--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It took a freaking genius to put this…" description: "\"“It took a freaking genius to put this together, Michael.\" I hefted my staff. \"Fortunately,\" I said, and took a two-handed swing at the nearest stand o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/jim-butcher-151_destruction_it-took-a-freaking-genius-to-put-this-to_1859218.png" --- # It took a freaking genius to put this together, Michael."… ![“It took a freaking genius to put this together, Michael." I hefted my staff. "Fortunately," I said, and took a two-handed swing at the nearest stand of slender, delicate crystal. It shattered with gratifying ease, and the encasing light around the greater circle began to waver and dissipate. "It…” quote by Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/jim-butcher-151_destruction_it-took-a-freaking-genius-to-put-this-to_1859218.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/jim-butcher-151_destruction_it-took-a-freaking-genius-to-put-this-to_1859218.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/jim-butcher-151_destruction_it-took-a-freaking-genius-to-put-this-to_1859218.png) > ““It took a freaking genius to put this together, Michael." I hefted my staff. "Fortunately," I said, and took a two-handed swing at the nearest stand of slender, delicate crystal. It shattered with gratifying ease, and the encasing light around the greater circle began to waver and dissipate. "It only takes a monkey with a big stick to take it apart.”” [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A powerful artifact can be destroyed with a simple, forceful action, despite its complex appearance. **In simple terms:** Simple force can undo complex things. Key Takeaway Use bold action to break difficult problems. Themes power simplicity action deception strength Mood determined confident adventurous Type advice strategy inspirational When to use this quote - combat - problem solving - breaking enchantments - quick decisions Key Concepts mythic artifacts force dynamics overcoming complexity Questions to Reflect On - What seemingly complex problem could be solved with a straightforward approach? - When is brute force inappropriate? A Different Perspective Simple force may not work on all obstacles; sometimes subtlety is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big Stick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-stick/) [Crystal Shattered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crystal-shattered-2491991/) [Delicate Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delicate-crystal-2491993/) [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Hefted Staff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hefted-staff-2491992/) [Shattered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shattered/) [Shattered Gratifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shattered-gratifying-2491994/) ## Related quotes > [Your crystal? That's silly. Whom do you think you are fooling? Come on, everyone knows that I threw the baby out of the window.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-crystal-that-s-silly-whom-do-you-think-you-are-fooling-come-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Majesty, A frozen swamp. 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If the American nation will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-is-a-homely-old-adage-which-runs-speak-softly-and-carry-a-big/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“At the zoo, I stood in front of the primate cage listening to a woman marvel at how “presidential” the four-hundred-pound gorilla looked sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/at-the-zoo-i-stood-in-front-of-the-primate-cage-listening-to-a-woman/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [“I'd tell you to shove your condescending tone up your ass, but a big stick got there first. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-jayne/i-d-tell-you-to-shove-your-condescending-tone-up-your-ass-but-a-big/) [Dawn Jayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-jayne/) > [What I hate is the thought of being under a man's thumb," I had told Doctor Nolan. 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A strong, intelligent woman with the beauty to launch ships and the courage to follow them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-hooper/she-was-one-in-a-million-tyler-was-a-strong-intelligent-woman-with/) [Kay Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-hooper/) > [“Speak softly, but carry a big stick. —Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. president”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/speak-softly-but-carry-a-big-stick-theodore-roosevelt-u-s-president/) [Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/) > [“Speak softly and carry a big stick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-roosevelt/speak-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick/) [Teddy Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-roosevelt/) > [The president has a big stick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/the-president-has-a-big-stick/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [My mother used to say when we were children, 'When a boy gets a stick in his hand, his brains run out the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/my-mother-used-to-say-when-we-were-children-when-a-boy-gets-a-stick/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) ## More by Jim Butcher > [“I stared at MacFinn for a long moment. I believed that he was telling me the truth. 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I'm gone for a few months and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-swear-this-stupid-town-why-does-every-hideous-supernatural-thing/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Well. We’ll just have to hope that this wasn’t a loup-garou, I guess.” “If it was a louper, you’d know,” Bob said wisely. “In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/well-we-ll-just-have-to-hope-that-this-wasn-t-a-loup-garou-i-guess-if/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“I'm going to use them to track him down and thwart him." "Thwart?" Sarissa asked. "Thwart." I said. "To prevent someone from accomplishing something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-m-going-to-use-them-to-track-him-down-and-thwart-him-thwart-sarissa/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“But you can't go around changing your definition of right and wrong (or smart and stupid) just because doing the wrong thing happens to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/but-you-can-t-go-around-changing-your-definition-of-right-and-wrong/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“Not everyone can be equally right, Harry.” “But believe you me, everyone can be equally wrong,” I said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/not-everyone-can-be-equally-right-harry-but-believe-you-me-everyone/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [You are a drug dealer. To tiny faeries. Shame." Sanya to Dresden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/you-are-a-drug-dealer-to-tiny-faeries-shame-sanya-to-dresden/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“He fell into step beside me and we both got into the Blue Beetle — he got in the red door. I got in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/he-fell-into-step-beside-me-and-we-both-got-into-the-blue-beetle-he/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Something like this will test you like nothing else," Mac said. "You're going to find out who you are, Harry. You're going to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/something-like-this-will-test-you-like-nothing-else-mac-said-you-re/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“Mort looked at the cat and sighed. “Oh, sure. 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And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hundreds of millions of human beings on our planet increasingly suffer from unemployment, poverty, hunger, and the destruction of their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-kung/hundreds-of-millions-of-human-beings-on-our-planet-increasingly/) [Hans Kung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-kung/) > [Away with you, water, destruction of wine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catullus/away-with-you-water-destruction-of-wine/) [Catullus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catullus/) > [Some voluntary castaways there will always be, whom no fostering kindness and no parental care can preserve from self-destruction; but if any are lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/some-voluntary-castaways-there-will-always-be-whom-no-fostering/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Is there some lesson on how to be friends? 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