--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The human mind works at low efficiency…" description: "\"The human mind works at low efficiency. Twenty percent is the figure usually given. When, momentarily, there is a flash of greater power, it is termed ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/isaac-asimov-309_efficiency_the-human-mind-works-at-low-efficiency-t_69852.jpg" --- # The human mind works at low efficiency. Twenty percent is… ![“The human mind works at low efficiency. Twenty percent is the figure usually given. When, momentarily, there is a flash of greater power, it is termed a hunch, or insight, or intuition.” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/isaac-asimov-309_efficiency_the-human-mind-works-at-low-efficiency-t_69852.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/isaac-asimov-309_efficiency_the-human-mind-works-at-low-efficiency-t_69852.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/isaac-asimov-309_efficiency_the-human-mind-works-at-low-efficiency-t_69852.jpg) > “The human mind works at low efficiency. Twenty percent is the figure usually given. When, momentarily, there is a flash of greater power, it is termed a hunch, or insight, or intuition.” [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind typically operates at a fraction of its capacity; occasional bursts of heightened cognition appear as hunches or insights. **In simple terms:** Mind efficiency is low; insights are rare spikes. Key Takeaway Insight is a brief surge beyond normal mental output. Themes cognition efficiency intuition creativity psychology Mood curiosity wonder anticipation Type observation reflection insight When to use this quote - problem solving - creative brainstorming - decision making - research - strategic planning Key Concepts mental capacity cognitive spikes intuition Practical Applications - enhance decision quality - stimulate innovation Questions to Reflect On - When do you notice your best ideas emerge? - How can you create conditions that foster insight? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Efficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efficiency/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Hunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunch/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) ## Related quotes > [What is reality anyway! 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And if he was from Sugarland,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-fox/hunch-he-d-seen-me-and-if-he-was-from-sugarland/) [Angie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-fox/) > [“Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts; it may be all you have to trust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-murray/sometimes-you-just-have-to-trust-your-instincts-it-may-be-all-you/) [Jocelyn Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-murray/) ## More by Isaac Asimov > [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Uncertainty that comes from knowledge (knowing what you don't know) is different from uncertainty coming from ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/uncertainty-that-comes-from-knowledge-knowing-what-you-don-t-know-is/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Don't you see? 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Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. 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