--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A bell cannot tell time, but it can be…" description: "\"“A bell cannot tell time, but it can be moved in just such a way as to say twelve o’clock – similarly, a man cannot calculate infinite numbers, but he ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/daniel-tammet-8321_clock_a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-mo_2995339.jpg" --- # A bell cannot tell time, but it can be moved in just such… ![“A bell cannot tell time, but it can be moved in just such a way as to say twelve o’clock – similarly, a man cannot calculate infinite numbers, but he can be moved in just such a way as to say pi.” quote by Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/daniel-tammet-8321_clock_a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-mo_2995339.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/daniel-tammet-8321_clock_a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-mo_2995339.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/daniel-tammet-8321_clock_a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-mo_2995339.jpg) > ““A bell cannot tell time, but it can be moved in just such a way as to say twelve o’clock – similarly, a man cannot calculate infinite numbers, but he can be moved in just such a way as to say pi.”” [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Analogies can convey complex mathematical ideas by comparing them to familiar experiences, making abstract concepts like infinity more relatable. **In simple terms:** Use familiar comparisons to explain complex ideas. Key Takeaway Explain abstract concepts with simple, concrete analogies. Themes education communication mathematics creativity philosophy Mood inspirational thought‑provoking educational Type explanatory creative didactic When to use this quote - teaching math - public speaking - writing popular science - designing curricula - explaining technical topics Key Concepts analogy conceptual mapping cognitive framing Questions to Reflect On - What everyday analogy best captures an abstract idea you struggle with? - When can an analogy become a barrier to deeper understanding? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on analogies may oversimplify or mislead understanding of precise concepts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Clock Similarly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock-similarly-4728901/) [Essay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essay/) [Infinite Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite-numbers-1880457/) [Man Calculate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-calculate-4728900/) [Maths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maths/) [Pi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pi/) [Say Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-clock-3514327/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Tell Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-time-245341/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“As time is always running, we should say the clock has legs rather than hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/as-time-is-always-running-we-should-say-the-clock-has-legs-rather/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“If you divide something that is essentially one, you will end up with imaginary infinite numbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/if-you-divide-something-that-is-essentially-one-you-will-end-up-with/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There's .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-are-infinite-numbers-between-0-and-1-there-s-1-and-12-and-112-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [There are infinite numbers of do overs for your teen girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/there-are-infinite-numbers-of-do-overs-for-your-teen-girls/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“In a way, mathematics is the only infinite human activity. It is conceivable that humanity could eventually learn everything in physics or biology. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-erdos/in-a-way-mathematics-is-the-only-infinite-human-activity-it-is/) [Paul Erdős](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-erdos/) > [There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-are-infinite-numbers-between-0-and-1/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There's .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-are-infinite-numbers-between-0-and-1-there-s-1-and-12-and-112/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Far be it from us to doubt that all number is known to Him 'Whose understanding is infinite' (Ps. 147:5). The infinity of number,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/far-be-it-from-us-to-doubt-that-all-number-is-known-to-him-whose/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [“If we look at our traditional tales, where the action before the final success always occurs three times: the last of the three times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-cachet/if-we-look-at-our-traditional-tales-where-the-action-before-the-final/) [Marie Cachet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-cachet/) > [ “They are simply numbers and cannot thus be right or wrong \[...\] What I trust that I am saying is that all numbers are… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-are-simply-numbers-and-cannot-thus-be-right-or-wrong-what-i/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“But there’s something about sitting at someone else’s desk that makes you feel like looking in the drawers. I resisted the impulse briefly. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-donaldson/but-there-s-something-about-sitting-at-someone-else-s-desk-that-makes/) [Stephen R. Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-donaldson/) > [“What will your family think, me showing up on their doorstep with my suitcase in hand?" "I'll carry your suitcase," he said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-daniels/what-will-your-family-think-me-showing-up-on-their-doorstep-with-my/) [B.J. Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-daniels/) > [“For example--I wonder--could you tell my jumbled story in exactly one hundred chapters, not one more, not one less? I'll tell you, that's one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/for-example-i-wonder-could-you-tell-my-jumbled-story-in-exactly-one/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Dare I say I miss him? I do. I miss him. I still see him in my dreams. They are nightmares mostly, but nightmares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/dare-i-say-i-miss-him-i-do-i-miss-him-i-still-see-him-in-my-dreams/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“If you have half a nothing - sell it for a double something, resell half at double-price, and buy another something and a half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/if-you-have-half-a-nothing-sell-it-for-a-double-something-resell-half/) [Will Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-advise/) ## More by Daniel Tammet > [It was hard for me to find my voice because I was, for so long, absorbed in my own world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/it-was-hard-for-me-to-find-my-voice-because-i-was-for-so-long/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [When things don't come so naturally to you, you want to persevere, you want to keep pushing yourself to overcome obstacles that prevent you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/when-things-don-t-come-so-naturally-to-you-you-want-to-persevere-you/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [Aesthetic judgments, rather than abstract reasoning, guide and shape the process by which we all come to know what we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/aesthetic-judgments-rather-than-abstract-reasoning-guide-and-shape/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [I'm very comfortable with the idea of there being late bloomers, and for me, of course, there's no difficulty at all in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/i-m-very-comfortable-with-the-idea-of-there-being-late-bloomers-and/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [Growing up, I would have to watch the other children and learn from my mistakes. I would have to push myself to overcome the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/growing-up-i-would-have-to-watch-the-other-children-and-learn-from-my/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [I love music. I have a fondness for Chopin, and I very much like his 'Raindrop Prelude.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/i-love-music-i-have-a-fondness-for-chopin-and-i-very-much-like-his/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [My algebra was relatively poor. I found it very difficult to use equations that substituted numbers - to which I had a synesthetic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/my-algebra-was-relatively-poor-i-found-it-very-difficult-to-use/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [I've got a quiet voice. I think it's because as a child I didn't speak very much. I used to put my fingers in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/i-ve-got-a-quiet-voice-i-think-it-s-because-as-a-child-i-didn-t-speak/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [I feel traveling certainly does broaden the mind. In my case certainly I feel more confident. It gives you a new perspective on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/i-feel-traveling-certainly-does-broaden-the-mind-in-my-case-certainly/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [We know next to nothing with any certainty about Pythagoras, except that he was not really called Pythagoras. The name by which he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/we-know-next-to-nothing-with-any-certainty-about-pythagoras-except/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [Aesthetics - rather than reason - shapes our thought processes. First comes aesthetics, then logic. 'Thinking in Numbers' is not about an attempt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/aesthetics-rather-than-reason-shapes-our-thought-processes-first/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [There are always things I find difficult - being in crowds, remembering faces. I do like routines. I always travel with someone. My life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/there-are-always-things-i-find-difficult-being-in-crowds-remembering/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [One particular aspect of Siddhartha’s revelation of the outside world has always struck me. Quite possibly he lived his first thirty years without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/one-particular-aspect-of-siddhartha-s-revelation-of-the-outside-world/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [I love books so much. I've read more books than anyone else I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/i-love-books-so-much-i-ve-read-more-books-than-anyone-else-i-know/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [I recited Pi to 22,514 decimal points in five hours and nine minutes. I was able to do this because of weeks of study,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/i-recited-pi-to-22-514-decimal-points-in-five-hours-and-nine-minutes/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) [Explore all 82 Daniel Tammet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) ## More Clock quotes > [Even Einstein had to rely for his time on his clock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/even-einstein-had-to-rely-for-his-time-on-his-clock/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) > [“Time was never neutral and often felt dangerous. We either think we have all the time in the world or time moves too fast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-reay/time-was-never-neutral-and-often-felt-dangerous-we-either-think-we/) [Katherine Reay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-reay/) > [Before a clock was in the tower, Or e'er a watch was worn; I knew of night the passing hour, And prophesied the morn;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/before-a-clock-was-in-the-tower-or-e-er-a-watch-was-worn-i-knew-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [“Time is, to put it in its most impressive and some might say poncy-sounding form, my domain. I can see things that once happened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-rayner/time-is-to-put-it-in-its-most-impressive-and-some-might-say-poncy/) [Jacqueline Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-rayner/) > [Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/time-travel-offends-our-sense-of-cause-and-effect-but-maybe-the/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [Time.The greatest creator, and the worst destroyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-keely/time-the-greatest-creator-and-the-worst-destroyer/) [Levi Keely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levi-keely/) > [Steven Spielberg seems to have wanted to be a director from 13. He put his dog in a certain position and made him eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/steven-spielberg-seems-to-have-wanted-to-be-a-director-from-13-he-put/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [No life goes past so swiftly as an eventless one, no clock spins like a clock whose days are all alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/no-life-goes-past-so-swiftly-as-an-eventless-one-no-clock-spins-like/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Those who stop marketing to save money are like those who stop a clock to save time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/those-who-stop-marketing-to-save-money-are-like-those-who-stop-a/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. If it gets confused some of the minutiae of human nature are certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/time-is-the-nervous-system-of-narration-whether-factual-or-fictive-if/) [Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/) > [I don't know if it's just me or everyone, but the whole vibe with skiing is not so much thriving on competition against others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/picabo-street/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-just-me-or-everyone-but-the-whole-vibe-with/) [Picabo Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/picabo-street/) > [Time goes on, even when yer not looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/time-goes-on-even-when-yer-not-looking/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Browse all 2,738 Clock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A bell cannot tell time, but it can be moved in just such a way as to say twelve o’clock – similarly, a man cannot calculate infinite numbers, but he can be moved in just such a way as to say pi.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Tammet" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-moved-in-just-such-a-way-as-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clock" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-moved-in-just-such-a-way-as-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/daniel-tammet-8321_clock_a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-mo_2995339.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/daniel-tammet-8321_clock_a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-mo_2995339.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/daniel-tammet-8321_clock_a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-mo_2995339.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A bell cannot tell time, but it can be moved in just such a way as to say twelve o’clock – similarly, a man…” — Daniel Tammet", "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": "Daniel Tammet", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A bell cannot tell time, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-moved-in-just-such-a-way-as-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/a-bell-cannot-tell-time-but-it-can-be-moved-in-just-such-a-way-as-to/#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 } } ] } ```