--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Usually, when someone announces they’re a…" description: "\"“Usually, when someone announces they’re a “nonlinear thinker” they’re about to apologize for losing something you lent them.”\" — Jordan Ellenberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/jordan-ellenberg-15468_nonlinear_usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a_2783411.jpg" --- # Usually, when someone announces they’re a “nonlinear… ![“Usually, when someone announces they’re a “nonlinear thinker” they’re about to apologize for losing something you lent them.” quote by Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/jordan-ellenberg-15468_nonlinear_usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a_2783411.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/jordan-ellenberg-15468_nonlinear_usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a_2783411.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/jordan-ellenberg-15468_nonlinear_usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a_2783411.jpg) > ““Usually, when someone announces they’re a “nonlinear thinker” they’re about to apologize for losing something you lent them.”” [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Claiming to be a nonlinear thinker often masks an apology for losing borrowed items. **In simple terms:** Nonlinear thinkers may excuse losing things. Key Takeaway Be honest about mistakes. Themes cognition humor accountability Mood witty critical Type essay humor When to use this quote - workplace accountability - personal honesty - team dynamics Key Concepts psychology logic communication Questions to Reflect On - Why hide errors behind jargon? - Can “nonlinear” be a genuine trait? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Announces Nonlinear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/announces-nonlinear-3327304/) [Apologize Losing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologize-losing-3327303/) [Nonlinear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonlinear/) [Nonlinear Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonlinear-thinker-3327302/) [Thinker Apologize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinker-apologize-3327301/) ## Related quotes > [You apologize for losing in the playoffs, but you don't apologize for getting in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rivera/you-apologize-for-losing-in-the-playoffs-but-you-don-t-apologize-for/) [Ron Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rivera/) > [“Nonlinear thinking means which way you should go depends on where you already are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/nonlinear-thinking-means-which-way-you-should-go-depends-on-where-you/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [Man is the only 150 pound nonlinear servomechanism that can be wholly reproduced by unskilled labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/man-is-the-only-150-pound-nonlinear-servomechanism-that-can-be-wholly/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [Our task now is to resynthesize biology; put the organism back into its environment; connect it again to its evolutionary past; and let us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-woese/our-task-now-is-to-resynthesize-biology-put-the-organism-back-into/) [Carl Woese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-woese/) > [To grasp organizational life as it is, read novels (!) … It is my fervent belief that we will never design rational processes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/to-grasp-organizational-life-as-it-is-read-novels-it-is-my-fervent/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Synergistic convergence is the most important idea we have at our disposal to prevent collapse scenarios and move forward in a nonlinear manner toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-marx-hubbard/synergistic-convergence-is-the-most-important-idea-we-have-at-our/) [Barbara Marx Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-marx-hubbard/) > [The global climate is a complex interactive system, with all kinds of nonlinear feedback loops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/the-global-climate-is-a-complex-interactive-system-with-all-kinds-of/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [ The film \[Dream of Life\] came together when we started editing; it was organic, it became nonlinear and it was its own animal. And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sebring/the-film-dream-of-life-came-together-when-we-started-editing-it-was/) [Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sebring/) > [Healing is super nonlinear and one thing can set you back two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-victor/healing-is-super-nonlinear-and-one-thing-can-set-you-back-two-years/) [Eva Victor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-victor/) > [In complex systems, one can think about linear interactions and complex or nonlinear interactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeynep-tufekci/in-complex-systems-one-can-think-about-linear-interactions-and/) [Zeynep Tufekci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeynep-tufekci/) > [“One of the ideas of this book is to give the reader a possibility to develop problem-solving skills using both systems, to solve various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inna-k-shingareva/one-of-the-ideas-of-this-book-is-to-give-the-reader-a-possibility-to/) [Inna K. Shingareva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inna-k-shingareva/) > [nonlinear interactions almost always make the behavior of the aggregate more complicated than would be predicted by summing or averaging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-holland/nonlinear-interactions-almost-always-make-the-behavior-of-the/) [John Henry Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-holland/) > [“It becomes complex if things do interact, particularly in the case of “nonlinear” interaction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/it-becomes-complex-if-things-do-interact-particularly-in-the-case-of/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [I think readers either love or hate nonlinear storytelling, and it's true that it can be more difficult, both to write and to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-benjamin/i-think-readers-either-love-or-hate-nonlinear-storytelling-and-it-s/) [Chloe Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-benjamin/) > [Of course the word chaos is used in rather a vague sense by a lot of writers, but in physics it means a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/of-course-the-word-chaos-is-used-in-rather-a-vague-sense-by-a-lot-of/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) ## More by Jordan Ellenberg > [My reading practice is one reason I mostly don't read electronically. Different books are in different rooms of my house, and one is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/my-reading-practice-is-one-reason-i-mostly-don-t-read-electronically/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Knowing mathematics is like wearing a pair of X-ray specs that reveal hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/knowing-mathematics-is-like-wearing-a-pair-of-x-ray-specs-that-reveal/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“numerically flavored advice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/numerically-flavored-advice/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“If you decide what color jelly beans to eat based just on the papers that get published, you’re making the same mistake the army…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/if-you-decide-what-color-jelly-beans-to-eat-based-just-on-the-papers/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Risky strategies can be analyzed numerically; uncertain strategies, Ellsberg suggested, were beyond the bounds of formal mathematical analysis”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/risky-strategies-can-be-analyzed-numerically-uncertain-strategies/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Mathematics is common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/mathematics-is-common-sense/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“if we now feel comfortable rejecting the conclusions of the Witztum study, what does that say about the reliability of our standard statistical tests?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/if-we-now-feel-comfortable-rejecting-the-conclusions-of-the-witztum/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“His most famous paradox goes like this. I decide to walk to the ice cream store. Now certainly I can’t get to the ice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/his-most-famous-paradox-goes-like-this-i-decide-to-walk-to-the-ice/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Data is messy, and inference is hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/data-is-messy-and-inference-is-hard/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Math is a science of not being wrong about things,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/math-is-a-science-of-not-being-wrong-about-things/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“scientists and statisticians have already been worrying about them for quite some time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/scientists-and-statisticians-have-already-been-worrying-about-them/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“torturing the data until it confesses,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/torturing-the-data-until-it-confesses/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Nonlinear thinking means which way you should go depends on where you already are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/nonlinear-thinking-means-which-way-you-should-go-depends-on-where-you/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Yes, the existence of human life is evidence for the existence of God; but it’s much better evidence that our world was programmed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/yes-the-existence-of-human-life-is-evidence-for-the-existence-of-god/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/if-he-fails-at-least-fails-while-daring-greatly/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) [Explore all 43 Jordan Ellenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) ## More Nonlinear quotes > [Of course the word chaos is used in rather a vague sense by a lot of writers, but in physics it means a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/of-course-the-word-chaos-is-used-in-rather-a-vague-sense-by-a-lot-of/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) > [I think readers either love or hate nonlinear storytelling, and it's true that it can be more difficult, both to write and to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-benjamin/i-think-readers-either-love-or-hate-nonlinear-storytelling-and-it-s/) [Chloe Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-benjamin/) > [“It becomes complex if things do interact, particularly in the case of “nonlinear” interaction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/it-becomes-complex-if-things-do-interact-particularly-in-the-case-of/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [nonlinear interactions almost always make the behavior of the aggregate more complicated than would be predicted by summing or averaging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-holland/nonlinear-interactions-almost-always-make-the-behavior-of-the/) [John Henry Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-holland/) > [“Nonlinear thinking means which way you should go depends on where you already are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/nonlinear-thinking-means-which-way-you-should-go-depends-on-where-you/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“One of the ideas of this book is to give the reader a possibility to develop problem-solving skills using both systems, to solve various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inna-k-shingareva/one-of-the-ideas-of-this-book-is-to-give-the-reader-a-possibility-to/) [Inna K. Shingareva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inna-k-shingareva/) > [In complex systems, one can think about linear interactions and complex or nonlinear interactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeynep-tufekci/in-complex-systems-one-can-think-about-linear-interactions-and/) [Zeynep Tufekci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeynep-tufekci/) > [Healing is super nonlinear and one thing can set you back two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-victor/healing-is-super-nonlinear-and-one-thing-can-set-you-back-two-years/) [Eva Victor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-victor/) > [ The film \[Dream of Life\] came together when we started editing; it was organic, it became nonlinear and it was its own animal. And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sebring/the-film-dream-of-life-came-together-when-we-started-editing-it-was/) [Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sebring/) > [The global climate is a complex interactive system, with all kinds of nonlinear feedback loops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/the-global-climate-is-a-complex-interactive-system-with-all-kinds-of/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [Synergistic convergence is the most important idea we have at our disposal to prevent collapse scenarios and move forward in a nonlinear manner toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-marx-hubbard/synergistic-convergence-is-the-most-important-idea-we-have-at-our/) [Barbara Marx Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-marx-hubbard/) > [To grasp organizational life as it is, read novels (!) … It is my fervent belief that we will never design rational processes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/to-grasp-organizational-life-as-it-is-read-novels-it-is-my-fervent/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Our task now is to resynthesize biology; put the organism back into its environment; connect it again to its evolutionary past; and let us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-woese/our-task-now-is-to-resynthesize-biology-put-the-organism-back-into/) [Carl Woese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-woese/) > [Man is the only 150 pound nonlinear servomechanism that can be wholly reproduced by unskilled labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/man-is-the-only-150-pound-nonlinear-servomechanism-that-can-be-wholly/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [For a smart material to be able to send out a more complex signal it needs to be nonlinear. If you hit a tuning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gershenfeld/for-a-smart-material-to-be-able-to-send-out-a-more-complex-signal-it/) [Neil Gershenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gershenfeld/) [Browse all 24 Nonlinear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonlinear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Usually, when someone announces they’re a “nonlinear thinker” they’re about to apologize for losing something you lent them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jordan Ellenberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a-nonlinear-thinker-they-re/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nonlinear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a-nonlinear-thinker-they-re/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/jordan-ellenberg-15468_nonlinear_usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a_2783411.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/jordan-ellenberg-15468_nonlinear_usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a_2783411.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b21/jordan-ellenberg-15468_nonlinear_usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a_2783411.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Usually, when someone announces they’re a “nonlinear thinker” they’re about to apologize for losing…” — Jordan Ellenberg", "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": "Jordan Ellenberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Usually, when someone announces they’re a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a-nonlinear-thinker-they-re/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/usually-when-someone-announces-they-re-a-nonlinear-thinker-they-re/#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 } } ] } ```