--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Indeed, I cannot think why the whole bed…" description: "\"Indeed, I cannot think why the whole bed of the ocean is not one solid mass of oysters, so prolific the creatures seem. Ah, I am wandering! Strange how..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/arthur-conan-doyle-273_bed_indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed_2142469.jpg" --- # Indeed, I cannot think why the whole bed of the ocean is… ![“Indeed, I cannot think why the whole bed of the ocean is not one solid mass of oysters, so prolific the creatures seem. Ah, I am wandering! Strange how the brain controls the brain! What was I saying, Watson?” quote by Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/arthur-conan-doyle-273_bed_indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed_2142469.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/arthur-conan-doyle-273_bed_indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed_2142469.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/arthur-conan-doyle-273_bed_indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed_2142469.jpg) > “Indeed, I cannot think why the whole bed of the ocean is not one solid mass of oysters, so prolific the creatures seem. Ah, I am wandering! Strange how the brain controls the brain! What was I saying, Watson?” [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) ## 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 marvels at the ocean’s complexity and reflects on how the mind can drift into absurd thoughts. **In simple terms:** The mind can wander and overcomplicate simple ideas. Key Takeaway Recognize when thoughts become tangled. Themes curiosity mind wandering complexity Mood playful contemplative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - problem solving - philosophical debate - science education Key Concepts philosophy psychology metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does the brain shift between logical and whimsical thinking? - What does this reveal about human curiosity? A Different Perspective The analogy may be humorous but overlooks scientific explanations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) [Bed Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed-ocean-3953490/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brain Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-saying-1135859/) [Creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Oysters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oysters/) [Oysters Prolific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oysters-prolific-4467534/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-brain-1406428/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wander/) ## Related quotes > [It is probable that a greater number of monuments of the skill and industry of man will, in the course of the ages, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/it-is-probable-that-a-greater-number-of-monuments-of-the-skill-and/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [It was strange how your brain could know what your heart refused to accept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-strange-how-your-brain-could-know-what-your-heart-refused-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel like I can be six different people in one day sometimes. Which is fun but also really strange in my own brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charli-xcx/i-feel-like-i-can-be-six-different-people-in-one-day-sometimes-which/) [Charli XCX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charli-xcx/) > [There's a strange something, which without a brain Fools feel, and which e'en wise men can't explain, Planted in man, to bind him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/there-s-a-strange-something-which-without-a-brain-fools-feel-and/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [“She had both known and not known. It was strange how your brain could know what your heart refused to accept.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/she-had-both-known-and-not-known-it-was-strange-how-your-brain-could/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [“I could hear my watch whenever the car stopped, but not often they were already eating Who would play a Eating the business of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-sound-and-the-fury-william-faulkner/i-could-hear-my-watch-whenever-the-car-stopped-but-not-often-they/) [The Sound And The Fury William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-sound-and-the-fury-william-faulkner/) > [Ignisecond, n.: The overlapping moment of time when the hand is locking the car door even as the brain is saying, "my keys are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-hall/ignisecond-n-the-overlapping-moment-of-time-when-the-hand-is-locking/) [Rich Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-hall/) > [I've always had an a$$-to-the-brain theory. When a player's a$$ gets put on the bench, a message goes straight to the brain saying, Get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-knight/i-ve-always-had-an-a-to-the-brain-theory-when-a-player-s-a-gets-put/) [Bobby Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-knight/) > [If you paint, write, do mosaics, knit - if it's solving that part of your brain saying, 'I need to do this,' you've won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/if-you-paint-write-do-mosaics-knit-if-it-s-solving-that-part-of-your/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [“Your body produces some chemicals that stimulate some nerves that send a signal to your brain saying 'Oh my God, I am going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinoko-nasu/your-body-produces-some-chemicals-that-stimulate-some-nerves-that/) [Kinoko Nasu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinoko-nasu/) > [Sometimes my brain is saying, 'Go wild on food,' and I'll want to pig out, but I'll tell myself, 'No.' You either want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-adams/sometimes-my-brain-is-saying-go-wild-on-food-and-i-ll-want-to-pig-out/) [Nicola Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-adams/) > [I think whatever is going on with my brain, I'm very, very - and I'm not saying this as a positive thing, it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-think-whatever-is-going-on-with-my-brain-i-m-very-very-and-i-m-not/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [Only that I insist upon your dining with us. It will be ready in half an hour. I have oysters and a brace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/only-that-i-insist-upon-your-dining-with-us-it-will-be-ready-in-half/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“Shall the world, then, be overrun by oysters?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/shall-the-world-then-be-overrun-by-oysters/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) ## More by Arthur Conan Doyle > [“shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/shattered-the-bone-and-grazed-the-subclavian-artery-i/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [...it was a huge creature, luminous, ghastly, and spectral. I have cross-examined these men, one of them a hard-headed countryman, one a farrier, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-was-a-huge-creature-luminous-ghastly-and-spectral-i-have-cross/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“A study in scarlet, eh? Why shouldn't we use a little art jargon. There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/a-study-in-scarlet-eh-why-shouldn-t-we-use-a-little-art-jargon-there/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“Holy men? Holy cabbages! Holy bean-pods! What do they do but live and suck in sustenance and grow fat? If that be holiness, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/holy-men-holy-cabbages-holy-bean-pods-what-do-they-do-but-live-and/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“Wonderful!" I ejaculated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/wonderful-i-ejaculated/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Amberley excelled at chess - a mark, Watson, of a scheming mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/amberley-excelled-at-chess-a-mark-watson-of-a-scheming-mind/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Ex-Professor Moriarty of mathematical celebrity... is the Napoleon of crime, Watson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/ex-professor-moriarty-of-mathematical-celebrity-is-the-napoleon-of/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has the nerve and he has the knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-a-doctor-does-go-wrong-he-is-the-first-of-criminals-he-has-the/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/how-small-we-feel-with-our-petty-ambitions-and-strivings-in-the/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [You wish to put me in the dark. I tell you that I will never be put in the dark. You wish to beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/you-wish-to-put-me-in-the-dark-i-tell-you-that-i-will-never-be-put-in/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-he-said-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“It is hard luck on a young fellow to have expensive tastes, great expectations, aristocratic connections but no actual money in his pocket, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-hard-luck-on-a-young-fellow-to-have-expensive-tastes-great/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London, and proceeded to Netley to go through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/in-the-year-1878-i-took-my-degree-of-doctor-of-medicine-of-the/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) [Explore all 740 Arthur Conan Doyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) ## More Bed quotes > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/) [Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/) > [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [I have to meditate before I go to bed, always. I have to let the day go and let the eternal in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bellamy-young/i-have-to-meditate-before-i-go-to-bed-always-i-have-to-let-the-day-go/) [Bellamy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bellamy-young/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/) [Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/) > [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [I always wanted to be a movie star. I thought it meant being famous and having breakfast in bed. I didn't know you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-allyson/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-movie-star-i-thought-it-meant-being-famous/) [June Allyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-allyson/) [Browse all 4,159 Bed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Indeed, I cannot think why the whole bed of the ocean is not one solid mass of oysters, so prolific the creatures seem. Ah, I am wandering! Strange how the brain controls the brain! What was I saying, Watson?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Conan Doyle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed-of-the-ocean-is-not-one-solid/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed-of-the-ocean-is-not-one-solid/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/arthur-conan-doyle-273_bed_indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed_2142469.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/arthur-conan-doyle-273_bed_indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed_2142469.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/arthur-conan-doyle-273_bed_indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed_2142469.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Indeed, I cannot think why the whole bed of the ocean is not one solid mass of oysters, so prolific the…” — Arthur Conan Doyle", "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": "Arthur Conan Doyle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Indeed, I cannot think why the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed-of-the-ocean-is-not-one-solid/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/indeed-i-cannot-think-why-the-whole-bed-of-the-ocean-is-not-one-solid/#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 } } ] } ```