--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If our brains were simple enough for us…" description: "\"If our brains were simple enough for us to understand them, we'd be so simple that we couldn't.\" — Ian Stewart" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/ian-stewart-28086_brain_if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us_877978.jpg" --- # If our brains were simple enough for us to understand… ![“If our brains were simple enough for us to understand them, we'd be so simple that we couldn't.” quote by Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/ian-stewart-28086_brain_if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us_877978.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/ian-stewart-28086_brain_if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us_877978.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/ian-stewart-28086_brain_if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us_877978.jpg) > “If our brains were simple enough for us to understand them, we'd be so simple that we couldn't.” [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If the brain were simple enough to fully understand, it would lack the complexity that makes consciousness possible. **In simple terms:** Understanding the brain fully would erase its mystery. Key Takeaway Embrace the brain's complexity. Themes neuroscience complexity philosophy of mind Mood curious thoughtful Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - medical research - AI development - personal introspection - education Key Concepts emergent properties self‑reference limitations of reductionism Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of consciousness resist simple explanation? - How does complexity shape our sense of self? A Different Perspective Simplifying the brain risks losing essential functions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brains/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) ## Related quotes > [If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyall-watson/if-the-brain-were-so-simple-we-could-understand-it-we-would-be-so/) [Lyall Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyall-watson/) > [It is not at all simple to understand the simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-not-at-all-simple-to-understand-the-simple/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emerson-m-pugh/if-the-human-brain-were-so-simple-that-we-could-understand-it-we/) Emerson M. Pugh > [“If our brains were as simple as we could understand them, than we would be so stupid that we couldn't understand them again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/if-our-brains-were-as-simple-as-we-could-understand-them-than-we/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“If our brains were simple enough to be understood, we wouldn’t be smart enough to understand them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-to-be-understood-we-wouldn-t-be/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [Any attempt to reduce the complex properties of biological organisms or of nervous systems or of human brains to simple physical and chemical systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/any-attempt-to-reduce-the-complex-properties-of-biological-organisms/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Life is so simple , when you understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femo/life-is-so-simple-when-you-understand-it/) Femo > [“We must note the curious fact that people are not content with what is simple to understand, but go straight for the more complex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-must-note-the-curious-fact-that-people-are-not-content-with-what/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“I really liked him and when you really like someone, not everything is simple to understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-labe/i-really-liked-him-and-when-you-really-like-someone-not-everything-is/) [Kyle Labe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-labe/) > [“If the brain was simple enough to be understood - we would be too simple to understand it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-the-brain-was-simple-enough-to-be-understood-we-would-be-too/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I am so simple that you cannot understand me. I am so close to you that you cannot see me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen/i-am-so-simple-that-you-cannot-understand-me-i-am-so-close-to-you/) Dzogchen > [Love is love, hate is hate simple enough to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/love-is-love-hate-is-hate-simple-enough-to-understand/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [Love is simple to understand if you haven't got a mind soft and full of holes. It's a crutch, that's all, and there isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/love-is-simple-to-understand-if-you-haven-t-got-a-mind-soft-and-full/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Everyone is just too simple to understand logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momo-tsure/everyone-is-just-too-simple-to-understand-logic/) Momo Tsure > [“You understand now... how simple life becomes when things like mirrors are forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/you-understand-now-how-simple-life-becomes-when-things-like-mirrors/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) ## More by Ian Stewart > [“There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary numerals, and those who don't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/there-are-10-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-those-who-understand-binary/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [Our teaching of mathematics revolves around a fundamental conflict. Rightly or wrongly, students are required to master a series of mathematical concepts and techniques,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/our-teaching-of-mathematics-revolves-around-a-fundamental-conflict/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [“Something that doesn't actually exist can still be useful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/something-that-doesn-t-actually-exist-can-still-be-useful/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [First is first, and second is nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/first-is-first-and-second-is-nowhere/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [Mathematics is the science of patterns, and nature exploits just about every pattern that there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/mathematics-is-the-science-of-patterns-and-nature-exploits-just-about/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [Two centuries ago Carl Friedrich Gauss, one of the greatest mathematicians and a founder of number theory, described his brainchild as "the queen of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/two-centuries-ago-carl-friedrich-gauss-one-of-the-greatest/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [“Only three constants are significant for star formation: the gravitational constant, the fine structure constant, and a constant that governs nuclear reaction rates.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/only-three-constants-are-significant-for-star-formation-the/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [Chaos is lawless behavior governed entirely by law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/chaos-is-lawless-behavior-governed-entirely-by-law/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [Religion hinges upon faith, politics hinges upon who can tell the most convincing lies or maybe just shout the loudest, but science hinges upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/religion-hinges-upon-faith-politics-hinges-upon-who-can-tell-the-most/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [During the past fifty years, more mathematics has been created than in all previous ages put together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/during-the-past-fifty-years-more-mathematics-has-been-created-than-in/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [The flapping of a single butterfly's wing today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/the-flapping-of-a-single-butterfly-s-wing-today-produces-a-tiny/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [One of the biggest problems of mathematics is to explain to everyone else what it is all about. The technical trappings of the subject,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/one-of-the-biggest-problems-of-mathematics-is-to-explain-to-everyone/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [To criticize mathematics for its abstraction is to miss the point entirely. Abstraction is what makes mathematics work. If you concentrate too closely on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/to-criticize-mathematics-for-its-abstraction-is-to-miss-the-point/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [I don't want to convince you that mathematics is useful. It is, but utility is not the only criterion for value to humanity. Above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/i-don-t-want-to-convince-you-that-mathematics-is-useful-it-is-but/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [Mathematicians are beginning to view order and chaos as two distinct manifestations of an underlying determinism. And neither state exists in isolation. The typical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/mathematicians-are-beginning-to-view-order-and-chaos-as-two-distinct/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) [Explore all 19 Ian Stewart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) ## More Brain quotes > [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/) [Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/) > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' I don't know if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-prefer-the-word-musician-i-m-a-musician-and-a-composer-i-have-a/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [Thinking of sex provides enough mental stimulation to reduce risk of diseases that damage the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-of-sex-provides-enough-mental-stimulation-to-reduce-risk-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [Without illusions. I love you because you are fallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheels trying not to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/without-illusions-i-love-you-because-you-are-fallible-and-because/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/) [Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/) [Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/) > [The act of learning to read added an entirely new circuit to our hominid brain's repertoire. The long developmental process of learning to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-wolf/the-act-of-learning-to-read-added-an-entirely-new-circuit-to-our/) [Maryanne Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-wolf/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [I am the way I am. If you like me because I'm glamorous, so be it. If you like me, because I speak well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malaika-arora-khan/i-am-the-way-i-am-if-you-like-me-because-i-m-glamorous-so-be-it-if/) [Malaika Arora Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malaika-arora-khan/) [Browse all 8,465 Brain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If our brains were simple enough for us to understand them, we'd be so simple that we couldn't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian Stewart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us-to-understand-them-we-d-be-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us-to-understand-them-we-d-be-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/ian-stewart-28086_brain_if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us_877978.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/ian-stewart-28086_brain_if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us_877978.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bf/ian-stewart-28086_brain_if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us_877978.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If our brains were simple enough for us to understand them, we'd be so simple that we couldn't.” — Ian Stewart", "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": "Ian Stewart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If our brains were simple enough...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us-to-understand-them-we-d-be-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/if-our-brains-were-simple-enough-for-us-to-understand-them-we-d-be-so/#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 } } ] } ```