--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you sell, say, two thousand copies, it…" description: "\"“If you sell, say, two thousand copies, it is the same thing as if you had sold nothing at all because two thousand is too vast—I mean, for the imagina..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7d/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_if-you-sell-say-two-thousand-copies-it-i_385864.jpg" --- # If you sell, say, two thousand copies, it is the same… ![“If you sell, say, two thousand copies, it is the same thing as if you had sold nothing at all because two thousand is too vast—I mean, for the imagination to grasp. While thirty-seven people—perhaps thirty-seven are too many, perhaps seventeen would have been better or even seven—but still…” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7d/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_if-you-sell-say-two-thousand-copies-it-i_385864.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7d/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_if-you-sell-say-two-thousand-copies-it-i_385864.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7d/jorge-luis-borges-275_books_if-you-sell-say-two-thousand-copies-it-i_385864.jpg) > ““If you sell, say, two thousand copies, it is the same thing as if you had sold nothing at all because two thousand is too vast—I mean, for the imagination to grasp. While thirty-seven people—perhaps thirty-seven are too many, perhaps seventeen would have been better or even seven—but still thirty-seven are still within the scope of one's imagination.”” [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how large numbers become abstract and hard to visualize, while smaller, concrete numbers are easier for the mind to grasp. **In simple terms:** Huge numbers feel abstract; small numbers feel concrete. Key Takeaway Use concrete examples to make ideas relatable. Themes perception scale communication Mood thoughtful analytical Type educational explanatory When to use this quote - marketing pitches - educational explanations - data presentation - budget planning Key Concepts cognitive psychology numeracy visualization Questions to Reflect On - How can you make big data understandable? - When does detail become noise? A Different Perspective Large numbers can overwhelm and obscure meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Popularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popularity/) [Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers/) ## Related quotes > [“What could be more irrational, even if ten or fifteen persons, or even, let us suppose, a hundred, for they certainly will not say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-the-apostate/what-could-be-more-irrational-even-if-ten-or-fifteen-persons-or-even/) [Julian the Apostate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-the-apostate/) > [I said it once, I said it twice ill say it a thousand fucking times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bring-me-the-horizan/i-said-it-once-i-said-it-twice-ill-say-it-a-thousand-fucking-times/) Bring Me The Horizan > [Say a word, say a thousand to me on the telephone and I shall choose the wrong one to cling to as though you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/say-a-word-say-a-thousand-to-me-on-the-telephone-and-i-shall-choose/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [It is axiomatic among writers that no one ever sues the writer of an unsuccessful book. 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Roget felt immense pride when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-kendall/the-thousand-copies-of-the-first-edition-published-in-may-1852-priced/) [Joshua Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-kendall/) > [There is only one sort of love, but there are a thousand copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aly-johnson/there-is-only-one-sort-of-love-but-there-are-a-thousand-copies/) [Aly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aly-johnson/) > [Only another writer, someone who had worked his heart out on a good book which sold three thousand copies, could appreciate the thrill that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/only-another-writer-someone-who-had-worked-his-heart-out-on-a-good/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [We were at Pye Studios for half an hour so we set the gear up and we did two tracks. 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You have to give something in exchange for it, and that's the dangerous part of the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bringhurst/popularity-isn-t-just-something-that-happens-you-have-to-give/) [Robert Bringhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bringhurst/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) ## More by Jorge Luis Borges > [“No hables a menos que puedas mejorar el silencio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/no-hables-a-menos-que-puedas-mejorar-el-silencio/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [How can we manage to illuminate the pathos of our lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/how-can-we-manage-to-illuminate-the-pathos-of-our-lives/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Loneliness does not worry me; life is difficult enough, putting up with yourself and with your own habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/loneliness-does-not-worry-me-life-is-difficult-enough-putting-up-with/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The fact is that all writers create their precursors. 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People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. 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