--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I spent half my life, roughly speaking…" description: "\"I spent half my life, roughly speaking, doing the study of nature in many aspects and half of my life studying completely artificial shapes. And the tw..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/benoit-mandelbrot-7685_artificial_i-spent-half-my-life-roughly-speaking-do_1027719.jpg" --- # I spent half my life, roughly speaking, doing the study of… ![“I spent half my life, roughly speaking, doing the study of nature in many aspects and half of my life studying completely artificial shapes. And the two are extraordinarily close; in one way both are fractal.” quote by Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/benoit-mandelbrot-7685_artificial_i-spent-half-my-life-roughly-speaking-do_1027719.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/benoit-mandelbrot-7685_artificial_i-spent-half-my-life-roughly-speaking-do_1027719.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb3/benoit-mandelbrot-7685_artificial_i-spent-half-my-life-roughly-speaking-do_1027719.jpg) > “I spent half my life, roughly speaking, doing the study of nature in many aspects and half of my life studying completely artificial shapes. And the two are extraordinarily close; in one way both are fractal.” [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mandelbrot sees natural phenomena and human-made structures as sharing deep, self‑similar patterns, revealing a hidden unity between organic and artificial worlds. **In simple terms:** Nature and art share fractal patterns. Key Takeaway Look for self‑similarity in everyday things. Themes science art patterns unity Mood curious inspired Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - architecture - visual design - data analysis - environmental modeling Key Concepts fractal geometry self‑similarity complex systems Questions to Reflect On - How can recognizing fractal patterns improve design? - What does this unity suggest about human creativity? A Different Perspective Artificial designs may lack the depth of natural processes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artificial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artificial/) [Artificial Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artificial-shapes-2329360/) [Aspect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspect/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Fractal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fractal/) [Fractals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fractals/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [One way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-way/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Shapes Extraordinarily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes-extraordinarily-2329359/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Study Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study-nature/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Fractal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-fractal-2329358/) ## Related quotes > [A fractal is a mathematical set or concrete object that is irregular or fragmented at all scales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/a-fractal-is-a-mathematical-set-or-concrete-object-that-is-irregular/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [Fractal geometry is not just a chapter of mathematics, but one that helps Everyman to see the same world differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/fractal-geometry-is-not-just-a-chapter-of-mathematics-but-one-that/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [A fractal is a way of seeing infinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/a-fractal-is-a-way-of-seeing-infinity/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [If you have a hammer, use it everywhere you can, but I do not claim that everything is fractal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/if-you-have-a-hammer-use-it-everywhere-you-can-but-i-do-not-claim/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [“In a fractal conception, I am a cell-sized unit of the human organism, and I have to use my life to leverage a shift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-maree-brown/in-a-fractal-conception-i-am-a-cell-sized-unit-of-the-human-organism/) [Adrienne Maree Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-maree-brown/) > [In the mind's eye, a fractal is a way of seeing infinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/in-the-mind-s-eye-a-fractal-is-a-way-of-seeing-infinity/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [At the earliest drawings of the fractal curve, few clues to the underlying mathematical structure will be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/at-the-earliest-drawings-of-the-fractal-curve-few-clues-to-the/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [It's a product of the fractal laws that govern the world at an informational level. There is no deeper truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-s-a-product-of-the-fractal-laws-that-govern-the-world-at-an/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [You existed. You existed now as a fractal. Definition: A fractal is generally a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be broken into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-existed-you-existed-now-as-a-fractal-definition-a-fractal-is/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [History is fractal. The closer you look, the more complicated, yet always repeating patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nelson/history-is-fractal-the-closer-you-look-the-more-complicated-yet/) [Ted Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nelson/) > [Fractal geometry is everywhere, even in lines drawn in the sand. It's the cycle of life... You see fractals in plants, in flowers. Within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-eglash/fractal-geometry-is-everywhere-even-in-lines-drawn-in-the-sand-it-s/) [Ron Eglash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-eglash/) > [All created forms are fractal, as is their purpose, use, and allotted time for existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/all-created-forms-are-fractal-as-is-their-purpose-use-and-allotted/) [Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/) > [“Examples of fractals are everywhere in nature. They can be found in the patterns of trees, branches, and ferns, in which each part appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/examples-of-fractals-are-everywhere-in-nature-they-can-be-found-in/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Any issue and any problem, no matter what height you look at it from, no matter how much you extend past the first fractal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-p/any-issue-and-any-problem-no-matter-what-height-you-look-at-it-from/) [El-P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-p/) > [One of the high points of my life was when I suddenly realized that this dream I had in my late adolescence of combining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/one-of-the-high-points-of-my-life-was-when-i-suddenly-realized-that/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) ## More by Benoit Mandelbrot > [Regular geometry, the geometry of Euclid, is concerned with shapes which are smooth, except perhaps for corners and lines, special lines which are singularities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/regular-geometry-the-geometry-of-euclid-is-concerned-with-shapes/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [It was astonishing when at one point, I got the idea of how to make artifical clouds with a collaborator, we had pictures made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/it-was-astonishing-when-at-one-point-i-got-the-idea-of-how-to-make/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [Pictures were completely eliminated from mathematics; in particular when I was young this happened in a very strong fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/pictures-were-completely-eliminated-from-mathematics-in-particular/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [In mathematics and science definition are simple, but bare-bones. Until you get to a problem which you understand it takes hundreds and hundreds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/in-mathematics-and-science-definition-are-simple-but-bare-bones-until/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [One of the high points of my life was when I suddenly realized that this dream I had in my late adolescence of combining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/one-of-the-high-points-of-my-life-was-when-i-suddenly-realized-that/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [My life has been extremely complicated. Not by choice at the beginning at all, but later on, I had become used to complication and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/my-life-has-been-extremely-complicated-not-by-choice-at-the-beginning/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [The extraordinary fact is that the first idea I had which motivated me, that worked, is conjecture, a mathematical idea which may or may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/the-extraordinary-fact-is-that-the-first-idea-i-had-which-motivated/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [Most economists, when modeling market behavior, tend to sweep major fluctuations under the rug and assume they are anomalies. What I have found is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/most-economists-when-modeling-market-behavior-tend-to-sweep-major/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [I don't seek power and do not run around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/i-don-t-seek-power-and-do-not-run-around/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [I conceived and developed a new geometry of nature and implemented its use in a number of diverse fields. It describes many of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/i-conceived-and-developed-a-new-geometry-of-nature-and-implemented/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [If you look at a shape like a straight line, what's remarkable is that if you look at a straight line from close by,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/if-you-look-at-a-shape-like-a-straight-line-what-s-remarkable-is-that/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [When I first began studying prices, it wasn't a topic that mathematicians were working on. Purely by accident, I saw a set of data…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/when-i-first-began-studying-prices-it-wasn-t-a-topic-that/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [The rare scholars who are nomads-by-choice are essential to the intellectual welfare of the settled disciplines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/the-rare-scholars-who-are-nomads-by-choice-are-essential-to-the/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [Science would be ruined if (like sports) it were to put competition above everything else, and if it were to clarify the rules of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/science-would-be-ruined-if-like-sports-it-were-to-put-competition/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [Many painters had a clear idea of what fractals are. Take a French classic painter named Poussin. Now, he painted beautiful landscapes, completely artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/many-painters-had-a-clear-idea-of-what-fractals-are-take-a-french/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) [Explore all 88 Benoit Mandelbrot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) ## More Artificial quotes > [One of our big goals in search is to make search that really understands exactly what you want, understands everything in the world. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/one-of-our-big-goals-in-search-is-to-make-search-that-really/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/baseball-needs-to-put-the-steroids-era-behind-it-by-having-and/) [Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/) > [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [I find theater very lazy and artificial, and then when it's not, it lacks refinement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-tsakos/i-find-theater-very-lazy-and-artificial-and-then-when-it-s-not-it/) [Natasha Tsakos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-tsakos/) > [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/) [Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/) > [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it's probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/i-think-we-should-be-very-careful-about-artificial-intelligence-if-i/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Of all evils of war the greatest is the purely spiritual evil: the hatred, the injustice, the repudiation of truth, the artificial conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/of-all-evils-of-war-the-greatest-is-the-purely-spiritual-evil-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Perspective, as its inventor remarked, is a beautiful thing. What horrors of damp huts, where human beings languish, may not become picturesque through aerial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/perspective-as-its-inventor-remarked-is-a-beautiful-thing-what/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [People always make this totally artificial distinction between what is commercial and what is good. They quote that maxim "Nobody ever lost money underestimating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/people-always-make-this-totally-artificial-distinction-between-what/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [We always want to live in an environment where there's no artificial block to good work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/we-always-want-to-live-in-an-environment-where-there-s-no-artificial/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [What do you have to surrender? A drop has to dissolve into the ocean to become the ocean. And a drop cannot be greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/what-do-you-have-to-surrender-a-drop-has-to-dissolve-into-the-ocean/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [It was astonishing when at one point, I got the idea of how to make artifical clouds with a collaborator, we had pictures made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/it-was-astonishing-when-at-one-point-i-got-the-idea-of-how-to-make/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) [Browse all 819 Artificial quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artificial/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I spent half my life, roughly speaking, doing the study of nature in many aspects and half of my life studying completely artificial shapes. 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