Symbol

Symbol

A symbol is something that represents an idea, a process, or a physical entity. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for numbers. Personal names are symbols representing individuals. A red rose symbolizes love and compassion.

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Famous quotes containing the word symbol:

    No one is without Christianity, if we agree on what we mean by that word. It is every individual’s individual code of behavior by means of which he makes himself a better human being than his nature wants to be, if he followed his nature only. Whatever its symbol—cross or crescent or whatever—that symbol is man’s reminder of his duty inside the human race.
    William Faulkner (1897–1962)

    The truth has never been of any real value to any human being—it is a symbol for mathematicians and philosophers to pursue. In human relations kindness and lies are worth a thousand truths.
    Graham Greene (1904–1991)

    There is that in me—I do not know what it is—but I know it is in me ...
    I do not know it—it is without name—it is a word unsaid,
    It is not in any dictionary, utterance, symbol ...
    Do you see O my brothers and sisters?
    It is not chaos or death—it is form, union, plan—it is eternal life—it is Happiness.
    Walt Whitman (1819–1892)