--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The strange thing about grinding that…" description: "\"The strange thing about grinding that might surprise many people is that you can grind things and shape them using materials that are generally somewha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bill-nye-1613_grind_the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-mi_1244479.png" --- # The strange thing about grinding that might surprise many… ![“The strange thing about grinding that might surprise many people is that you can grind things and shape them using materials that are generally somewhat softer than the thing you're grinding and shaping.” quote by Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bill-nye-1613_grind_the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-mi_1244479.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bill-nye-1613_grind_the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-mi_1244479.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bill-nye-1613_grind_the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-mi_1244479.png) > “The strange thing about grinding that might surprise many people is that you can grind things and shape them using materials that are generally somewhat softer than the thing you're grinding and shaping.” [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grinding works because softer tools can shape harder materials through abrasion and pressure. **In simple terms:** Soft tools can shape hard objects. Key Takeaway Use appropriate tools for tasks. Themes science engineering materials process Mood educational practical Type explanation instruction When to use this quote - metalworking - DIY projects - manufacturing - educational demos Key Concepts abrasion mechanics Questions to Reflect On - Why does softness aid shaping? - What are safety considerations? A Different Perspective Tool wear can limit effectiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grind/) [Grind Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grind-things-3897648/) [Grinding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grinding/) [Grinding Shaping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grinding-shaping-3897646/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-things/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Thing Grinding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-grinding-3897647/) [Things Shape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-shape-855512/) ## Related quotes > [You're confronted with the quandary: do I grind things to a halt? Ideally you would, but I have better things to do than educate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/you-re-confronted-with-the-quandary-do-i-grind-things-to-a-halt/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [One thing that makes art different from life is that in art things have a shape... it allows us to fix our emotions on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/one-thing-that-makes-art-different-from-life-is-that-in-art-things/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Many of the things that shape the way the world looks are, quite frankly, invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/many-of-the-things-that-shape-the-way-the-world-looks-are-quite/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Through my blue fingers, pink grains are falling, haphazard, random, a disorganized stream of silicone that seems pregnant with the possibility of every conceivable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/through-my-blue-fingers-pink-grains-are-falling-haphazard-random-a/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [Such is the strength of art, rough things to shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/such-is-the-strength-of-art-rough-things-to-shape/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [“Be brave. Things will find their shape.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-bow/be-brave-things-will-find-their-shape/) [Erin Bow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-bow/) > [Things shape themselves before my eyes just as a I draw them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-beardsley/things-shape-themselves-before-my-eyes-just-as-a-i-draw-them/) [Aubrey Beardsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-beardsley/) > [You start doing the addictive behavior to feel good and then your receptors get overloaded with dopamine, then you stop doing the addictive thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/you-start-doing-the-addictive-behavior-to-feel-good-and-then-your/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Fitch isn't as much of a finisher as Thiago Alves, he's more about grinding his opponent into the ground - literally. With my jiu-jitsu,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-condit/fitch-isn-t-as-much-of-a-finisher-as-thiago-alves-he-s-more-about/) [Carlos Condit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-condit/) > [When you're out here grinding away, firing at some flags, firing at the middle of the green, you just got to be very patient,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooks-koepka/when-you-re-out-here-grinding-away-firing-at-some-flags-firing-at-the/) [Brooks Koepka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooks-koepka/) > [When me and my niggas are 2gether we always keep grindin , I hid tha s\*\*\* outta my room so my mama cant find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dopeboy/when-me-and-my-niggas-are-2gether-we-always-keep-grindin-i-hid-tha-s/) [Dopeboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dopeboy/) > [“Through grinding, nothing is impossible. "Weed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heesung-nam/through-grinding-nothing-is-impossible-weed/) [Heesung Nam (남희성](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heesung-nam/) > [2012, I feel like I was still grinding. It was a good year for me, but that was my year breaking down the barriers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-will-made-it/2012-i-feel-like-i-was-still-grinding-it-was-a-good-year-for-me-but/) [Mike Will Made It](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-will-made-it/) > [Life is grinding stone, weather it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-grinding-stone-weather-it-grinds-us-down-or-polishes-us-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Going to university is, and should be, so much more than a mechanical process of grinding out a degree qualification for a pre-determined career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcdonnell/going-to-university-is-and-should-be-so-much-more-than-a-mechanical/) [John McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcdonnell/) ## More by Bill Nye > [That's what makes a human a human, if we store information outside our bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/that-s-what-makes-a-human-a-human-if-we-store-information-outside-our/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [To try to really land a spacecraft really on another world is really difficult, and if we lose that ability, it's going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/to-try-to-really-land-a-spacecraft-really-on-another-world-is-really/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Humor is everywhere in that there's irony in just about anything a human does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/humor-is-everywhere-in-that-there-s-irony-in-just-about-anything-a/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [There's nothing I believe in more strongly than getting young people interested in science and engineering, for a better tomorrow, for all humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/there-s-nothing-i-believe-in-more-strongly-than-getting-young-people/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Tax dollars intended for science education must not be used to teach creationism as any sort of real explanation of nature, because any observation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/tax-dollars-intended-for-science-education-must-not-be-used-to-teach/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [The most serious problem facing humankind is climate change. All of these people breathing and burning our atmosphere has led to an extraordinarily dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-most-serious-problem-facing-humankind-is-climate-change-all-of/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [If you just take a single human and put him or her in the forest he or she might not do very well without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/if-you-just-take-a-single-human-and-put-him-or-her-in-the-forest-he/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“Over billions of years, the planets exchange quite a bit of material. This is not speculation; this is fact. Planetary scientists have found pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/over-billions-of-years-the-planets-exchange-quite-a-bit-of-material/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [From an evolutionary standpoint you can't just wipe everything out and start over, and I don't think you can do it in the school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/from-an-evolutionary-standpoint-you-can-t-just-wipe-everything-out/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“People who should (or do) know better keep confusing weather with climate. Weather is what happens day to day in one place. Climate is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/people-who-should-or-do-know-better-keep-confusing-weather-with/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [The more you find out about the world, the more opportunities there are to laugh at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-more-you-find-out-about-the-world-the-more-opportunities-there/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Millennial voters are very concerned about climate change and will vote for candidates who are planning to address it. But the systems that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/millennial-voters-are-very-concerned-about-climate-change-and-will/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [By the way, most of the light that comes from the sun is green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/by-the-way-most-of-the-light-that-comes-from-the-sun-is-green/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“As of this writing, the Opportunity rover is still roving. It was designed to run ninety Martian days—just over three months—but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/as-of-this-writing-the-opportunity-rover-is-still-roving-it-was/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“radioactive Rubidium-87, containing 37 protons (and 50 neutrons), can change or decay to strontium, which has 38 protons. These two elements can be thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/radioactive-rubidium-87-containing-37-protons-and-50-neutrons-can/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) [Explore all 220 Bill Nye quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) ## More Grind quotes > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [In relations between the rich and the strong, between the rich and the poor, between the master and the servant, it's liberty that grinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-relations-between-the-rich-and-the-strong-between-the-rich-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My job defines me, amuses me, thrills me and makes me feel like I am making a difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-primm/my-job-defines-me-amuses-me-thrills-me-and-makes-me-feel-like-i-am/) [Kathryn Primm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-primm/) > [You have to stay focused and be mentally tough. That's what I've really learned: every day is a grind, and you have to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gronkowski/you-have-to-stay-focused-and-be-mentally-tough-that-s-what-i-ve/) [Chris Gronkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gronkowski/) > [What's best for me is just to work when I feel like working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrbeast/what-s-best-for-me-is-just-to-work-when-i-feel-like-working/) [MrBeast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrbeast/) > [But the grind has begun. The windows don’t open, and even the availability of near-constant jokes about Jews and Mormons fails to stem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/but-the-grind-has-begun-the-windows-don-t-open-and-even-the/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [If we are to define science, ... it does not consist so much in knowing, nor even in "organized knowledge," as it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sanders-peirce/if-we-are-to-define-science-it-does-not-consist-so-much-in-knowing/) [Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sanders-peirce/) > [Everybody was in struggle, in the grind trying to make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-buck/everybody-was-in-struggle-in-the-grind-trying-to-make-it/) [Young Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-buck/) > [We all live inside the terrible engine of authority, and it grinds and shrieks and burns so that no one will say: lines on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/we-all-live-inside-the-terrible-engine-of-authority-and-it-grinds-and/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [If it's one thing I know well is how to get my grind on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/if-it-s-one-thing-i-know-well-is-how-to-get-my-grind-on/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [I love my work and that's the only thing I think about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyah-willcox/i-love-my-work-and-that-s-the-only-thing-i-think-about/) [Toyah Willcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyah-willcox/) > [Our bodies are garbage heaps: we collect experience, and from the decomposition of the thrown-out eggshells, spinach leaves, coffee grinds, and old steak bones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/our-bodies-are-garbage-heaps-we-collect-experience-and-from-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Our society is so obsessed with working out to be skinny, and none of that has a purpose. I love that my daughter sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-price/our-society-is-so-obsessed-with-working-out-to-be-skinny-and-none-of/) [Megyn Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-price/) > [Frankly, I didn't want to do a television series because of the grind mainly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wahl/frankly-i-didn-t-want-to-do-a-television-series-because-of-the-grind/) [Ken Wahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wahl/) [Browse all 744 Grind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grind/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The strange thing about grinding that might surprise many people is that you can grind things and shape them using materials that are generally somewhat softer than the thing you're grinding and shaping.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Nye" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-might-surprise-many-people-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Grind" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-might-surprise-many-people-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bill-nye-1613_grind_the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-mi_1244479.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bill-nye-1613_grind_the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-mi_1244479.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/bill-nye-1613_grind_the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-mi_1244479.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The strange thing about grinding that might surprise many people is that you can grind things and shape them…” — Bill Nye", "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": "Bill Nye", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The strange thing about grinding that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-might-surprise-many-people-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-strange-thing-about-grinding-that-might-surprise-many-people-is/#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 } } ] } ```