--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think I know the real reason.\" \"Which…" description: "\"I think I know the real reason.\" \"Which is?\" \"Alcohol in the dust clouds. Goddamn stuff is everywhere. Any lousy species ever invents the telescope and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/iain-banks-3752_alcohol_i-think-i-know-the-real-reason-which-is_2228698.jpg" --- # I think I know the real reason." "Which is?" "Alcohol in… ![“I think I know the real reason." "Which is?" "Alcohol in the dust clouds. Goddamn stuff is everywhere. Any lousy species ever invents the telescope and the spectroscope and starts looking in between the stars, what do they find?" He knocked the glass on the table. "Loads of stuff, but much of it…” quote by Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/iain-banks-3752_alcohol_i-think-i-know-the-real-reason-which-is_2228698.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/iain-banks-3752_alcohol_i-think-i-know-the-real-reason-which-is_2228698.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/iain-banks-3752_alcohol_i-think-i-know-the-real-reason-which-is_2228698.jpg) > “I think I know the real reason." "Which is?" "Alcohol in the dust clouds. Goddamn stuff is everywhere. Any lousy species ever invents the telescope and the spectroscope and starts looking in between the stars, what do they find?" He knocked the glass on the table. "Loads of stuff, but much of it alcohol." He drank from the glass. "Humanoids are the galaxy's way of trying to get rid of all that alcohol.” [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator suggests that alcohol pervades the cosmos, implying a cosmic joke about humanity’s search for meaning. **In simple terms:** Alcohol is everywhere, even in space. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about universal truths. Themes science philosophy humor Mood wry thought‑provoking Type fictional dialogue philosophical musing When to use this quote - space exploration - scientific research - philosophical debate Key Concepts cosmic absurdity human curiosity existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does this say about human tendency to find patterns? - How does humor reveal deeper truths? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex scientific realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) [Alcohol Drank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol-drank-5004219/) [Alcohol Dust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol-dust-3619173/) [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Clouds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clouds/) [Drank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drank/) [Drank Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drank-glass-1023769/) [Dust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dust/) [Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxy/) [Glasses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glasses/) [Humanoids Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanoids-galaxy-5004220/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Load](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/load/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-alcohol-3661596/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Tables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tables/) [Telescopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telescopes/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“All his elaborated arguments and beautiful sentences turned, under the influence of alcohol, into dust and slipped between his nicotine-stained fingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ole-gunnar-h-land/all-his-elaborated-arguments-and-beautiful-sentences-turned-under-the/) [Ole Gunnar Håland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ole-gunnar-h-land/) > [“Across Russia, women have a much longer life expectancy than men, for one simple reason: alcohol.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lindstrom/across-russia-women-have-a-much-longer-life-expectancy-than-men-for/) [Martin Lindstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lindstrom/) > [Work: The main reason that alcohol was invented!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/work-the-main-reason-that-alcohol-was-invented/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I ate no butcher's meat, lived chiefly on fruits, vegetables, and fish, and never drank a glass of spirits or wine until my wedding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/i-ate-no-butcher-s-meat-lived-chiefly-on-fruits-vegetables-and-fish/) [John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/) > [I was so delirious that I drank a glass of water, thought it wine and got glorious drunk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-m-cook/i-was-so-delirious-that-i-drank-a-glass-of-water-thought-it-wine-and/) [Will M Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-m-cook/) > [“Then she drank a glass of water, switched on her computer, checked her e-mails, proofread the conclusion of her dissertation for the umpteenth time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-gazan/then-she-drank-a-glass-of-water-switched-on-her-computer-checked-her/) [S.J. 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