--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is a thousand monkeys working at a…" description: "\"“This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon they'll have written the greatest novel known to man. Lets se, \"It was the best of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/c-montgomery-burns-103055_books_this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a_1474317.jpg" --- # This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand… ![“This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon they'll have written the greatest novel known to man. Lets se, "It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times." You stupid monkey!!” quote by C. Montgomery Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/c-montgomery-burns-103055_books_this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a_1474317.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/c-montgomery-burns-103055_books_this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a_1474317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/c-montgomery-burns-103055_books_this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a_1474317.jpg) > ““This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon they'll have written the greatest novel known to man. Lets se, "It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times." You stupid monkey!!”” [C. Montgomery Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-montgomery-burns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Satirically imagines monkeys typing to produce a great novel, mocking the randomness of creation. **In simple terms:** Monkeys typing could eventually write a masterpiece. Key Takeaway Acknowledge randomness in creative processes. Themes creativity randomness literature humor Mood sarcastic playful Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - creative brainstorming - statistical simulations Key Concepts infinite monkey theorem authorial intent probability Questions to Reflect On - Is randomness sufficient for art? - What role does intent play? A Different Perspective Randomness alone may not guarantee quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Known To Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-to-man/) [Stupid Monkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-monkey-5357340/) [Thousand Monkeys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-monkeys-5357342/) [Thousand Typewriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-typewriters-5357341/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Typewriters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typewriters/) [Written Greatest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-greatest-869313/) ## Related quotes > [“I saw it, the first time I looked in her eyes. The language that lived within her. It was a language that has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-michelle/i-saw-it-the-first-time-i-looked-in-her-eyes-the-language-that-lived/) [Andrea Michelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-michelle/) > [“Be Patient. For what was written for you was written by the greatest of writers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/islamic/be-patient-for-what-was-written-for-you-was-written-by-the-greatest/) [Islamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/islamic/) > [“You're not going to write the greatest novel ever written. Nor will I. Nor will anyone. Why? Because the greatest novel ever written is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-novel-ever-written-nor-will-i/) [Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) > [Nothing I could ever write, nothing ever written by the greatest of Bard's, Poet's, Dreamers, could ever express, how I feel, when I simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/nothing-i-could-ever-write-nothing-ever-written-by-the-greatest-of/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [A beautiful girl can make you dizzy, like you been drinkin jack and coke all morning. she can make you feel high, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-beautiful-girl-can-make-you-dizzy-like-you-been-drinkin-jack-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The great challenge working on this show for me is wearing polyester all day long and having the worst haircut known to man at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainn-wilson/the-great-challenge-working-on-this-show-for-me-is-wearing-polyester/) [Rainn Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainn-wilson/) > [You could cure every disease known to man, and still, someone's going to hate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bischoff/you-could-cure-every-disease-known-to-man-and-still-someone-s-going/) [Eric Bischoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bischoff/) > [“The militia of which the Second Amendment speaks is not the National Guard, but the assembly of patriots who are willing to gather to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scottie-nell-hughes/the-militia-of-which-the-second-amendment-speaks-is-not-the-national/) [Scottie Nell Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scottie-nell-hughes/) > [Shaking's one of the oldest practices known to man. Standing round a fire and connecting with the Earth and moving energy through the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-flynn/shaking-s-one-of-the-oldest-practices-known-to-man-standing-round-a/) [Jerome Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-flynn/) > [“You obviously don;t understand a thing about men. Or, more specifically, this man." "I don't?" "No, I'm not scared of periods, and you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-lauren/you-obviously-don-t-understand-a-thing-about-men-or-more-specifically/) [Christina Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-lauren/) > [Obviously, The Glamazon has been covered in every wrestling magazine known to man, including WWE Magazine, however, I've always wanted to do a fitness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-phoenix/obviously-the-glamazon-has-been-covered-in-every-wrestling-magazine/) [Beth Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-phoenix/) > [“Moon and earth is the longest known stable love affair known to man kind”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-maximus/moon-and-earth-is-the-longest-known-stable-love-affair-known-to-man/) [Danny Maximus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-maximus/) > [This is the law of God by which He makes His way known to man and is paramount to all human control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-king/this-is-the-law-of-god-by-which-he-makes-his-way-known-to-man-and-is/) [Rufus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-king/) > [The very first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/the-very-first-radical-known-to-man-who-rebelled-against-the/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [“In utopia, rule by masterminds is both necessary and necessarily primitive, for it excludes so much that is known to man and about man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-r-levin/in-utopia-rule-by-masterminds-is-both-necessary-and-necessarily/) [Mark R. Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-r-levin/) ## More by C. Montgomery Burns > [“It was the best of times, it was the BLURST of times!?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-montgomery-burns/it-was-the-best-of-times-it-was-the-blurst-of-times/) [C. Montgomery Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-montgomery-burns/) [Explore all 2 C. Montgomery Burns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-montgomery-burns/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon they'll have written the greatest novel known to man. Lets se, \"It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times.\" You stupid monkey!!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C. Montgomery Burns" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-montgomery-burns/this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a-thousand-typewriters-soon/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-montgomery-burns/this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a-thousand-typewriters-soon/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/c-montgomery-burns-103055_books_this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a_1474317.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/c-montgomery-burns-103055_books_this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a_1474317.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f0/c-montgomery-burns-103055_books_this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a_1474317.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon they'll have written the greatest novel…” — C. Montgomery Burns", "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": "C. Montgomery Burns", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-montgomery-burns/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This is a thousand monkeys working...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-montgomery-burns/this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a-thousand-typewriters-soon/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-montgomery-burns/this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a-thousand-typewriters-soon/#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 } } ] } ```