--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Looking in detail at human anatomy, I'm…" description: "\"Looking in detail at human anatomy, I'm always left with two practically irreconcilable thoughts: our bodies are wonderful, intricate masterpieces; and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/alice-roberts-6136_bodies_looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-a_2528214.jpg" --- # Looking in detail at human anatomy, I'm always left with… ![“Looking in detail at human anatomy, I'm always left with two practically irreconcilable thoughts: our bodies are wonderful, intricate masterpieces; and then - they are cobbled-together, rag-bag, sometimes clunking machines.” quote by Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/alice-roberts-6136_bodies_looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-a_2528214.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/alice-roberts-6136_bodies_looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-a_2528214.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/alice-roberts-6136_bodies_looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-a_2528214.jpg) > “Looking in detail at human anatomy, I'm always left with two practically irreconcilable thoughts: our bodies are wonderful, intricate masterpieces; and then - they are cobbled-together, rag-bag, sometimes clunking machines.” [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human bodies are both marvels of design and imperfect assemblies, highlighting tension between awe and practical flaws. **In simple terms:** Bodies are amazing yet flawed. Key Takeaway Appreciate complexity while accepting imperfection. Themes biology humor philosophy Mood reflective curious Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - medical education - personal health - engineering design - artistic inspiration Key Concepts human anatomy design paradox Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing imperfection affect your care for the body? - What lessons can engineering learn from biological design? A Different Perspective Even perfect designs have flaws that limit performance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) ## Related quotes > [The tide of evolution carries everything before it, thoughts no less than bodies, and persons no less than nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-tide-of-evolution-carries-everything-before-it-thoughts-no-less/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Our destiny is to become what we think, to have our thoughts become our bodies and our bodies become our thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/our-destiny-is-to-become-what-we-think-to-have-our-thoughts-become/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Sometimes I can't figure designers out. It's as if they flunked human anatomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/sometimes-i-can-t-figure-designers-out-it-s-as-if-they-flunked-human/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [“Every person lives bounded by the structural formation of human anatomy and the provincial demands of the human condition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/every-person-lives-bounded-by-the-structural-formation-of-human/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“It's a four-letter word for a part of the human anatomy but it's not m-i-n-d.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-hansen/it-s-a-four-letter-word-for-a-part-of-the-human-anatomy-but-it-s-not/) [Joseph Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-hansen/) > [I will turn human anatomy into roses and stars and sea. I will dissect the beloveds body in metaphor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-will-turn-human-anatomy-into-roses-and-stars-and-sea-i-will-dissect/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Back in the day, when I was a university professor, I used to teach a class in Human Anatomy and Physiology. This class was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/back-in-the-day-when-i-was-a-university-professor-i-used-to-teach-a/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“Human empathy, while not found on any chart of human anatomy, is the reason we instinctively hurt for our children… it is the reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/human-empathy-while-not-found-on-any-chart-of-human-anatomy-is-the/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [“Discrimination is not just racial now. It’s also about the kind of body parts you have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yudhanjaya-wijeratne/discrimination-is-not-just-racial-now-it-s-also-about-the-kind-of/) [Yudhanjaya Wijeratne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yudhanjaya-wijeratne/) > [“Time erodes us all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/time-erodes-us-all/) [Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/) > [The eye— it cannot choose but see; we cannot bid the ear be still; our bodies feel, where'er they be, against or with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-eye-it-cannot-choose-but-see-we-cannot-bid-the-ear-be-still-our/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [I personally don't have a problem with naked bodies on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-anne-down/i-personally-don-t-have-a-problem-with-naked-bodies-on-television/) [Lesley-Anne Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-anne-down/) > [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/) [Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/) > [Seriously, why don't straight men have bodies like this?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-hobbes/seriously-why-don-t-straight-men-have-bodies-like-this/) [Miranda Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-hobbes/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Alice Roberts > [Our ape legs make us great generalists - we can walk, run and climb. But when you try to do too many things at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/our-ape-legs-make-us-great-generalists-we-can-walk-run-and-climb-but/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [Pagan Romans started their midwinter celebrations with the feast of Saturnalia on 17 December, ending them with a new year festival, the Kalendae Januariae,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/pagan-romans-started-their-midwinter-celebrations-with-the-feast-of/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [I'm slightly obsessed with Moomins. They were my specialist subject on BBC's 'Celebrity Mastermind' a few years ago!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/i-m-slightly-obsessed-with-moomins-they-were-my-specialist-subject-on/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [I gave up meat when I was 18, and it was an ethical decision. I loved the taste, and went on holiday to Greece,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/i-gave-up-meat-when-i-was-18-and-it-was-an-ethical-decision-i-loved/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [As an anthropologist, I believe strongly in our common humanity. We can rise above the tribal divisions that have caused so much anguish and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/as-an-anthropologist-i-believe-strongly-in-our-common-humanity-we-can/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [If a group of humans began to run regularly, perhaps allowing them to hunt or scavenge more effectively, anatomical changes would follow, especially among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/if-a-group-of-humans-began-to-run-regularly-perhaps-allowing-them-to/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [The real hallmarks of humanity are: curiosity and an amazing ability to cooperate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/the-real-hallmarks-of-humanity-are-curiosity-and-an-amazing-ability/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [I've always loved the seaside and I used to be a fairly keen surfer, but it's a solitary activity so when my husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/i-ve-always-loved-the-seaside-and-i-used-to-be-a-fairly-keen-surfer/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [It's tempting to look back into history with rose-tinted glasses. Most people in the Stone Age didn't live anywhere near as long as we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/it-s-tempting-to-look-back-into-history-with-rose-tinted-glasses-most/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [It is so stimulating for young children to hear someone who does science talking about it. It can be so exciting and inspiring. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/it-is-so-stimulating-for-young-children-to-hear-someone-who-does/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [The paleo diet is utter nonsense - it is such pseudoscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/the-paleo-diet-is-utter-nonsense-it-is-such-pseudoscience/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [In fact, humans have less variation genetically than chimpanzees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/in-fact-humans-have-less-variation-genetically-than-chimpanzees/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [It's incredible that the layout of the centre of Chester, for instance, is still essentially that of the original Roman fort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/it-s-incredible-that-the-layout-of-the-centre-of-chester-for-instance/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [More useful than beautiful perhaps, my favourite regular programme is 'Question Time'. And Charlie Brooker is just hilarious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/more-useful-than-beautiful-perhaps-my-favourite-regular-programme-is/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [Whatever happens to science in schools, there's something peculiar going on if students don't see it as creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/whatever-happens-to-science-in-schools-there-s-something-peculiar/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) [Explore all 100 Alice Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) ## More Bodies quotes > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Seriously, why don't straight men have bodies like this?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-hobbes/seriously-why-don-t-straight-men-have-bodies-like-this/) [Miranda Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-hobbes/) > [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/) [Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/) > [I personally don't have a problem with naked bodies on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-anne-down/i-personally-don-t-have-a-problem-with-naked-bodies-on-television/) [Lesley-Anne Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-anne-down/) > [The eye— it cannot choose but see; we cannot bid the ear be still; our bodies feel, where'er they be, against or with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/the-eye-it-cannot-choose-but-see-we-cannot-bid-the-ear-be-still-our/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [“Time erodes us all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/time-erodes-us-all/) [Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/) > [“Discrimination is not just racial now. It’s also about the kind of body parts you have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yudhanjaya-wijeratne/discrimination-is-not-just-racial-now-it-s-also-about-the-kind-of/) [Yudhanjaya Wijeratne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yudhanjaya-wijeratne/) > [I would be a traitor to these poor burned bodies if I came here to talk good fellowship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-schneiderman/i-would-be-a-traitor-to-these-poor-burned-bodies-if-i-came-here-to/) [Rose Schneiderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-schneiderman/) > [“When bodies talk, a hand brushing across a face declares love the tongue never speaks. When bodies talk, eyes make promises and lips keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-payton/when-bodies-talk-a-hand-brushing-across-a-face-declares-love-the/) [Stella Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-payton/) > [“Dead bodies. Dead bodies. Lots of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-field/dead-bodies-dead-bodies-lots-of-them/) [Elle Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-field/) > [“One will in two minds, one heart in two bodies, and two bodies in one flesh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pettie/one-will-in-two-minds-one-heart-in-two-bodies-and-two-bodies-in-one/) George Pettie > [Angels do not have bodies in the traditional sense, but they have etheric forms that we can feel. Most of us are feeling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/angels-do-not-have-bodies-in-the-traditional-sense-but-they-have/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [Either there are no corporeal substances, and bodies are merely phenomena which are true or consistent with each other, such as a rainbow or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/either-there-are-no-corporeal-substances-and-bodies-are-merely/) [Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/) > [“these hips are big hips. they need space to move around in. they don't fit into little petty places.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/these-hips-are-big-hips-they-need-space-to-move-around-in-they-don-t/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [Our bodies are molded rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/our-bodies-are-molded-rivers/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) Browse all 496 Bodies quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Looking in detail at human anatomy, I'm always left with two practically irreconcilable thoughts: our bodies are wonderful, intricate masterpieces; and then - they are cobbled-together, rag-bag, sometimes clunking machines.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Roberts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-always-left-with-two/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bodies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-always-left-with-two/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/alice-roberts-6136_bodies_looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-a_2528214.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/alice-roberts-6136_bodies_looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-a_2528214.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/896/alice-roberts-6136_bodies_looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-a_2528214.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Looking in detail at human anatomy, I'm always left with two practically irreconcilable thoughts: our bodies…” — Alice Roberts", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alice Roberts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Looking in detail at human anatomy,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-always-left-with-two/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/looking-in-detail-at-human-anatomy-i-m-always-left-with-two/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```