---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Internet is like a herd of performing…"
description: "\"The Internet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhoea - massive, difficult to re-direct, awe-inspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/gene-spafford-36347_amount_the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performin_1256824.png"
---

#  The Internet is like a herd of performing elephants with…

![“The Internet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhoea - massive, difficult to re-direct, awe-inspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind-boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it.” quote by Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/gene-spafford-36347_amount_the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performin_1256824.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/gene-spafford-36347_amount_the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performin_1256824.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/gene-spafford-36347_amount_the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performin_1256824.png)

> “The Internet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhoea - massive, difficult to re-direct, awe-inspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind-boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it.”

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The internet resembles a massive, uncontrollable herd of elephants, producing both awe‑inspiring content and unexpected waste.

**In simple terms:** The internet is huge, chaotic, and sometimes messy.

Key Takeaway

Navigate wisely, filter noise, and stay adaptable.

Themes

technology chaos information overload

Mood

cautious humorous

Type

reflective critical

When to use this quote

- social media management
- online marketing
- data analysis

Key Concepts

digital ecosystems viral dynamics content curation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we tame digital chaos?
- What strategies reduce unwanted content?

A Different Perspective

Complexity can overwhelm users and creators alike.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Awe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awe/) [Awe inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awe-inspiring/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Elephants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephants/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind boggling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-boggling/)

## Related quotes

> [You wanna get diarrhoea? Eat industrial food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/you-wanna-get-diarrhoea-eat-industrial-food/)

[Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/)

> [My Love for you are like diarrhoea...I can't hold it in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-love-for-you-are-like-diarrhoea-i-can-t-hold-it-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Diarrhoea is the reason you can have a malnourished child in a well-fed family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-george/diarrhoea-is-the-reason-you-can-have-a-malnourished-child-in-a-well/)

[Rose George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-george/)

> [I am a trembling mess from hip to knee. There is a terrible heat, a looseness in my innards that makes me want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-am-a-trembling-mess-from-hip-to-knee-there-is-a-terrible-heat-a/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [News reports can overwhelm us. We can be appalled, we can sympathise. But what is hard to grasp is the sense that, at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-fiennes/news-reports-can-overwhelm-us-we-can-be-appalled-we-can-sympathise/)

[Ralph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-fiennes/)

> [The latest trend seems to be these DJs doing pre-recorded sets, in perfect pitch with the lights & acts on stage. Everything is centred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddy-de-clercq/the-latest-trend-seems-to-be-these-djs-doing-pre-recorded-sets-in/)

[Eddy de Clercq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddy-de-clercq/)

> [“My love for you is like diarrhoea, it never stops.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dude-i-m-kidnapping-byun-baekhyun/my-love-for-you-is-like-diarrhoea-it-never-stops/)

Dude I'm Kidnapping Byun Baekhyun

> [The Internet is like a town that leaves its streets unmarked on the principle that people who don't already know don't belong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/the-internet-is-like-a-town-that-leaves-its-streets-unmarked-on-the/)

[James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/)

> [There is something encouraging about the rebellious spirit of the Internet. It's like the modern equivalent of punk - anyone can make a record.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-mael/there-is-something-encouraging-about-the-rebellious-spirit-of-the/)

[Ron Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-mael/)

> [I am aware of some of the things about me on the Internet - like people putting up pictures of me online every single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-riley/i-am-aware-of-some-of-the-things-about-me-on-the-internet-like-people/)

[Rachel Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-riley/)

> [You can browse to your heart's content but it's hard work and not easy on the feet unless you do it through catalogs or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-krantz/you-can-browse-to-your-heart-s-content-but-it-s-hard-work-and-not/)

[Judith Krantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-krantz/)

> [It's the internet like the flu - it just spreads like crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/it-s-the-internet-like-the-flu-it-just-spreads-like-crazy/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [Obviously I have a bit of an awareness because I go to the internet like everybody else but I don't get too involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-eve/obviously-i-have-a-bit-of-an-awareness-because-i-go-to-the-internet/)

[Alice Eve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-eve/)

> [The internet is like a gossipy girls' locker room after school, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kapranos/the-internet-is-like-a-gossipy-girls-locker-room-after-school-isn-t-it/)

[Alex Kapranos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kapranos/)

> [Every time I crash the Internet, it's like this little drop of truth. Every time I say something that's extremely truthful out loud, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/every-time-i-crash-the-internet-it-s-like-this-little-drop-of-truth/)

[Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/)

## More by Gene Spafford

> [Questioning the status quo can result in banishment, imprisonment, ridicule or being burned at the stake, depending on your era, your locale, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/questioning-the-status-quo-can-result-in-banishment-imprisonment/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [While travelling near Tampa, Florida I passed the "Jehovah's Witness Assembly Hall" and was struck by the fact that that must be where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/while-travelling-near-tampa-florida-i-passed-the-jehovah-s-witness/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [Using encryption on the Internet is the equivalent of arranging an armored car to deliver credit card information from someone living in a cardboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/using-encryption-on-the-internet-is-the-equivalent-of-arranging-an/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [ Cryptography \[without system integrity\] is like investing in an armored car to carry money between a customer living in a cardboard box and a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/cryptography-without-system-integrity-is-like-investing-in-an-armored/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [Secure web servers are the equivalent of heavy armoured cars. The problem is, they are being used to transfer rolls of coins and cheques…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/secure-web-servers-are-the-equivalent-of-heavy-armoured-cars-the/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [People in general are not interested in paying extra for increased safety. At the beginning seat belts cost $200 and nobody bought them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/people-in-general-are-not-interested-in-paying-extra-for-increased/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [Our examination of computer viruses leads us to the conclusion that they are very close to what we might define as "artificial life." Rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/our-examination-of-computer-viruses-leads-us-to-the-conclusion-that/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [The only system which is truly secure is one which is switched off and unplugged, locked in a titanium lined safe, buried in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/the-only-system-which-is-truly-secure-is-one-which-is-switched-off/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [Securing an environment of Windows platforms from abuse - external or internal - is akin to trying to install sprinklers in a fireworks factory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/securing-an-environment-of-windows-platforms-from-abuse-external-or/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [But it doesn't have to be this way. We can do things better. We need to stop doing business as usual and start focusing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/but-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-this-way-we-can-do-things-better-we-need-to/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/the-only-truly-secure-system-is-one-that-is-powered-off-cast-in-a/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

> [Ability to type on a computer terminal is no guarantee of sanity, intelligence, or common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/ability-to-type-on-a-computer-terminal-is-no-guarantee-of-sanity/)

[Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

[Explore all 13 Gene Spafford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/)

## More Amount quotes

> [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/)

[Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/)

> [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/)

[Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/)

> [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/)

[Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/)

> [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/)

[Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/)

> [The amount you give isn't important. What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/)

[Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/)

> [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/)

[W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/)

> [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/)

Richard Doll

> [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/)

F. A. Harper

> [You have a little bit of talent, a certain amount of good fortune and a lot of hard work in pursuit of whatever truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/you-have-a-little-bit-of-talent-a-certain-amount-of-good-fortune-and/)

[Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/)

> [I have a tremendous amount of respect for military families. To have to worry about your loved ones and still try and live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashanti/i-have-a-tremendous-amount-of-respect-for-military-families-to-have/)

[Ashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashanti/)

> [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/)

[Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/)

Browse all 4,202 Amount quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Internet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhoea - massive, difficult to re-direct, awe-inspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind-boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gene Spafford"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performing-elephants-with-diarrhoea/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Amount"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performing-elephants-with-diarrhoea/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/gene-spafford-36347_amount_the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performin_1256824.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/gene-spafford-36347_amount_the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performin_1256824.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/gene-spafford-36347_amount_the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performin_1256824.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Internet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhoea - massive, difficult to re-direct…” — Gene Spafford",
                "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": "Gene Spafford",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Internet is like a herd...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performing-elephants-with-diarrhoea/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/the-internet-is-like-a-herd-of-performing-elephants-with-diarrhoea/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```