--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a planet in the Solar System…" description: "\"“There is a planet in the Solar System where the people are so stupid they didn't catch on for a million years that there was another half to their pla..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/kurt-vonnegut-41_million-years_there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-wh_472021.jpg" --- # There is a planet in the Solar System where the people are… ![“There is a planet in the Solar System where the people are so stupid they didn't catch on for a million years that there was another half to their planet.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/kurt-vonnegut-41_million-years_there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-wh_472021.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/kurt-vonnegut-41_million-years_there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-wh_472021.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/kurt-vonnegut-41_million-years_there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-wh_472021.jpg) > ““There is a planet in the Solar System where the people are so stupid they didn't catch on for a million years that there was another half to their planet.”” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## 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 satically critiques a society’s willful ignorance and stagnation over vast time periods. **In simple terms:** A society can stay ignorant for ages. Key Takeaway Question assumptions and seek knowledge. Themes ignorance stagnation satire Mood cynical reflective Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - education reform - media literacy - public policy - community dialogue Key Concepts critical thinking social critique Questions to Reflect On - What evidence shows a society’s ignorance is self‑imposed? - How can we break cycles of collective denial? A Different Perspective It may overlook the role of external oppression in maintaining ignorance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Half Planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-planet-1128436/) [Million years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-years/) [People Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-stupid/) [Solar system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solar-system/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Stupid Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-didn-1726042/) ## Related quotes > [“There is a planet in the Solar System where the people are so stupid they didn't catch on for a million years that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-where-the-people-are-so-stupid-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [We didn't have lawyers and accountants. No one was watching out for our money. We'd go to the office and get money and go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jones/we-didn-t-have-lawyers-and-accountants-no-one-was-watching-out-for/) [Steve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jones/) > [Picture anybody growing up so stupid he didn't know that hope is just another phase you'll grow out of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/picture-anybody-growing-up-so-stupid-he-didn-t-know-that-hope-is-just/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I wasn't so stupid that I didn't realize the implications of what they were saying. In my live work I was going for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-wasn-t-so-stupid-that-i-didn-t-realize-the-implications-of-what/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [She would be half a planet away, floating in a turquoise sea, dancing by moonlight to flamenco guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/she-would-be-half-a-planet-away-floating-in-a-turquoise-sea-dancing/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [It's really important for boys to see that girls take up half of the planet - which we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-davis/it-s-really-important-for-boys-to-see-that-girls-take-up-half-of-the/) [Geena Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-davis/) > [I discovered that close to half the planet is 'pristine.' We live in towns such as London, Paris or Sao Paulo and have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-discovered-that-close-to-half-the-planet-is-pristine-we-live-in/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [About two million years ago, man appeared. He has become the dominant species on the earth. All other living things, animal and plant, live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/about-two-million-years-ago-man-appeared-he-has-become-the-dominant/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [“It was a big mistake for me to take a degree in anthropology anyway, because I can't stand primitive people — they're so stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/it-was-a-big-mistake-for-me-to-take-a-degree-in-anthropology-anyway/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“What Can a Thoughtful Man Hope for Mankind on Earth, Given the Eperience of the Past Million Years?' nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-can-a-thoughtful-man-hope-for-mankind-on-earth-given-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“In the year Ten Million, according to Koradubian, there would be a tremendous house-cleaning. All records relating to the period between the death of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/in-the-year-ten-million-according-to-koradubian-there-would-be-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The Fourteenth Book is entitled, "What can a Thoughtful Man Hope for Mankind on Earth, Given the Experience of the Past Million Years?" It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-fourteenth-book-is-entitled-what-can-a-thoughtful-man-hope-for/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Take it from somebody who has been around for a million years: When you get right down to it, food is practically the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/take-it-from-somebody-who-has-been-around-for-a-million-years-when/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [It pains me even now, even a million years later, to write about such human misbehaviour. A million years later, I feel like apologizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/it-pains-me-even-now-even-a-million-years-later-to-write-about-such/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“If "the Nature Cruise of the Century" had come off as planned, the division of duties would have been typical of the management of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/if-the-nature-cruise-of-the-century-had-come-off-as-planned-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Million years quotes > [I spent a million years looking for you and all I got is half of my heart for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meow/i-spent-a-million-years-looking-for-you-and-all-i-got-is-half-of-my/) [Meow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meow/) > [A million years of evolution, Eric said bitterly, and what are we? Animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/a-million-years-of-evolution-eric-said-bitterly-and-what-are-we/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“A very long time ago, some 2.5 million years B.C., the mother of human species as we know it, our ultimate ancestor, appeared in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/a-very-long-time-ago-some-2-5-million-years-b-c-the-mother-of-human/) [Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/) > [No, I would never in a million years compare anything we've done to anything we've previously done. I don't believe in it - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-root/no-i-would-never-in-a-million-years-compare-anything-we-ve-done-to/) [Jim Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-root/) > [“In God's scheme what is a few billion years here and there. Perhaps there have come and gone a dozen human civilizations in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/in-god-s-scheme-what-is-a-few-billion-years-here-and-there-perhaps/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [Sometimes,” he said after a second that lasted a million years, “things get broken. And they can’t be fixed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-hart/sometimes-he-said-after-a-second-that-lasted-a-million-years-things/) [Megan Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-hart/) > [Singularity is the point at which "all the change in the last million years will be superseded by the change in the next five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/singularity-is-the-point-at-which-all-the-change-in-the-last-million/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [Well lose more species of plants and animals between 2000 and 2065 than weve lost in the last 65 million years. If we dont…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/well-lose-more-species-of-plants-and-animals-between-2000-and-2065/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [While our world is shaking and crumbling, we need to realize that one thing will never change, and that is God. He is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/while-our-world-is-shaking-and-crumbling-we-need-to-realize-that-one/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [I would have never thought in a million years that I would appeal to an Avril fan. But I'm glad that I do because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-walker/i-would-have-never-thought-in-a-million-years-that-i-would-appeal-to/) [Butch Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-walker/) > [“No, my point is that life on earth can take of itself. In the thinking of a human being, a hundred years is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/no-my-point-is-that-life-on-earth-can-take-of-itself-in-the-thinking/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [I will hold you for a million years to make you feel my love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-will-hold-you-for-a-million-years-to-make-you-feel-my-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So, the ant way of life is very ancient and very successful. As far as human beings are concerned, we've been around for only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/so-the-ant-way-of-life-is-very-ancient-and-very-successful-as-far-as/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [“The rain would fall, the plants would grow, the animals would eat and kill and die and grow again, and the ghost of sentient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-wells/the-rain-would-fall-the-plants-would-grow-the-animals-would-eat-and/) [Dan Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-wells/) > [I never in a million years thought I would be able to be a Paralympic athlete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oksana-masters/i-never-in-a-million-years-thought-i-would-be-able-to-be-a-paralympic/) [Oksana Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oksana-masters/) [Browse all 236 Million years quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-years/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is a planet in the Solar System where the people are so stupid they didn't catch on for a million years that there was another half to their planet.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-where-the-people-are-so-stupid/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Million years" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-where-the-people-are-so-stupid/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/kurt-vonnegut-41_million-years_there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-wh_472021.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/kurt-vonnegut-41_million-years_there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-wh_472021.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/kurt-vonnegut-41_million-years_there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-wh_472021.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is a planet in the Solar System where the people are so stupid they didn't catch on for a million…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There is a planet in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-where-the-people-are-so-stupid/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-is-a-planet-in-the-solar-system-where-the-people-are-so-stupid/#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 } } ] } ```