--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You put a guy on a desert island, he'll…" description: "\"You put a guy on a desert island, he'll do it to mud, a chicken, a barrel, anything, a knothole.\" — Lenny Bruce" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/lenny-bruce-4320_barrels_you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-d_3100179.jpg" --- # You put a guy on a desert island, he'll do it to mud, a… ![“You put a guy on a desert island, he'll do it to mud, a chicken, a barrel, anything, a knothole.” quote by Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/lenny-bruce-4320_barrels_you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-d_3100179.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/lenny-bruce-4320_barrels_you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-d_3100179.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/lenny-bruce-4320_barrels_you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-d_3100179.jpg) > “You put a guy on a desert island, he'll do it to mud, a chicken, a barrel, anything, a knothole.” [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People will improvise with whatever is at hand to solve problems or entertain themselves. **In simple terms:** Creativity uses any available resource. Key Takeaway Embrace resourcefulness. Themes creativity improvisation resourcefulness Mood playful resourceful Type humorous observational When to use this quote - survival games - improv comedy - team building exercises - DIY projects - emergency situations Key Concepts psychology human behavior Questions to Reflect On - What everyday items could you repurpose creatively? - When does improvisation become a hindrance? A Different Perspective May lack depth or quality compared to proper tools or materials. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Desert island](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert-island/) [Island](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/island/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) ## Related quotes > [I have to say, if someone literally said to me, 'You're going off to a desert island, what is the one thing you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/i-have-to-say-if-someone-literally-said-to-me-you-re-going-off-to-a/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [Corinne Bailey Rae I listen to a lot, and I'll hear Desert Island Discs and quickly write down the name of a song, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-manville/corinne-bailey-rae-i-listen-to-a-lot-and-i-ll-hear-desert-island/) [Lesley Manville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-manville/) > [You can't totally rebel, otherwise you have to go live on your own, on a desert island. It's as simple as that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mcgoohan/you-can-t-totally-rebel-otherwise-you-have-to-go-live-on-your-own-on/) [Patrick McGoohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mcgoohan/) > [Unless I move to a desert island with poor reception, I'll never stop speaking out!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-navarro/unless-i-move-to-a-desert-island-with-poor-reception-i-ll-never-stop/) [Ana Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-navarro/) > [You wouldn't expect it to look at him, but in a life-threatening situation you should always turn to Phillip Schofield. On a desert island…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/you-wouldn-t-expect-it-to-look-at-him-but-in-a-life-threatening/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [Someone asked me, if I were stranded on a desert island what book would I bring... 'How to Build a Boat.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/someone-asked-me-if-i-were-stranded-on-a-desert-island-what-book/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [If I had to live on a desert island, and somebody gave me a chicken, there's no way I'd kill it - I'd call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-dobson/if-i-had-to-live-on-a-desert-island-and-somebody-gave-me-a-chicken/) [Anita Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-dobson/) > [Once the country was settled and built, the bosses changed the order from a stack of educated workers to a barrel of minimum wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/once-the-country-was-settled-and-built-the-bosses-changed-the-order/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [Bod said, 'I want to see life. I want to hold it in my hands. I want to leave a footprint on the sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/bod-said-i-want-to-see-life-i-want-to-hold-it-in-my-hands-i-want-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“A sunset, almost formidable in its splendor, would be lingering in the fully exposed sky. Among its imperceptibly changing amassments, one could pick out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/a-sunset-almost-formidable-in-its-splendor-would-be-lingering-in-the/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Living in a society, instead of on a desert island, does not relieve a man of the responsibility of supporting his own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/living-in-a-society-instead-of-on-a-desert-island-does-not-relieve-a/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“For a desert island, one would choose a good dictionary rather than the greatest literary masterpiece imaginable, for, in relation to its readers, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/for-a-desert-island-one-would-choose-a-good-dictionary-rather-than/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [Here, beside this great black surface that is my desk, I feel as though I am on a desert island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/here-beside-this-great-black-surface-that-is-my-desk-i-feel-as-though/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If I had to pick one guitar to take to a desert island, I'd pick my '67 Rickenbacker 12-string, which I bought a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-campbell/if-i-had-to-pick-one-guitar-to-take-to-a-desert-island-i-d-pick-my-67/) [Mike Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-campbell/) > [“Imagine fifty thousand men trapped on a desert island, deprived of food and water and sex but somehow kept alive for fifty thousand years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/imagine-fifty-thousand-men-trapped-on-a-desert-island-deprived-of/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) ## More by Lenny Bruce > [Satire is tragedy plus time. You give it enough time, the public, the reviewers will allow you to satirize it. Which is rather ridiculous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/satire-is-tragedy-plus-time-you-give-it-enough-time-the-public-the/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [I am influenced by every second of my waking hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/i-am-influenced-by-every-second-of-my-waking-hour/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [Never trust a preacher with more than two suits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/never-trust-a-preacher-with-more-than-two-suits/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [I would be with a bunch of Kennedy fans watching the debate, and their comment would be, 'He's really slaughtering Nixon.' Then we would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/i-would-be-with-a-bunch-of-kennedy-fans-watching-the-debate-and-their/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [If you're from New York and you're Catholic, you're still Jewish. If you're from Butte Montana and you're Jewish, you're still goyisch. The Air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/if-you-re-from-new-york-and-you-re-catholic-you-re-still-jewish-if/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [I think it's about time we gave up religion and got back to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/i-think-it-s-about-time-we-gave-up-religion-and-got-back-to-god/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [Alright, let's admit it, we Jews killed Christ - but it was only for three days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/alright-let-s-admit-it-we-jews-killed-christ-but-it-was-only-for/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [“People are leaving the church and going back to God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/people-are-leaving-the-church-and-going-back-to-god/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [Dig: I'm Jewish. Count Basie's Jewish. Ray Charles is Jewish. Eddie Cantor's goyish. B'nai B'rith is goyish; Hadassah, Jewish. If you live in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/dig-i-m-jewish-count-basie-s-jewish-ray-charles-is-jewish-eddie/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [I won't say ours was a tough school, but we had our own coroner. We used to write essays like: What I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/i-won-t-say-ours-was-a-tough-school-but-we-had-our-own-coroner-we/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [“If you can't say "Fuck" you can't say, "Fuck the government.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/if-you-can-t-say-fuck-you-can-t-say-fuck-the-government/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [“Take away the right to say ‘fuck’ and you take away the right to say ‘fuck the government.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/take-away-the-right-to-say-fuck-and-you-take-away-the-right-to-say/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [The role of a comedian is to make the audience laugh, at a minimum of once every fifteen seconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/the-role-of-a-comedian-is-to-make-the-audience-laugh-at-a-minimum-of/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [If I get busted in New York, the freest city in the world, that will be the end of my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/if-i-get-busted-in-new-york-the-freest-city-in-the-world-that-will-be/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [“Liberals can understand everything but people who don't understand them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/liberals-can-understand-everything-but-people-who-don-t-understand/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) [Explore all 112 Lenny Bruce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) ## More Barrels quotes > [It's good to find the barrel of the bat again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-utley/it-s-good-to-find-the-barrel-of-the-bat-again/) [Chase Utley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-utley/) > [The benevolence of wrapping the partridge in a vine leaf brings out its quality, just as the barrel of Diogenes brought forth the qualities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-des-essarts/the-benevolence-of-wrapping-the-partridge-in-a-vine-leaf-brings-out/) Emmanuel des Essarts > [You could pay a fair market price for a barrel of oil and cut 50 cents a barrel or a dollar barrel off what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bolling/you-could-pay-a-fair-market-price-for-a-barrel-of-oil-and-cut-50/) [Eric Bolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bolling/) > [ \[Norden\] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bombsight-he-could-drop-a-bomb/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [When the landscape buckles and jerks around, when a dust column of debris rises from the collapse of a block of buildings on bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/when-the-landscape-buckles-and-jerks-around-when-a-dust-column-of/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The sudden release of five million barrels of oil, enormous quantities of methane and two million gallons of toxic dispersants into an already greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-sudden-release-of-five-million-barrels-of-oil-enormous-quantities/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [In addition, each barrel of oil we save through conservation further decreases our dangerous reliance on unstable Middle East oil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/in-addition-each-barrel-of-oil-we-save-through-conservation-further/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) > [Muzzle control has to be a religion. You cannot point that weapon at one of your brothers-or yourself. Know where you barrel is at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/muzzle-control-has-to-be-a-religion-you-cannot-point-that-weapon-at/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [The defense budget is more than a piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into pork barrels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-defense-budget-is-more-than-a-piggy-bank-for-people-who-want-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today's political leaders demonstrate their low opinion of the public with every social law they pass. They believe that, if given the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-skousen/today-s-political-leaders-demonstrate-their-low-opinion-of-the-public/) [Mark Skousen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-skousen/) > [Europe and North America, we are told, are less dependent on energy-intensive heavy industry than in the 1960s and 1970s. It seems we squeeze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/europe-and-north-america-we-are-told-are-less-dependent-on-energy/) [James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/) > [My silence is golden, I Dnt waste time on empty barrels, empty barrels make the most noise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sweetner/my-silence-is-golden-i-dnt-waste-time-on-empty-barrels-empty-barrels/) [Sweetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sweetner/) > [The desert seems to be a brown wasteland of dry, prickly scrub whose only purpose is to serve as a setting for the majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/the-desert-seems-to-be-a-brown-wasteland-of-dry-prickly-scrub-whose/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [To accept the principal that "all power proceeds from the barrel of a gun" is to accept a society which will be dominated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-douglas/to-accept-the-principal-that-all-power-proceeds-from-the-barrel-of-a/) [Tommy Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-douglas/) > [You look tired," Rachel told Jason. "I wish I could jog and sleep at the same time." "Can't you?" Ferrin asked, joining them at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mull/you-look-tired-rachel-told-jason-i-wish-i-could-jog-and-sleep-at-the/) [Brandon Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mull/) Browse all 277 Barrels quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You put a guy on a desert island, he'll do it to mud, a chicken, a barrel, anything, a knothole.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lenny Bruce" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-do-it-to-mud-a-chicken-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Barrels" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-do-it-to-mud-a-chicken-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/lenny-bruce-4320_barrels_you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-d_3100179.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/lenny-bruce-4320_barrels_you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-d_3100179.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/329/lenny-bruce-4320_barrels_you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-d_3100179.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You put a guy on a desert island, he'll do it to mud, a chicken, a barrel, anything, a knothole.” — Lenny Bruce", "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": "Lenny Bruce", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You put a guy on a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-do-it-to-mud-a-chicken-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/you-put-a-guy-on-a-desert-island-he-ll-do-it-to-mud-a-chicken-a/#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 } } ] } ```