--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Last year I built a Courage Machine, but…" description: "\"Last year I built a Courage Machine, but I thought it might be noisy and was too afraid to turn it on. So I coated it with glue, covered it with cat ha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/anonymous-1_animals_last-year-i-built-a-courage-machine-but_2828866.jpg" --- # Last year I built a Courage Machine, but I thought it… ![“Last year I built a Courage Machine, but I thought it might be noisy and was too afraid to turn it on. So I coated it with glue, covered it with cat hair, mounted it on my wall, and started claiming it was an exotic animal I killed on a Safari in Africa. I'd like to believe people believe me, on…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/anonymous-1_animals_last-year-i-built-a-courage-machine-but_2828866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/anonymous-1_animals_last-year-i-built-a-courage-machine-but_2828866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/anonymous-1_animals_last-year-i-built-a-courage-machine-but_2828866.jpg) > “Last year I built a Courage Machine, but I thought it might be noisy and was too afraid to turn it on. So I coated it with glue, covered it with cat hair, mounted it on my wall, and started claiming it was an exotic animal I killed on a Safari in Africa. I'd like to believe people believe me, on account of it being so strange that it has to be true” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker disguises a noisy invention with absurd cover stories to make it seem exotic and believable. **In simple terms:** They hide a noisy device with a crazy story to seem true. Key Takeaway Use creative framing to mask flaws and gain acceptance. Themes creativity storytelling psychology self‑presentation innovation Mood humorous reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - product launch - marketing pitch - personal branding - team morale Key Concepts cognitive bias social proof design thinking Questions to Reflect On - What ethical line is crossed with such deception? - How might honesty improve acceptance? A Different Perspective Deception can erode trust if discovered. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Believe People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-people/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Courage Machine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage-machine-3642840/) [Exotic Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exotic-animal-2098481/) [Killed Safari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killed-safari-3642839/) [Last year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-year/) [Thought Noisy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-noisy-3642841/) ## Related quotes > [Just because you have an exotic animal as a pet does not make you a danger or irresponsible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-exotic/just-because-you-have-an-exotic-animal-as-a-pet-does-not-make-you-a/) [Joe Exotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-exotic/) > [I'm not some ditzy moron who has no idea how to deal with a diplomat as if they're some exotic animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-linton/i-m-not-some-ditzy-moron-who-has-no-idea-how-to-deal-with-a-diplomat/) [Louise Linton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-linton/) > [When you're young, you tend to believe what people tell you, and that's dangerous. As you get older, you learn that you're never as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-re-young-you-tend-to-believe-what-people-tell-you-and-that-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As much bad there is in the world, I like to believe that people are good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-much-bad-there-is-in-the-world-i-like-to-believe-that-people-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-things-that-may-or-may-not-be-true-are-the-things-a-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best kind of People are the ones that come into your Life... And make you see the Sun... where you only saw Clouds...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-kind-of-people-are-the-ones-that-come-into-your-life-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Its hard for me to believe people when they say they won't walk away from me. People always leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-hard-for-me-to-believe-people-when-they-say-they-won-t-walk-away/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dreams are real all you have to do is just believe some people try to get you down just want to see your frown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dreams-are-real-all-you-have-to-do-is-just-believe-some-people-try-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you be yourself, people will judge you. If you change, they ask why you're faking. So don't listen to other people. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-be-yourself-people-will-judge-you-if-you-change-they-ask-why/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just can't believe some people taking advantage of someone and their kind nature!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-can-t-believe-some-people-taking-advantage-of-someone-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe in love. I believe in hard times and love winning. I believe marriage is hard. I believe people make mistakes. I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-in-love-i-believe-in-hard-times-and-love-winning-i-believe/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I dont believe people are looking for the meaning of life but they are looking for the experience of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-dont-believe-people-are-looking-for-the-meaning-of-life-but-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe that two people are conntected at the heart, and it doesn't matter what you do, or where you live; there are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-that-two-people-are-conntected-at-the-heart-and-it-doesn-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-keep-my-ideals-because-in-spite-of-everything-i-still-believe-that-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Keep the positivity not only in the outcomes of the events in your life, but believe in people as well. This will yield a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-the-positivity-not-only-in-the-outcomes-of-the-events-in-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Animals quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/we-need-in-a-special-way-to-work-twice-as-hard-to-help-people/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/) [Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) [Browse all 6,813 Animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Last year I built a Courage Machine, but I thought it might be noisy and was too afraid to turn it on. So I coated it with glue, covered it with cat hair, mounted it on my wall, and started claiming it was an exotic animal I killed on a Safari in Africa. 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