--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Embedded in the mud, glistening green and…" description: "\"“Embedded in the mud, glistening green and gold and black, was a butterfly, very beautiful and very dead. It fell to the floor, an exquisite thing, a s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/leonard-a-smith-76113_dominoes_embedded-in-the-mud-glistening-green-and_523202.jpg" --- # Embedded in the mud, glistening green and gold and black… ![“Embedded in the mud, glistening green and gold and black, was a butterfly, very beautiful and very dead. It fell to the floor, an exquisite thing, a small thing that could upset balances and knock down a line of small dominoes and then big dominoes and then gigantic dominoes, all down the years…” quote by Leonard A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/leonard-a-smith-76113_dominoes_embedded-in-the-mud-glistening-green-and_523202.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/leonard-a-smith-76113_dominoes_embedded-in-the-mud-glistening-green-and_523202.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/leonard-a-smith-76113_dominoes_embedded-in-the-mud-glistening-green-and_523202.jpg) > ““Embedded in the mud, glistening green and gold and black, was a butterfly, very beautiful and very dead. It fell to the floor, an exquisite thing, a small thing that could upset balances and knock down a line of small dominoes and then big dominoes and then gigantic dominoes, all down the years across Time. Ray Bradbury (1952)”” Leonard A. Smith ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even a tiny, beautiful thing can trigger far‑reaching consequences over time, like a single butterfly causing a cascade of events. **In simple terms:** Small things can cause huge effects. Key Takeaway Notice how minor details may shape outcomes. Themes causality fragility time beauty entropy Mood reflective thoughtful poetic Type literary philosophical metaphorical When to use this quote - personal decisions - environmental impact - technological change - social movements Key Concepts Chaos theory butterfly effect interconnectedness Questions to Reflect On - What seemingly insignificant detail could alter your future? - How do you balance appreciation of beauty with awareness of its potential impact? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overstate randomness, ignoring intentional agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dominoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominoes/) ## Related quotes > [If men's minds were like dominoes, surely his would be the double blank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/if-men-s-minds-were-like-dominoes-surely-his-would-be-the-double-blank/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [“Is it God? Did God set up the dominoes and wait for some human to flick the first one? Or is it the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-wolf/is-it-god-did-god-set-up-the-dominoes-and-wait-for-some-human-to/) [Allan Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-wolf/) > [“Free will doesn’t exist. Only the illusion of free will, because the causes of our behavior are so complex that we can’t trace them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/free-will-doesn-t-exist-only-the-illusion-of-free-will-because-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If we can hit that bull's-eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zapp-brannigan/if-we-can-hit-that-bull-s-eye-the-rest-of-the-dominoes-will-fall-like/) [Zapp Brannigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zapp-brannigan/) > [I play dominoes all the way until I got Bible study. And then I do Bible study. I go to the game. After the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-butler/i-play-dominoes-all-the-way-until-i-got-bible-study-and-then-i-do/) [Jimmy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-butler/) > [“If God created our will, then he's responsible for every choice we make... So-- as I recall, the official philosophical answer is that free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/if-god-created-our-will-then-he-s-responsible-for-every-choice-we/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [We are like dominoes, I fall for you, you fall for another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-like-dominoes-i-fall-for-you-you-fall-for-another/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Got them hoes falling like a hundred million dominoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/got-them-hoes-falling-like-a-hundred-million-dominoes/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [Love is like dominoes I fall for you and you fall for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-newton/love-is-like-dominoes-i-fall-for-you-and-you-fall-for-someone-else/) Shelby Newton > [“That's the first rule of command; be consistent! You can be sadistic, you can be lazy, you can be stupid, but if you're consistent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alan-gardner/that-s-the-first-rule-of-command-be-consistent-you-can-be-sadistic/) [James Alan Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alan-gardner/) > [When I was in Nashville, Tennessee in 1970 with Derek and the Dominoes, I went into this shop and they had a rack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/when-i-was-in-nashville-tennessee-in-1970-with-derek-and-the-dominoes/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [Life is like dominoes: build, fall, repeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-james-hook/life-is-like-dominoes-build-fall-repeat/) Joey James Hook > [“Have you ever thought that if one thing hadn't happened, a whole set of things never would have either? Like dominoes in time, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-k-jones/have-you-ever-thought-that-if-one-thing-hadn-t-happened-a-whole-set/) Kimberly K. Jones > [“One bad decision is like building a long line of dominoes and then sneezing and not turning your head”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kent/one-bad-decision-is-like-building-a-long-line-of-dominoes-and-then/) [Julia Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kent/) > [Of course I have played outdoor games. I once played dominoes in an open air cafe in Paris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/of-course-i-have-played-outdoor-games-i-once-played-dominoes-in-an/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More by Leonard A. Smith > [“Throughout this Introduction we will see that confusing our mathematical models with the reality they aim to describe muddles the discussion of both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-a-smith/throughout-this-introduction-we-will-see-that-confusing-our/) Leonard A. Smith > [“Taking least squares is no longer optimal, and the very idea of ‘accuracy’ has to be rethought. This simple fact is as important as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-a-smith/taking-least-squares-is-no-longer-optimal-and-the-very-idea-of/) Leonard A. Smith Explore all 3 Leonard A. Smith quotes ## More Dominoes quotes > [If men's minds were like dominoes, surely his would be the double blank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/if-men-s-minds-were-like-dominoes-surely-his-would-be-the-double-blank/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [“One bad decision is like building a long line of dominoes and then sneezing and not turning your head”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kent/one-bad-decision-is-like-building-a-long-line-of-dominoes-and-then/) [Julia Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kent/) > [“Have you ever thought that if one thing hadn't happened, a whole set of things never would have either? Like dominoes in time, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-k-jones/have-you-ever-thought-that-if-one-thing-hadn-t-happened-a-whole-set/) Kimberly K. Jones > [Life is like dominoes: build, fall, repeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-james-hook/life-is-like-dominoes-build-fall-repeat/) Joey James Hook > [When I was in Nashville, Tennessee in 1970 with Derek and the Dominoes, I went into this shop and they had a rack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/when-i-was-in-nashville-tennessee-in-1970-with-derek-and-the-dominoes/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [“That's the first rule of command; be consistent! You can be sadistic, you can be lazy, you can be stupid, but if you're consistent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-alan-gardner/that-s-the-first-rule-of-command-be-consistent-you-can-be-sadistic/) [James Alan Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-alan-gardner/) > [Love is like dominoes I fall for you and you fall for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-newton/love-is-like-dominoes-i-fall-for-you-and-you-fall-for-someone-else/) Shelby Newton > [Got them hoes falling like a hundred million dominoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/got-them-hoes-falling-like-a-hundred-million-dominoes/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [We are like dominoes, I fall for you, you fall for another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-like-dominoes-i-fall-for-you-you-fall-for-another/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If God created our will, then he's responsible for every choice we make... So-- as I recall, the official philosophical answer is that free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/if-god-created-our-will-then-he-s-responsible-for-every-choice-we/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I play dominoes all the way until I got Bible study. And then I do Bible study. I go to the game. After the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-butler/i-play-dominoes-all-the-way-until-i-got-bible-study-and-then-i-do/) [Jimmy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-butler/) > [If we can hit that bull's-eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zapp-brannigan/if-we-can-hit-that-bull-s-eye-the-rest-of-the-dominoes-will-fall-like/) [Zapp Brannigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zapp-brannigan/) > [“Free will doesn’t exist. Only the illusion of free will, because the causes of our behavior are so complex that we can’t trace them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/free-will-doesn-t-exist-only-the-illusion-of-free-will-because-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Is it God? Did God set up the dominoes and wait for some human to flick the first one? Or is it the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-wolf/is-it-god-did-god-set-up-the-dominoes-and-wait-for-some-human-to/) [Allan Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-wolf/) > [Of course I have played outdoor games. I once played dominoes in an open air cafe in Paris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/of-course-i-have-played-outdoor-games-i-once-played-dominoes-in-an/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) [Browse all 32 Dominoes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominoes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Embedded in the mud, glistening green and gold and black, was a butterfly, very beautiful and very dead. It fell to the floor, an exquisite thing, a small thing that could upset balances and knock down a line of small dominoes and then big dominoes and then gigantic dominoes, all down the years across Time. Ray Bradbury (1952)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonard A. 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