--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A big silvery janitor. Penny, this can’t…" description: "\"A big silvery janitor. Penny, this can’t be how the universe works.” “In the Order we call it ‘inverse profundity.’ We’ve observed it in any number of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/lev-grossman-747_bigs_a-big-silvery-janitor-penny-this-can-t-b_2250223.png" --- # A big silvery janitor. Penny, this can’t be how the… ![“A big silvery janitor. Penny, this can’t be how the universe works.” “In the Order we call it ‘inverse profundity.’ We’ve observed it in any number of cases. The deeper you go into the cosmic mysteries, the less interesting everything gets.” quote by Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/lev-grossman-747_bigs_a-big-silvery-janitor-penny-this-can-t-b_2250223.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/lev-grossman-747_bigs_a-big-silvery-janitor-penny-this-can-t-b_2250223.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/lev-grossman-747_bigs_a-big-silvery-janitor-penny-this-can-t-b_2250223.png) > “A big silvery janitor. Penny, this can’t be how the universe works.” “In the Order we call it ‘inverse profundity.’ We’ve observed it in any number of cases. The deeper you go into the cosmic mysteries, the less interesting everything gets.” [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deeper exploration of cosmic mysteries often leads to boredom, revealing an “inverse profundity” where more knowledge feels less interesting. **In simple terms:** Too much knowledge can feel empty. Key Takeaway Seek balance between depth and wonder. Themes knowledge wonder existential boredom cosmic mystery Mood contemplative humorous Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - research - creative writing - personal reflection - spiritual practice Key Concepts philosophy of science psychology of curiosity Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt “inverse profundity”? - How can you keep curiosity alive? A Different Perspective Depth without purpose can be hollow; meaning matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Profundity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profundity/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [“In the Order we call it ‘inverse profundity.’ We’ve observed it in any number of cases. 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Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-m-carroll/) > [The mathematics of quantum mechanics very accurately describes how our universe works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-garrett-lisi/the-mathematics-of-quantum-mechanics-very-accurately-describes-how/) [Antony Garrett Lisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-garrett-lisi/) > [The creator of the universe works in mysterious ways. But he uses a base ten counting system and likes round numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-creator-of-the-universe-works-in-mysterious-ways-but-he-uses-a/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) ## More by Lev Grossman > [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. 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There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. 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