--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She had heard it said that humans are…" description: "\"“She had heard it said that humans are supposed only to use about a tenth of their brains, and that no one was very clear what the other nine tenths we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/989/douglas-adams-122_brains_she-had-heard-it-said-that-humans-are-su_227514.png" --- # She had heard it said that humans are supposed only to use… ![“She had heard it said that humans are supposed only to use about a tenth of their brains, and that no one was very clear what the other nine tenths were for, but she had certainly never heard it suggested that they were used for storing penguins. Gradually” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/989/douglas-adams-122_brains_she-had-heard-it-said-that-humans-are-su_227514.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/989/douglas-adams-122_brains_she-had-heard-it-said-that-humans-are-su_227514.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/989/douglas-adams-122_brains_she-had-heard-it-said-that-humans-are-su_227514.png) > ““She had heard it said that humans are supposed only to use about a tenth of their brains, and that no one was very clear what the other nine tenths were for, but she had certainly never heard it suggested that they were used for storing penguins. Gradually”” [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote humorously suggests that the brain's unused capacity might be devoted to absurd purposes, highlighting human curiosity about untapped potential. **In simple terms:** Brain capacity is joked about being used for silly things. Key Takeaway Don't take brain myths too seriously. Themes humor science curiosity Mood playful ironic Type humorous satirical When to use this quote - education - public speaking - creative brainstorming Key Concepts cognitive limits absurdity Questions to Reflect On - What does this say about our desire for mystery? - How do myths shape our self‑image? A Different Perspective The joke may oversimplify neuroscience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brains/) [Penguins Gradually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penguins-gradually-2311615/) [Said Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-humans-2311616/) [Storing Penguins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storing-penguins-2311613/) [Tenth Brains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenth-brains-2311614/) ## Related quotes > [“The world was colossal, he said, we humans and our problems tiny and unimportant, no more than dust in the hands of time,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-steinhoffel/the-world-was-colossal-he-said-we-humans-and-our-problems-tiny-and/) [Andreas Steinhoffel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-steinhoffel/) > [“Simply put, I love humans. Think about it humans are the most interesting creatures you could hope to find. And when I said humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orihara-izaya/simply-put-i-love-humans-think-about-it-humans-are-the-most/) [Orihara Izaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orihara-izaya/) > [“You bite the hand that feeds, Speedy said. Humans don't like that. They view it as a sign of ingratitude. I never asked anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-jennings/you-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-speedy-said-humans-don-t-like-that-they/) [Patrick Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-jennings/) > [I like to think our brains are a bit like algorithms. Whatever you give it and feed it, you get out the product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-mckenna/i-like-to-think-our-brains-are-a-bit-like-algorithms-whatever-you/) [Declan McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-mckenna/) > ['I don't need brains,' says the billionaire contemptuously. 'I'm brainy enough myself!' The broker cries out in desperation, 'What, in heaven's name, do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-don-t-need-brains-says-the-billionaire-contemptuously-i-m-brainy/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [“Archaic humans paid for their large brains in two ways. Firstly, they spent more time in search of food. Secondly, their muscles atrophied. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/archaic-humans-paid-for-their-large-brains-in-two-ways-firstly-they/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [It may well be our brains are wired up to be slightly more optimistic than they should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/it-may-well-be-our-brains-are-wired-up-to-be-slightly-more-optimistic/) [Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/) > [In 'Self Comes to Mind' I pay a lot of attention to simple creatures without brains or minds, because those 'cartooned abstractions of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/in-self-comes-to-mind-i-pay-a-lot-of-attention-to-simple-creatures/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Nature abhors a vacuum. When a head lacks brains, nature fills it with conceit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nature-abhors-a-vacuum-when-a-head-lacks-brains-nature-fills-it-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's not telepathy. It's not the Borg. 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Every single time you lift off the bone and open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/when-i-look-at-the-human-brain-i-m-still-in-awe-of-it-every-single/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [Brains without competitive hearts are rudderless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/brains-without-competitive-hearts-are-rudderless/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [Do not borrow the productions of other men's brains and pens and recite them as a lesson; but make the most of the talents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/do-not-borrow-the-productions-of-other-men-s-brains-and-pens-and/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. 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The infinite suns, the infinite distances between them, and yourself an invisible dot on an invisible dot, infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-universe-the-whole-infinite-universe-the-infinite-suns-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [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/) > [Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/any-man-who-can-hitch-the-length-and-breadth-of-the-galaxy-rough-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [ Does God know he \[exists\]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When we told our guide that we didn't want to go to all the tourist places he took us instead to the places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-we-told-our-guide-that-we-didn-t-want-to-go-to-all-the-tourist/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. Hmmm. So we'll have to tell you something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-come-to-me-for-advice-but-you-can-t-cope-with-anything-you-don-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Explore all 1,168 Douglas Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More Brains quotes > [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. We actually have to teach computers to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-are-great-at-knowing-what-to-forget-we-actually-have-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [Do not borrow the productions of other men's brains and pens and recite them as a lesson; but make the most of the talents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/do-not-borrow-the-productions-of-other-men-s-brains-and-pens-and/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [Brains without competitive hearts are rudderless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/brains-without-competitive-hearts-are-rudderless/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [When I look at the human brain I'm still in awe of it. Every single time you lift off the bone and open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/when-i-look-at-the-human-brain-i-m-still-in-awe-of-it-every-single/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [The average investor does significantly worse than a simple index... It's literally because of the way our brains are wired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-o-shaughnessy/the-average-investor-does-significantly-worse-than-a-simple-index-it/) [James O'Shaughnessy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-o-shaughnessy/) > [It's not telepathy. It's not the Borg. But we created a new central nervous system made of two brains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-nicolelis/it-s-not-telepathy-it-s-not-the-borg-but-we-created-a-new-central/) [Miguel Nicolelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-nicolelis/) > [Nature abhors a vacuum. When a head lacks brains, nature fills it with conceit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nature-abhors-a-vacuum-when-a-head-lacks-brains-nature-fills-it-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In 'Self Comes to Mind' I pay a lot of attention to simple creatures without brains or minds, because those 'cartooned abstractions of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/in-self-comes-to-mind-i-pay-a-lot-of-attention-to-simple-creatures/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [It may well be our brains are wired up to be slightly more optimistic than they should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/it-may-well-be-our-brains-are-wired-up-to-be-slightly-more-optimistic/) [Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/) > [“Archaic humans paid for their large brains in two ways. Firstly, they spent more time in search of food. Secondly, their muscles atrophied. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/archaic-humans-paid-for-their-large-brains-in-two-ways-firstly-they/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > ['I don't need brains,' says the billionaire contemptuously. 'I'm brainy enough myself!' The broker cries out in desperation, 'What, in heaven's name, do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-don-t-need-brains-says-the-billionaire-contemptuously-i-m-brainy/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [I like to think our brains are a bit like algorithms. Whatever you give it and feed it, you get out the product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-mckenna/i-like-to-think-our-brains-are-a-bit-like-algorithms-whatever-you/) [Declan McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-mckenna/) > [“It is now known that babies’ brains develop according to how much they are loved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/it-is-now-known-that-babies-brains-develop-according-to-how-much-they/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [“There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-is-hope-even-when-your-brain-tells-you-there-isn-t/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Our brains turn into simple signal-processing units, quickly shepherding information into consciousness and then back out again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-carr/our-brains-turn-into-simple-signal-processing-units-quickly/) [Nicholas Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-carr/) [Browse all 532 Brains quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brains/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She had heard it said that humans are supposed only to use about a tenth of their brains, and that no one was very clear what the other nine tenths were for, but she had certainly never heard it suggested that they were used for storing penguins. 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