--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is the pattern that connects the…" description: "\"What is the pattern that connects the crab to the lobster and the primrose to the orchid, and all of them to me, and me to you?\" — Gregory Bateson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/gregory-bateson-7135_crab_what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-cr_1413252.png" --- # What is the pattern that connects the crab to the lobster… ![“What is the pattern that connects the crab to the lobster and the primrose to the orchid, and all of them to me, and me to you?” quote by Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/gregory-bateson-7135_crab_what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-cr_1413252.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/gregory-bateson-7135_crab_what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-cr_1413252.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/gregory-bateson-7135_crab_what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-cr_1413252.png) > “What is the pattern that connects the crab to the lobster and the primrose to the orchid, and all of them to me, and me to you?” [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Patterns link diverse organisms and humans, revealing interconnectedness across life. **In simple terms:** Patterns show interconnection. Key Takeaway Seek relational patterns. Themes ecology biology philosophy interconnectedness Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical academic When to use this quote - environmental policy - education - personal relationships Key Concepts systems theory biological analogies relational thinking Questions to Reflect On - What common patterns connect you to nature? - How does recognizing interconnection affect behavior? A Different Perspective Pattern recognition can oversimplify uniqueness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Orchids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchids/) [Pattern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pattern/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) ## Related quotes > [I never watch MTV. I don't have time to watch TV. And when I do, I'm watching the Discovery Channel. 'Deadliest Catch: Crab Fishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-schroeder/i-never-watch-mtv-i-don-t-have-time-to-watch-tv-and-when-i-do-i-m/) [Carly Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-schroeder/) > [Religion must always be a crab fruit; it cannot be grafted, and keep its wild beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/religion-must-always-be-a-crab-fruit-it-cannot-be-grafted-and-keep/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I'm a Cancerian, the typical crab with the tough outer shell and the soft bit in the middle. I don't think I'll ever come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-jenkins/i-m-a-cancerian-the-typical-crab-with-the-tough-outer-shell-and-the/) [Katherine Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-jenkins/) > [There is an animal inside me, clutching fast to my heart, a huge crab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/there-is-an-animal-inside-me-clutching-fast-to-my-heart-a-huge-crab/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [You will never make the crab walk straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/you-will-never-make-the-crab-walk-straight/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [And in the fountain squatted a giant crab. I’m not talking ‘giant’ like $7.99 all-you-can-eat Alaskan king crab. I’m talking ‘giant’ like bigger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/and-in-the-fountain-squatted-a-giant-crab-i-m-not-talking-giant-like/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [The simplest way to prepare Dungeness crabs is to boil them in the shell and set them in front of your guests with crab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/the-simplest-way-to-prepare-dungeness-crabs-is-to-boil-them-in-the/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [I once fell in love with a crab on the beach. It was called crab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dougie-poynter/i-once-fell-in-love-with-a-crab-on-the-beach-it-was-called-crab/) [Dougie Poynter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dougie-poynter/) > [One night I was in bed-and remember that I'm on the second floor of a hotel-when I spotted this crab coming toward me across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-esposito/one-night-i-was-in-bed-and-remember-that-i-m-on-the-second-floor-of-a/) [Jennifer Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-esposito/) > [It's always weird when I meet people who don't know how to crack crabs open and eat them the right way. I take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hutchinson/it-s-always-weird-when-i-meet-people-who-don-t-know-how-to-crack/) [Eric Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hutchinson/) > [The 'crabs in a barrel' mentality only exists if we view ourselves as a crab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porsha-williams/the-crabs-in-a-barrel-mentality-only-exists-if-we-view-ourselves-as-a/) [Porsha Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porsha-williams/) > [I've always wanted to be a giant space crab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-newell/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-a-giant-space-crab/) [Gabe Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-newell/) > [Only you pick that crab. Nobody else take it. I already know this. Everyone else want best quality. You thinking different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/only-you-pick-that-crab-nobody-else-take-it-i-already-know-this/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [As a boy I was a hermit crab, but I soon came out of my shell. Now I am a pincer crab, and soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/as-a-boy-i-was-a-hermit-crab-but-i-soon-came-out-of-my-shell-now-i-am/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [You cannot make a crab walk straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/you-cannot-make-a-crab-walk-straight/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) ## More by Gregory Bateson > [Number is different from quantity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/number-is-different-from-quantity/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [We do not know enough about how the present will lead into the future. We shall never be able to say, "Ha! My perception,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/we-do-not-know-enough-about-how-the-present-will-lead-into-the-future/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Synaptic summation is the technical term used in neurophysiology for those instances in which some neuron C is fired only by a combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/synaptic-summation-is-the-technical-term-used-in-neurophysiology-for/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Somebody was saying to Picasso that he ought to make pictures of things the way they are-objective pictures. He mumbled that he wasn't quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/somebody-was-saying-to-picasso-that-he-ought-to-make-pictures-of/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy which we call mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/still-more-astonishing-is-that-world-of-rigorous-fantasy-which-we/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [What is true is that the idea of power corrupts. Power corrupts most rapidly those who believe in it, and it is they who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/what-is-true-is-that-the-idea-of-power-corrupts-power-corrupts-most/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [“A little hypocrisy and a little compromise oils the wheels of social life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/a-little-hypocrisy-and-a-little-compromise-oils-the-wheels-of-social/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Science, like art, religion, commerce, warfare, and even sleep, is based on presuppositions. It differs, however, from most other branches of human activity in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/science-like-art-religion-commerce-warfare-and-even-sleep-is-based-on/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Desired substance, things, patterns, or sequences of experience that are in some sense "good" for the organism - items of diet, conditions of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/desired-substance-things-patterns-or-sequences-of-experience-that-are/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [No organism can afford to be conscious of matters with which it could deal at unconscious levels. Broadly, we can afford to sink those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/no-organism-can-afford-to-be-conscious-of-matters-with-which-it-could/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Wisdom is the intelligence of the system as a whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/wisdom-is-the-intelligence-of-the-system-as-a-whole/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy we call mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/still-more-astonishing-is-that-world-of-rigorous-fantasy-we-call/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [The pathology is to want control, not that you ever get it, because of course you never do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/the-pathology-is-to-want-control-not-that-you-ever-get-it-because-of/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Our initial sensory data are always "first derivatives," statements about differences which exist among external objects or statements about changes which occur either in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/our-initial-sensory-data-are-always-first-derivatives-statements/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Multiple descriptions are better than one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/multiple-descriptions-are-better-than-one/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) [Explore all 94 Gregory Bateson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) ## More Crab quotes > [“A steaming plate appeared in front of Lex- the crab wontons, nestled in a lettuce leaf. Blond deep-fried dumplings. Maybe she'd walk out without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camy-tang/a-steaming-plate-appeared-in-front-of-lex-the-crab-wontons-nestled-in/) [Camy Tang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camy-tang/) > [“I am a crab. I am thinking crabby thoughts. I am tightening my grip on this rock with my big red pincers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahtzee-croshaw/i-am-a-crab-i-am-thinking-crabby-thoughts-i-am-tightening-my-grip-on/) [Yahtzee Croshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahtzee-croshaw/) > [You cannot teach a crab to walk straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/you-cannot-teach-a-crab-to-walk-straight/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“...be as fast as Usain Bolt, the winner is the winner, even if he crawls like a crab, his destiny is unshakable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/be-as-fast-as-usain-bolt-the-winner-is-the-winner-even-if-he-crawls/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I love king crab a lot. I love good Mexican food, good tacos, and chile rellenos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-chestnut/i-love-king-crab-a-lot-i-love-good-mexican-food-good-tacos-and-chile/) [Joey Chestnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-chestnut/) > [Touring around the world, I think there's no single country where we haven't eaten chili crab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jisoo/touring-around-the-world-i-think-there-s-no-single-country-where-we/) [Jisoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jisoo/) > [“But that was a long time ago and since then a crab has been gnawing at my vitals. All this began in the Metro…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/but-that-was-a-long-time-ago-and-since-then-a-crab-has-been-gnawing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [I never watch MTV. I don't have time to watch TV. And when I do, I'm watching the Discovery Channel. 'Deadliest Catch: Crab Fishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-schroeder/i-never-watch-mtv-i-don-t-have-time-to-watch-tv-and-when-i-do-i-m/) [Carly Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-schroeder/) > [Sweet, delicious Dungeness crab is always a treat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/sweet-delicious-dungeness-crab-is-always-a-treat/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [Crab meat is surprisingly sweet in its purest form, which is why it is often pepped up with zippy chilli and lifted with citrus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/crab-meat-is-surprisingly-sweet-in-its-purest-form-which-is-why-it-is/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) > [It's always a good idea to chill your crab cake mixture for a few hours, or even overnight, before frying because they'll hold together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/it-s-always-a-good-idea-to-chill-your-crab-cake-mixture-for-a-few/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [While you can find zucchini in markets in most places year-round, allowing you to make everything from breakfast dishes like zucchini and onion frittatas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/while-you-can-find-zucchini-in-markets-in-most-places-year-round/) [Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/) > [As a boy I was a hermit crab, but I soon came out of my shell. Now I am a pincer crab, and soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/as-a-boy-i-was-a-hermit-crab-but-i-soon-came-out-of-my-shell-now-i-am/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Wild garlic and crab is a revelatory pairing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/wild-garlic-and-crab-is-a-revelatory-pairing/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) > [Have you ever watched a crab on the shore crawling backward in search of the Atlantic Ocean, and missing? That's the way the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/have-you-ever-watched-a-crab-on-the-shore-crawling-backward-in-search/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) Browse all 63 Crab quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is the pattern that connects the crab to the lobster and the primrose to the orchid, and all of them to me, and me to you?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gregory Bateson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-crab-to-the-lobster-and-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crab" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-crab-to-the-lobster-and-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/gregory-bateson-7135_crab_what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-cr_1413252.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/gregory-bateson-7135_crab_what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-cr_1413252.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/gregory-bateson-7135_crab_what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-cr_1413252.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is the pattern that connects the crab to the lobster and the primrose to the orchid, and all of them to…” — Gregory Bateson", "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": "Gregory Bateson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What is the pattern that connects...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-crab-to-the-lobster-and-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/what-is-the-pattern-that-connects-the-crab-to-the-lobster-and-the/#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 } } ] } ```