--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The centipede, having a hundred limbs…" description: "\"“The centipede, having a hundred limbs, can find no useless feet;”\" — Kaiten Nukariya" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/kaiten-nukariya-793_quote_the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can_1647552.jpg" --- # The centipede, having a hundred limbs, can find no useless… ![“The centipede, having a hundred limbs, can find no useless feet;” quote by Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/kaiten-nukariya-793_quote_the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can_1647552.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/kaiten-nukariya-793_quote_the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can_1647552.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/kaiten-nukariya-793_quote_the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can_1647552.jpg) > ““The centipede, having a hundred limbs, can find no useless feet;”” [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Every part of a being has purpose; nothing is truly useless. **In simple terms:** All limbs have a purpose. Key Takeaway Recognize value in every aspect of life. Themes purpose interconnectedness value Mood inspirational reflective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - teamwork - personal development - ecosystem management Key Concepts biology philosophy systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - What seemingly useless part holds hidden value? - How does this view affect teamwork? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on utility can ignore nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Centipede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centipede-623322/) [Centipede Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centipede-having-623323/) [Having Limbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-limbs-623324/) [Limbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limbs/) [Limbs Useless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limbs-useless-623325/) ## Related quotes > [“If the brain dies, the limbs are useless”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjeev-beekeeper/if-the-brain-dies-the-limbs-are-useless/) [Sanjeev Beekeeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjeev-beekeeper/) > [Often people ask how I manage to be happy despite having no arms and no legs. The quick answer is that I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/often-people-ask-how-i-manage-to-be-happy-despite-having-no-arms-and/) [Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/) > [I'm not a big fan of spiders, rats, especially if they're like - I got up one morning on a holiday recently, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-spiders-rats-especially-if-they-re-like-i-got-up/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [“...an arthropod with twenty-one body segments and forty-two legs, is commonly called a centipede (one hundred feet) in English and a "mille-pattes" (thousand legs)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/an-arthropod-with-twenty-one-body-segments-and-forty-two-legs-is/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“There may be people who like centipedes... Personally, I would regard such an individual with deep suspicion. I have just petted my cat: "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-may-be-people-who-like-centipedes-personally-i-would-regard/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Or a mother might look at her child's cheek and ask him: "What's that, a pimple?" and see the flesh puff out a little,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/or-a-mother-might-look-at-her-child-s-cheek-and-ask-him-what-s-that-a/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“...so many knives and forks and spoons were not meant for a human being but for a centipede...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/so-many-knives-and-forks-and-spoons-were-not-meant-for-a-human-being/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“They say only love can create, so who the fuck could love up a centipede? He's got more love in him than I got.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/they-say-only-love-can-create-so-who-the-fuck-could-love-up-a/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Would you mind washing my feet? I’m a centipede, so it may take you a century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/would-you-mind-washing-my-feet-i-m-a-centipede-so-it-may-take-you-a/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Now what sort of man or woman or monster would stroke a centipede I have ever seen? And here is my good big centipede!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/now-what-sort-of-man-or-woman-or-monster-would-stroke-a-centipede-i/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I don't go into hysterics or anything, but I look around for something to smash it with. I used to live out in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-don-t-go-into-hysterics-or-anything-but-i-look-around-for-something/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“After the shot he collapsed on the bed and lay there inert, but something was stirring in his spine from neck to the tail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/after-the-shot-he-collapsed-on-the-bed-and-lay-there-inert-but/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“A centipede the size of a Pontiac had once lived in the bottom-right corner of the trunk but had long since moved on once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/a-centipede-the-size-of-a-pontiac-had-once-lived-in-the-bottom-right/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [If your stature were an illness, it seems that the Centipede dispenses medicine to make you well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheshire-cat/if-your-stature-were-an-illness-it-seems-that-the-centipede-dispenses/) [Cheshire Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheshire-cat/) > [“The centipede was happy, quite, Until a toad in fun Said, “Pray, which leg goes after which?” This worked his mind to such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/the-centipede-was-happy-quite-until-a-toad-in-fun-said-pray-which-leg/) [Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/) ## More by Kaiten Nukariya > [“the new theory of matter has entirely over thrown the old conception of the unchanging atoms, and they are now regarded to be composed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/the-new-theory-of-matter-has-entirely-over-thrown-the-old-conception/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“5. Nature is the Mother of All Things. Furthermore, man has come into existence out of Nature. He is her child. She provided him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/5-nature-is-the-mother-of-all-things-furthermore-man-has-come-into/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [ “Rin-zai also says: "Spirit is formless, but it penetrates through the world in the ten directions."\[FN#149\] The Sixth Patriarch expresses the same idea more… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/rin-zai-also-says-spirit-is-formless-but-it-penetrates-through-the/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“(O-yo-mei) won a splendid victory over the rebel army which threatened the throne of the Ming dynasty. During that warfare Wang was giving a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/o-yo-mei-won-a-splendid-victory-over-the-rebel-army-which-threatened/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“in the use of the terms 'good' and 'bad.' Now let us examine how does good differ from bad. A good action ever promotes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/in-the-use-of-the-terms-good-and-bad-now-let-us-examine-how-does-good/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“Although all sentient beings are endowed with this Enlightened Consciousness, they are not aware of its existence, excepting men who can discover it by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/although-all-sentient-beings-are-endowed-with-this-enlightened/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“There are a good many people always buoyant in spirit and mirthful in appearance as if born optimists. There are also no fewer persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/there-are-a-good-many-people-always-buoyant-in-spirit-and-mirthful-in/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [ “it is the overcoming of egoism, the destroying of mean desires, the uplifting of the moral ideal, and the disclosing of inborn wisdom. \[FN#12\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/it-is-the-overcoming-of-egoism-the-destroying-of-mean-desires-the/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [ “The fourth stage is called the Rank of Co-operative Merit,\[FN#273\] in which the student 'co-operates' with other persons in order to complete his merit.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/the-fourth-stage-is-called-the-rank-of-co-operative-merit-fn-273-in/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“It is bare nonsense to say that I go to school, not to be educated as a member of society, but simply to gratify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/it-is-bare-nonsense-to-say-that-i-go-to-school-not-to-be-educated-as/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“8. The Application of the Law of Causation to Morals. Although it may be needless to state here the law of causation at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/8-the-application-of-the-law-of-causation-to-morals-although-it-may/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“Men of longevity never carried troubles to their beds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/men-of-longevity-never-carried-troubles-to-their-beds/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [ “2. The Errors of Philosophical Pessimists and Religious Optimists. Philosophical pessimists\[FN#214\] maintain that there are on earth many more causes of pain than of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/2-the-errors-of-philosophical-pessimists-and-religious-optimists/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [ “4. Man is neither Good-natured nor Bad-natured according to Su Shih (So-shoku).\[FN#164\] The difficulty may be avoided by a theory given by Su Shih… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/4-man-is-neither-good-natured-nor-bad-natured-according-to-su-shih-so/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“Over against these generalizations we raise no objection, but there are many cases, in practical life, of doubtful nature. An act of charity, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/over-against-these-generalizations-we-raise-no-objection-but-there/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) [Explore all 367 Kaiten Nukariya quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) ## More Limbs quotes > [May nothing entice me till I happily make my way to Jesus Christ! Fire, cross, struggles with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/may-nothing-entice-me-till-i-happily-make-my-way-to-jesus-christ-fire/) [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [There are believers who by God's grace, have climbed the mountains of full assurance and near communion, their place is with the eagle in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/there-are-believers-who-by-god-s-grace-have-climbed-the-mountains-of/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [All my life I have gone out on a limb, but I have turned the limb into a bridge, and there is cool, clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/all-my-life-i-have-gone-out-on-a-limb-but-i-have-turned-the-limb-into/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [I was acquainted once with a gallant soldier who assured me that his only measure of courage was this: upon the first fire, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/i-was-acquainted-once-with-a-gallant-soldier-who-assured-me-that-his/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/at-this-point-two-elderly-security-guards-in-parkas-the-guys-who/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Life are only as long as beautiful Until your limbs are intact,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/life-are-only-as-long-as-beautiful-until-your-limbs-are-intact/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing - just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-marston/when-was-the-last-time-you-spent-a-quiet-moment-just-doing-nothing/) [Ralph Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-marston/) > [To live without having a Cicero and a Tacitus at hand seems to me as if it was aprivation of one of my limbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/to-live-without-having-a-cicero-and-a-tacitus-at-hand-seems-to-me-as/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the monkey mind. The thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-am-burdened-with-what-the-buddhists-call-the-monkey-mind-the/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [Have you been called to go out on a limb for God? You can bet it won't be easy. Limb-climbing has never been easy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/have-you-been-called-to-go-out-on-a-limb-for-god-you-can-bet-it-won-t/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [You're unwilling to go out on a limb because it just might break underneath you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-re-unwilling-to-go-out-on-a-limb-because-it-just-might-break/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Put yourself out on a limb, sucka, like me!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/put-yourself-out-on-a-limb-sucka-like-me/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) [Browse all 525 Limbs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limbs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The centipede, having a hundred limbs, can find no useless feet;”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kaiten Nukariya" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can-find-no-useless-feet/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Limbs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can-find-no-useless-feet/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/kaiten-nukariya-793_quote_the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can_1647552.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/kaiten-nukariya-793_quote_the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can_1647552.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/kaiten-nukariya-793_quote_the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can_1647552.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The centipede, having a hundred limbs, can find no useless feet;” — Kaiten Nukariya", "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": "Kaiten Nukariya", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The centipede, having a hundred limbs,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can-find-no-useless-feet/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/the-centipede-having-a-hundred-limbs-can-find-no-useless-feet/#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 } } ] } ```