, enriching language, fostering scientific discovery, and driving innovation. By drawing connections between the familiar and the unfamiliar, analogies help us navigate the complexities of the world, making abstract ideas more tangible and accessible. Whether in the classroom, the laboratory, the boardroom, or everyday conversation, the use of analogy is a testament to the richness and depth of human thought.

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30 Writing Topics: Analogy

Ideas for a Paragraph, Essay, or Speech Developed With Analogies

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• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

An analogy is a kind of comparison that explains the unknown in terms of the known, the unfamiliar in terms of the familiar.

A good analogy can help your readers understand a complicated subject or view a common experience in a new way. Analogies can be used with other methods of development to explain a process , define a concept, narrate an event, or describe a person or place.

Analogy isn't a single form of writing. Rather, it's a tool for thinking about a subject, as these brief examples demonstrate:

• "Do you ever feel that getting up in the morning is like pulling yourself out of quicksand? . . ." (Jean Betschart, In Control , 2001)
• "Sailing a ship through a storm is . . . a good analogy for the conditions inside an organization during turbulent times, since not only will there be the external turbulence to deal with, but internal turbulence as well . . ." (Peter Lorange, Leading in Turbulent Times , 2010)
• "For some people, reading a good book is like a Calgon bubble bath — it takes you away. . . ." (Kris Carr, Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor , 2008)
• "Ants are so much like human beings as to be an embarrassment. They farm fungi, raise aphids as livestock, launch armies into wars, use chemical sprays to alarm and confuse enemies, capture slaves. . . ." (Lewis Thomas, "On Societies as Organisms," 1971)
• "To me, patching up a heart that'd had an attack was like changing out bald tires. They were worn and tired, just like an attack made the heart, but you couldn't just switch out one heart for another. . . ." (C. E. Murphy, Coyote Dreams , 2007)
• "Falling in love is like waking up with a cold — or more fittingly, like waking up with a fever. . . ." (William B. Irvine, On Desire , 2006)

British author Dorothy Sayers observed that analogous thinking is a key aspect of the writing process . A composition professor explains:

Analogy illustrates easily and to almost everyone how an "event" can become an "experience" through the adoption of what Miss [Dorothy] Sayers called an "as if" attitude. That is, by arbitrarily looking at an event in several different ways, "as if" if it were this sort of thing, a student can actually experience transformation from the inside. . . . The analogy functions both as a focus and a catalyst for "conversion" of event into experience. It also provides, in some instances not merely the To discover original analogies that can be explored in a paragraph , essay, or speech, apply the "as if" attitude to any one of the 30 topics listed below. In each case, ask yourself, "What is it like ?"

Thirty Topic Suggestions: Analogy

• Working at a fast-food restaurant
• Moving to a new neighborhood
• Starting a new job
• Quitting a job
• Watching an exciting movie
• Reading a good book
• Going into debt
• Getting out of debt
• Losing a close friend
• Leaving home for the first time
• Taking a difficult exam
• Making a speech
• Learning a new skill
• Gaining a new friend
• Responding to bad news
• Responding to good news
• Attending a new place of worship
• Dealing with success
• Dealing with failure
• Being in a car accident
• Falling in love
• Getting married
• Falling out of love
• Experiencing grief
• Experiencing joy
• Overcoming an addiction to drugs
• Watching a friend destroy himself (or herself)
• Getting up in the morning
• Resisting peer pressure
• Discovering a major in college
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"Rule Breaker Investing" Essays From Yesterday, Vol. 6

Join Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner as we explore the lessons learned from history and how they continue to guide our investing journeys today.

In this sixth installment of "Essays From Yesterday," Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner takes us on a journey back through time to revisit some of his earliest (and sometimes prophetic) investment writings from his days as a Motley Fool newsletter contributor.

From reflections on the volatility of 2007-08, to introducing new terms like "Big Dumb Money," and thoughts on building mental frameworks for investing, David reacts to his past essays with fresh insights for today's markets.

To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center . To get started investing, check out our beginner's guide to investing in stocks . A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on Sept. 04, 2024.

David Gardner: I got a secret for you. Actually, it's a secret investing weapon for you. One word for you, and no, it's not plastics. It's history. It's secret because most people don't have much of it. They follow the many financial media outlets, which through TV and social media display and promote such a short memory. Quoting stocks minute to minute, throwing the bells and whistles of our attention at whatever's just happened. Well, as a Fool, I love to look back. The lessons we really learn. I would say, learn and earn, are a consequence of observing and living through history measured in years, not hours or days. Well, for years, I wrote short essays to kick off our monthly Motley Fool issues. Mailed. That's right. Snail mailed back in the day out to members. Well, today, the Motley Fool is pretty much fully digital. We don't do paper copies anymore, and we don't do opening essays. But I put a lot of time into those essays, and they occurred over a long narrative arc of history, 2002-2017, 15 years worth of investing lessons in Motley Fool Stock Advisor and Motley Fool Rule Breakers. In this world of now, I say you and I start September 2024 by getting smarter, happier, and richer today for the lessons learned yesterday. Essays from yesterday, Volume 6. Only on this week's Rule Breaker Investing.

Welcome back to Rule Breaker Investing. It is the meteorological start of fall, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, September 1 being that date, of course, the astronomical start of each season is somewhere around the 21st of month 369 and 12. Happy fall, depending on where you are, happy spring, depending on where you are. What a beautiful weekend we had here in the Washington DC area for our Labor Day holiday. Happy Labor Day to all my fellow US Fools. Let's get into it. This is essays from yesterday Volume 6. That means it's the sixth in the series. We last brought you Episode 5 the very first week of this year, January 3rd. I tend to do this series once or twice a year, and it has a couple of ground rules about how we work here. First of all, I completely randomize which essays I will be sharing with you. I don't know ahead of time until we plan this podcast, what I'll be speaking about, and I do randomize it.

Now, I wish I could cherry pick my best and favorite essays. I guess I like all of them. It's just that some of them were more right than others. You never know how right or wrong will be with any of these. It's completely randomized, and sometimes I'll refer to some stocks. We get to look them up now, see how they've done here in 2024. We usually have some doozies. The second and final ground rule is they're in chronological order from earliest to latest. For example, this particular episode, I'll be sharing an essay from January 2008, then we'll jump forward to 2012 and 2013. Well, finally, the fourth and final essay shared this episode was the last one I ever wrote for Motley Fool Stock Advisor. Well, anyway, now, having read through them and thought some about them, I will reflect after I read each. It's essays from yesterday. Let's get it cranked up. Des, if I could get, please a little bit of way back music, strapping ourselves into the time machine.

Essay Number 1 is from January 2008. What a year that was. Again, I read these verbatim. Here we go. Dear fellow Fools, I started. January is the best of all months. Seriously, more people try to do more things better in January than in all the other months combined. If you saw my list of New Year's resolutions and watched how hard I try, all January long. You know how off the charts good I am this month, and I know many of my fellow Fools are right there with me. Sure, some worry warts will complain about the weather. They'll quote studies about depression rising in the winter months. Maybe so, but not in January, I say, because January is when we're all going to lose eight pounds. It's February these studies must be talking about when we'll put back on those eight pounds. As I write on this frosty mid December evening, well past midnight, as is my want. I'm very much in a January frame of mind. I know 2007 wasn't great for investors. The year will practically zero out, finishing where we started. That seems crazy since a zero masks some really great highs, spring and fall, alternating with some painful lows, summer and now early winter. At times this year I felt like a really good investor, and at other times a really bad investor. You too. But from a rule breaker standpoint, we'll take a year like 2007 any time. A year ago, the average rule breaker was up 22.5% versus the S&P 515.6%.

A year later, with two dozen more picks in the mix, our average selection is now up 35.2% versus 13% for the market, extending our lead over the market and demonstrating the power of finding and investing in disruptive growth stocks. Rule breakers typically rack up their gains in strong up markets. That's when our stocks really go bananas. For us to tack on 12% points of outperformance in this market has been particularly sweet, even if 2007 so often felt bittersweet. Fellow Fools, the stock market is a roller coaster, full of swoops and dives. But unlike every other roller coaster you've been on, the colorful track of this green monster is laid upward along the ascent of a long, strong mountain. Many people get fooled small f into thinking we're investing in parabolas. What goes up must come down. They're tone in a sad sing songy way. This is categorically untrue.

Yes, you'll plunge downhill many times, and yes, it'll make you scream. But the stock market's historical average annual return rate of about 10% makes it very clear we're on an upward climb, far more akin to hyperbola. Take a look at a chart of the Dow Jones Industrial average over the past century. The tilt is unmistakable. Remember, stock market equals roller coaster. It swoops, it dives. Always will. But there's a trick. The day glow green track actually runs along a steady incline as far as the eye can see. Put your arms up high. Fools, feed off the ground, get ready to get richer and smile through the drops. Fool on. That was the essay that kicked off the year of 2008. The NASDAQ, by the way, would drop 40% that year. I was referring, having written that in December, we would always write in December and publish in January. I was already referring to a winter and early winter drop. Well, that just continued pretty much the whole of 2008. In fact, 2008 was the single worst year in NASDAQ history, a 40% drop in one year. Let's think back to some recent years. Can you remember any bad years for the stock market? I sure hope you can. Just two years ago, the NASDAQ suffered its fourth worst year in history.

That's right after a bonkers 2021. The NASDAQ went down 33% points, lost a third of its value in a single year, just two years ago, the year of 2022. That was the fourth worst year in NASDAQ history. The other two in-between 2008 and 2022, in terms of how bad they were in 1974 was down 35%, and 2000, the so called dot-era, the NASDAQ dropped in one year, the year 2039. In our 30 year history at fool.com in the Motley Fool Company, now in our 31st year, three of the worst NASDAQ years in all of history have occurred consonant with running our business. I would say we've got some scars and some bruises, and I'm really quite proud of those. I know many of you are too. Pinch yourself that you made it through 2022. I hope you didn't do anything crazy. I hope you kept buying every two weeks with your salary throughout 2022. You're looking pretty good right now. Didn't feel good at all as the market lost a third of its value, but those cost bases are probably looking pretty sweet for your 2022 stocks. Two more thoughts before moving on to Essay Number 2. The first is, I didn't even remember 2007 almost zeroed out.

I thought of 2007 as a great year, and it's just a reminder that our memory often doesn't serve. My new neuroscientist friend and his book, Sum, authors in August, David Eagleman talking about how he had an experience as a boy of falling from the third floor of a barn, and he said in retrospect, it had felt like he was in slow motion. His thoughts, he thought at the time were slowing down and it was all in slow motion until he actually calculated it and realized it had taken him 0.6 seconds to make that fall. As it turns out having studied it since then, it's not that your memory slows down as you're falling. You really don't have any time to think at all. It's that you think back on that time. It's so dramatic for you that you think back through some of the thoughts, and you don't actually remember what your brain did so well.

Then, you tend to construct things in retrospect. Well, that's how I thought about 2007. I thought it was a big up year, and then 2008, of course, the worst down year of my lifetime, probably yours, too. But it turns out 2007 wasn't even that great a year. That was funny to be reminded of that. The last thing I want to say is that, roller coaster analogy that I used in the essay. I've reused that many times and will in future, because I think the magic of the stock market roller coaster is that it's the only roller coaster in the world where where you get off is not the same place from where you got on.

You definitely had some big ups and you had some scary downs. But the beauty of the stock market roller coaster is it drops you off way higher than where you started, and it's sometimes hard to even appreciate that because we live in fear of those drops. There's a very important difference between the stock market roller coaster and every other roller coaster in existence highlighted in that January 2008 Essay Number 1. Let's now fast forward through time. Where we light, finally, upon December of 2012 12/12, and this essay that I wrote at the start of Motley Fool Stock Advisor that month, it's entitled Big Dumb Money. Here it is. The markets, they are a change in. I, David, this month, want to introduce a new concept. But first, let me cite a few stats. In his book, Enough, Jack Bogle pointed out that from 1950 through 2009, indirect ownership of US stocks by institutional investors rose from 8%-74%.

Further in 1951, the typical mutual fund held stocks in its portfolio for an average of six years. The holding period for actively managed equity funds today just one year. Put those two together, way more institutional money, moving way more quickly. You'll see why I'm introducing a new term to you this month, a phrase of my own invention, big dumb money. Here's what I've been seeing increasingly over the last decade. First, huge amounts of money are moving into exchange-traded funds, ETFs, and sector index funds. Ironically, part of this trend has been driven by Bogle and Vanguard.

Those large pools of money, some people call it hot money, sit in positions for dwindling periods of time. Further, the quotes manager pushing that money around these days is as likely to be a computer algorithm as a human. It all might sound pretty intimidating to you and me, individual investors. How could we hope to compete? But think again. Tons of those dollars, A are blindly buying ticker symbols, not companies, and B rotate in big trade first and ask questions later moves from one sector to another or one stock in sympathy with others. Also, of course, C, they're very short-term minded to D, so-called technical analysis also drives that institutional money issuing fundamentals in order to seek instead, quotes resistance and support levels, magical price points where stocks have previously once traded. Take this lack of attention to the companies themselves, to their products, and marketing, and corporate culture, and management and yes, margins and competition. Then combine that with a lack of attention to longer-term implications here measured in months or years, not days or weeks, and you have big dumb money. Please note, this makes it easier for us to beat the market, and I think explains a portion of our outperformance, but by the same token, we must sit patiently through sometimes ridiculous or inexplicable volatility to do it.

A great example occurred recently with Rule Breakers recommendation, source FIRE, ticker symbol FIRE, documented by Fool community member Danny Vena. The company pre-announced excellent earnings on October 3. Two weeks later, its stock cratered 12% in one day In sympathy with disappointing results from its industry peers, Fortinet and Check Point . Two weeks later, on November 1st, Sourcefire officially announced its earnings, essentially reasserting what it had said one month before. The result, a one-day jump up 13%. All the company ever did was pre-announce good earnings, and then follow through with the numbers a month later. In the meantime, it sank and jumped with unnecessary volatility, all thanks to big dumb money. Ironically, for us, Fools, it's a friend. That concept of big dumb money I have continued to use ever since. I think that was its debut in that essay 12 years ago. It's just as true today, my friend.

Big dumb money is out there. There's more of it than ever before. It's dumber than ever before, especially in a world where people are convinced that you can't really beat the market averages you should just index. Therefore, so much money these days is just sloshing around rather thoughtlessly, covering every stock, every ticker symbol. Every company in a sector, I as a Rule Breaker, perhaps you too. We can continue to do this. This is a neat trick. You buy the good ones and avoid bad companies, and you can outperform if you use time as your ally. Yes, big dumb money, as I ended that essay, is a friend, and it's just as much a friend today. Now, one more thing worth mentioning, certainly, I've been asked a number of times this year and over the last few months. What about artificial intelligence? Is that going to make it harder to beat the market? Or how do we as individual investors navigate a world driven by AI? My answer is we've already been doing that for more than 20 years. I realize ChatGPT and large language models showed up rather recently and hit pop culture and I'm a huge ChatGPT fan as is well documented on this podcast. But let's be clear, computers have been trading using algorithms, people dialing up their computers as intelligently as they can to make as much money as they possibly can for more than a couple of decades on the stock market.

The vast majority of volume every day comes from computers, and that's been true for a long time, and believe me, people have been trying to be as smart with their computers auto-investing for them as possible. I don't find myself particularly phased by the notion that artificial intelligence will all of a sudden wipe all the Alpha away. I guess there are two quick things to point out about that. First of all, most computer algorithmic trading and most AI and we can understand why is incredibly short-term in nature. After all, if you're going to dial up your computers and your artificial intelligence and try to make money, your goal is probably to make it as fast as possible. Fast money a big thing these days. It's been true for quite a while now. Much of the trading in some cases inside a minute, actually, in some cases inside a second high-frequency trading. Simply by playing the game I play, I hope the one you play too, the long game, there really aren't many competitors out here on the field of playing the long game with the markets and that includes AI. Now, if AI does get a lot smarter and helps me invest better, I'm a huge fan of that. I do want to point out the game of investing has people on both sides. There is a buyer and a seller. Please picture them at a table. Shaking hands across the table.

I am selling you my shares. I am buying your shares from you. When both sides have computers driving them, it's not clear that either one would have an advantage, so that AI and that algorithmic trading has been on both sides of the table for a long time. This is very different than if we were arming just one side with artificial intelligence. I would start to tilt my money that way. If in fact, only one-half of the transaction was intelligent and computer-driven. I would probably highly favor that. But, of course, markets working as they are, we have buyers and sellers shaky hands and meeting at certain prices to transact, and both sides have been computer-empowered for a long time, it's worth pointing that out. The last thing I want to say about Essay Number 2, I did mention Sourcefire near the end in that funny situation where they pre-announced their good earnings, and then other companies in their industry had bad earnings and dropped the stock more than 10% in one day, and it simply bounced all the way back when it announced the good earnings, I had already pre-announced weeks before.

Sourcefire, as I wrote that essay was at about $45 a share. It's a cybersecurity company, or I should say was because if you look up the ticker symbol FIRE, you won't find it on the markets anymore, within less than a year of me writing my big dumb money essay, Cisco Systems came along and bought out Sourcefire. It jumped from 45 where I wrote this essay in December 2012 to 76 when it got bought out in July of 2013 consummated in October of that year, it was a big fun winner to look back on. Big fun winner Sourcefire, big dumb money everywhere, just as much the case today. Let's get back in our time machine. We're not going to need to go far because this essay comes to us from Motley Fool Rule Breakers. I wrote this in July of 2013. In fact, that same month Sourcefire would get bought out by Cisco.

Again, I randomized the essays, so I happened to have randomized July 2013. I'm glad I did because I enjoy sharing with you today this framework essay, Essay Number 3. This month concludes a series begun in March. After a friend asked me for investment book recommendations. I had looked over my bookshelf and realized I don't really read investment books. I read business books. This touched off a reflection that for most investors, learning about business makes more sense than learning about "investing." If you're a business-focused, long-term investor like me, learning how businesses succeed, grow, and evolve helps you see which ones will do so persistently. If that's not the whole ball game, it's at least what's behind all the big scoring plays. I was reframing the question, redirecting seekers of stock market Savvy toward pursuit of their own private master of business administration, MBA. That will be a new framework for many, one that'll pay off in real investment winning.

Through April, May, and June, we then covered three more frameworks drawing from another non-investment book, the Art of Game Design, and Idiosyncratic source, no doubt, betraying my own passion for games and the gamer's mentality. To our frameworks toolbox, we added the hype cycle, disruptive innovation, and the singularity. This month, I want to reflect on these frameworks. Here are two reflections. One's about F frameworks, the other about the implications of combining these particular four frameworks together. First, about frameworks overall, I want to suggest that you fill your toolbox further.

You already operate with various theories about human nature. Your past experience gives you some horse sense regarding which efforts will result in success or failure and how to choose the odds. To do this, you're using frameworks, mental constructs that help you make decisions, weigh the possibilities, predict. But my belief is that most of us don't have enough such frameworks. Think of a new investor tasked with plunking down her money for the long term. Can her selection of equities be nearly as good? If she lacks any understanding of disruptive innovation? Frameworks give us pattern recognition. To see more patterns then, we need to have more frameworks. Otherwise, we risk winding up like the proverbial person who possessing only a hammer, just sees nails. Our effort these past few months has been to give you some shiny new tools.

Make this the start of a continued intentional pursuit. Second, now consider these particular frameworks in combination. Better investing equals MBA pursuit, plus awarenesses of the hype cycle, disruptive innovation, and singularity thinking. To me, this unique mix of ingredients forms a tasty dish called innovation. Innovation uber alles. Business is becoming almost completely driven by innovators and innovation already at all-time record highs is widening and deepening and speeding up. Those who produce innovations will wind up with the most toys, and rightly so. But good news, Rule Breaker, those who recognize and appreciate and invest in these innovations will wind up a close second. Our collective future is more amazing, in my opinion, than most of us can even dream. That is how I ended my Rule Breakers July 2013 essay. Some thoughts back. First of all, I smile because I used in that essay. I used the phrase long-term investor. Now, some of you will know I have a dead-arm rule. I say, and I've said this for more than 10 years now, although apparently not for more than 12 years now, I say, I never use the phrase. Long-term investor, you'll only hear me saying it when I'm making the point I'm about to make to you right now. It is a tautology. It is an unnecessary phrase. Investing is, by definition, long-term. Therefore, we never need to say that phrase, I'll say it just one more time, long-term investor or investing, because that's what investing is, and that's what investors do. The opposite of long-term investing is short-term investing, and that's not even a thing. That's just trading. It's very funny for me to see that this is maybe the last written example I have of me using a phrase that I never use, and I've said to anybody for more than 10 years now if you do hear me say that phrase, and you're within reach of me, I permission you to come over and give me, yes, a dead arm. You can briefly hit me just above my bicep. My arm will go numb, and you will have helped me. Help me remember not to use a phrase that is unnecessary and tautological. Obviously, I'm trying to make an important point to the world here having some fun about investing and what it really is, playing the long game.

I also appreciate the points I made about filling up your toolbox in that essay. I often talk about and think in terms of frameworks, and that year in Rule Breakers, and I've done it on this podcast since then, I talked about the Gartner Hype Cycle. You can look it up if you don't know what that is. Clayton Christensen's disruptive innovation framework, and certainly the singularity, which seems increasingly in our focus and awareness in an increasingly AI driven world. These frameworks, and again, the more you can amass new ones and learn and fill up your toolbox the better you're going to be at making decisions because you're going to have more angles. If you only have a hammer everything looks like a nail, if you only think as an investor look before you leap, consistently being unwilling to take positions in what look to be overvalued stocks that I call Rule Breakers and try to buy and hold even though they do look awfully overvalued. If you're always looking before you leap you may not know that he or she who hesitates is lost which is also an equally wise saying and reminds us that both of those are frameworks and true wisdom is knowing when to leap and when to hesitate. But the only way to do that is if you know both a leap framework and a hesitate framework and so I'm a huge fan always have been a frameworks. I've written a lot about them, this essay included.

Certainly, I talk about many different frameworks on this podcast and I will always do so because I think they're so important. There's an inherent optimism in that essay as well and it's one I feel just as strongly in 2024 as I did in 2013, and in fact, if you had told me in 2013 that over the next 11 years the stock market would more than quadruple. Which is exactly what it's done. I would have said no way, and so as I wrote in my final line, our collective future is more amazing. In my opinion, the most of us can even dream. I feel that, yes, a lot of bad things have happened over the last 11 years but pictures of a lot of amazing things have happened over the last 11 years and I can't wait for the next 11 years and the 11 after that, and I think that's the most healthy mentality you can take to investing and I really appreciate again, neuroscientist, David Eagleman, he and I exchanged a little bit on the topic of optimism and human flourishing when he was on a few weeks ago.

In fact, I was just checking back, and here's what he said. He said on this podcast just a couple of weeks back, "We're certainly getting smarter. It's not because of evolution." Eagleman said. "There's been no chance for the genes to change but instead it's because of the culture that we're surrounded with and the technology. Just as an example with the advent of books that made a big difference because suddenly there's all this knowledge that was packaged up and available and all you need to do is go to the shelf and pull it off and you got that there. But then literacy improved and improved schools improved." He went on, "I think the biggest change and historically this will be looked back on is the advent of the Internet. A lot of my colleagues have grim things to say about the Internet and kids growing up. I feel," said Eagleman, "Just the opposite. I'm very optimistic about this." Well, that kind of optimism, I hope has been coming at you through this podcast every week since we launched in July of 2015. It is now September 2024. I feel just as strongly about it and it helps me invest. It helps me be willing to take risks. Spread my money out, not be too sure of myself ever. Find the best companies. We've talked about what their traits are, the six Rule Breaker traits. We've talked about the six habits you need to develop. All of these things are here for you. I've tried to. I'll continue to try to bring this to you every week. That was Essay number 3 on Frameworks.

That brings us to the final essay this week, Essay number 4. This one, as I mentioned at the top, this was the final essay I wrote for Motley Fool Stock Advisor. It was February of 2017, and at that point our team made a decision to discontinue essays at the start of our issues. In part, that was because we no longer had issues. We no longer published as a traditional newsletter. Of course these days our services are digital. You're able to access a lot of stories. News stories and other opinion pieces from us on a regular streaming basis. We don't have a page one anymore. This was the final page one essay I wrote for Motley Fool Stock Advisor. I'm going to call it I on Investing. It's time to jump almost four years later. New year and a new idea for how we might help you below. But first, let me, David, this month, make my traditional market call for the coming year. That's the question financial shows and cocktail conversations have been asking these past few weeks. How will the market do in 2017? You probably know us well enough to realize that we don't claim any special ability to call market moves.

However, I always say, up when asked. Why? The market rises two years out of every three, my record is therefore way better than the market timers who don't do much better than a coin flip. Now, more seriously, we're piloting a new program here at Fool HQ aiming as always to help the world invest better. It's called Fool's Eye on Investing. Question for you. Do you see anything in your financial world that looks wrong or needs a fix or could just be done better? Do you have questions about how you or a friend are being treated by a financial professional? We're here to help. Tell us the story, let us know. For instance, do you have a bank pressuring you to open up eight accounts because eight is great? We're sorry to hear that. Maybe you have some questions about what you're seeing around you in your office or your industry. Are you a whistleblower? We might be able to help, so yes, our Fool's Eye on Investing through the reach of our worldwide full community is ever watching and aiming to right wrongs. Many of us have had a bad financial experience in the past that might never have happened if somebody had spoken up, had intervened, had spread the word. Looking backward, hindsight, of course, always being 2020 but still I think we may have forestalled any number of possible broker abuses, pyramid schemes, bank scams, etc, had we organized more effectively. That's what we're doing now. Call it Foolish New Year's resolution for 2017 and beyond. How to reach us. You can reach Fool's Eye on Investing by just emailing us privately and directly at [email protected] . What is most helpful is if you include a story with as many specifics as possible.

That's what helps our Fool's Eye on Investing take action in one situation versus another. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that because you're a Stock Advisor member, you're very likely more savvy than the average citizen about money. Thus, you're more likely not to get scammed, harmed, or financially abused. Therefore, do make a point of passing this helpline onto any friend or family member. Fool on. Well, that's an amusing one to reread now. I'd forgotten about Fool's Eye on Investing, an experiment we tried, apparently seven years ago. The first thing I want to say about that essay is my annual market call. I've done it every year on this podcast. Longtime listeners will know that. Every year, I say, where do I think the market's headed in 2025? I think it's going up and I think my record is enviable as a market timer picking one year at a time. Something I only do is a joke because I don't think it's very important. I'm invested all the way through, I hope you are, too, will do a lot better that way. But because somewhere around December, January, February, people really want other people who probably don't have a great record to call where the market's headed, and they'll do that for the air time. What's always regrettable, to me, anyway, is that no one usually ever goes back and relistens to anybody's past prediction or holds anybody accountable. There is no great big scorecard in the sky.

CNBC doesn't self score, to my knowledge, maybe it does. At least the NFL people picking NFL football picks on weekends usually keep some stats and we get to hear how this guy is versus this other one on ESPN or CBS. I think we do a better job keeping score in sports certainly than we do with market predictions. But I'm happy to say, 2017, that call I made, I nailed it. The market did, in fact, go up in 2017. Here's a pretty remarkable stat. Just before I wrote that essay and made that market prediction, the market had gone up eight years in a row. You can imagine, I don't really remember this but I'm assuming a lot of people were pretty bearish going into 2017. I do remember 2016 fourth quarter, I don't think was very good for stocks. Anyway remarkably, even after going up eight years in a row, in 2017, the S&P 500 went up 21.83%. It was a banner year for Rule Breaker Investing.

That's my first takeaway. But my second, of course, is that the entire essay was basically given over to Fool's Eye on Investing, which was an innovative idea. I think it was mine. I still like the idea today of inviting members to let us know if they're having a bad experience with a financial professional or are aware of a friend who might be getting scammed. The Motley Fool today is a lot larger than it was in 2017 and I do feel as if this kind of thing would be pretty cool to bring back but my recollection is we didn't get a lot of emails driven by my essay and I'm pretty sure our Eye on Investing at fool.com doesn't work anymore and nobody's at that desk. Now, I'm no longer in operations at the company so I'm not positive about this, but I am here to say if any of my fellow Fools want to pick back up this banner and go for it I do think we can make the financial world better lit, safer, and happier by pointing out any malfeasance we see, sometimes it's systemic. For example when The Motley Fool started, brokers were routinely trading people's accounts to make the commissions of buying and selling other people's stocks which was really not just bad advice but really bad performance for the customers themselves.

That was pretty de rigueur in the financial world of the late 1980s and 1990s when The Motley Fool started. We certainly did speak out against that. That doesn't happen so much anymore and I think it's in part because a lot of people not just us spoke out against it. That's my idea of Fool's Eye on Investing but I would say this episode, this week's podcast, ends with a whimper not a bang, because this final essay, which I randomized it's exciting for me to share with you the final essay I ever wrote from Motley Fool Stock Advisor but it's about a program that to my knowledge doesn't exist anymore even though it still sounds good to me. I will say this in conclusion.

Our heart was in the right place and I really like businesses. I try to invest in them where they're trying to do good in this world. Maybe the idea doesn't work out. Maybe the innovation isn't continued, and forget about The Motley Fool. This point is not about us. We're a private company that people can't invest in. I'm speaking to investors in public companies and I will continue to say and advocate that if you make your portfolio reflect your best vision for our future. If you're looking for the good in the world and trying to support that and be a part owner of it, well, that's why I made it Rule Breaker portfolio principle number 1, make your portfolio reflect your best vision for our future. I'm delighted that Essay Number 4 this week gave me an opportunity to remind you of that once again. Well, there it is, Essays From Yesterday, Volume 6. Four essays, as I do each time, just to summarize them for you again.

The first was January is the Best Month, the second Big Dumb Money, the third Frameworks, and the fourth, as you just heard it, Eye on Investing. Some heartwarming moments in this one. All of these things happened by the way. I know I'm sharing them and what sometimes people refer to as a fake news world but this was all real stuff. The essays as they were published, read for you verbatim. We've had the opportunity together to reflect on and take away some lessons that we can use from these essays from years ago. We can use those lessons this week, this month, this next year going forward. It's fun to follow market moves and your stocks new 52 week high and whatever those people are saying on Cable TV. But for real learning I think the best learning, learning that will help your earning I'll take history, Essays From Yesterday.

David Gardner has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Check Point Software Technologies, Cisco Systems, and Fortinet. The Motley Fool recommends Gartner. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .

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