--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a funny thing what the brain will…" description: "\"It is a funny thing what the brain will do with memories and how it will treasure them and finally bring them into odd juxtapositions with other things..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/loren-eiseley-3848_brain_it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will_1113255.png" --- # It is a funny thing what the brain will do with memories… ![“It is a funny thing what the brain will do with memories and how it will treasure them and finally bring them into odd juxtapositions with other things, as though it wanted to make a design, or get some meaning out of them, whether you want it or not, or even see it.” quote by Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/loren-eiseley-3848_brain_it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will_1113255.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/loren-eiseley-3848_brain_it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will_1113255.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/loren-eiseley-3848_brain_it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will_1113255.png) > “It is a funny thing what the brain will do with memories and how it will treasure them and finally bring them into odd juxtapositions with other things, as though it wanted to make a design, or get some meaning out of them, whether you want it or not, or even see it.” [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The brain rearranges memories into unexpected combinations, seeking patterns or meaning even when not intended. **In simple terms:** The mind mixes memories to find hidden meaning. Key Takeaway Embrace surprising connections in thought. Themes cognition memory creativity Mood curious introspective Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - writing - problem solving - artistic creation - research - personal reflection Key Concepts pattern recognition associative thinking Questions to Reflect On - What unexpected connections have you noticed? - How can you use these mental pairings productively? A Different Perspective Random juxtapositions may lead to false conclusions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Brain Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-memories-1567474/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Funny things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-things/) [Juxtaposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/juxtaposition/) [Juxtapositions Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/juxtapositions-things-2976581/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Odd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odd/) [Odd Juxtapositions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odd-juxtapositions-2285151/) [Thing Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-brain-1284283/) [Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treasure/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) ## Related quotes > [I'm always busy. You know, the more I do, the more ideas I have—that's the funny thing. The brain is a muscle, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/i-m-always-busy-you-know-the-more-i-do-the-more-ideas-i-have-that-s/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [My mind is like a gyre, and odd juxtapositions happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/my-mind-is-like-a-gyre-and-odd-juxtapositions-happen/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“I kept watching Lilli though. I wanted to see what was going on in her brain. Which of her memories was winning the fight?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-mayhew/i-kept-watching-lilli-though-i-wanted-to-see-what-was-going-on-in-her/) [Julie Mayhew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-mayhew/) > [I wish I could open a piece of my brain and you could see into my memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-wish-i-could-open-a-piece-of-my-brain-and-you-could-see-into-my/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [I've heard that's common with trauma - your mind replaces memories with blank spaces. Like a Ctrl-Alt-Delete for anything that hurts too much. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breanna-stewart/i-ve-heard-that-s-common-with-trauma-your-mind-replaces-memories-with/) [Breanna Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breanna-stewart/) > [Inside the brain, Two memories that long had lain, Now quivered toward each other, lipped Together, and together slipped; And for a moment all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/inside-the-brain-two-memories-that-long-had-lain-now-quivered-toward/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Exercise is the single best thing you can do for your brain in terms of mood, memory, and learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratey/exercise-is-the-single-best-thing-you-can-do-for-your-brain-in-terms/) [John Ratey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratey/) > [“I am not going to call the alien brain I am stuck inside of by the name I am totally buggered—this damnified thing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-wright/i-am-not-going-to-call-the-alien-brain-i-am-stuck-inside-of-by-the/) [John C. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-wright/) > [“The worst thing your brain could do is reinterpret your reality into a whole new movie with each new bit of information. That would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-worst-thing-your-brain-could-do-is-reinterpret-your-reality-into/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [If we want to make sense of our behavior - all the best, worst, and everything in between - we're not going to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/if-we-want-to-make-sense-of-our-behavior-all-the-best-worst-and/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Well, the first thing we do is take our brain out and put it in a drawer. Stick it somewhere and let it tantrum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/well-the-first-thing-we-do-is-take-our-brain-out-and-put-it-in-a/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [Words are not pebbles in alien juxtaposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/words-are-not-pebbles-in-alien-juxtaposition/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [ \['Dad's Army' show\]was a military thing but also very funny, so it's kind of the two things that I experienced by being a soldier,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-darby/dad-s-army-show-was-a-military-thing-but-also-very-funny-so-it-s-kind/) [Rhys Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-darby/) > [Portishead's production is just insane beats you would expect to be on a KRS-One album. But then there's this little white girl with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-holm/portishead-s-production-is-just-insane-beats-you-would-expect-to-be/) [Anders Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-holm/) > [Someone on Twitter sent me a page from a textbook. It had a picture of a football player next to a picture of me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/someone-on-twitter-sent-me-a-page-from-a-textbook-it-had-a-picture-of/) [Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/) ## More by Loren Eiseley > [“Taking a final pleasure in what the wind can neither proclaim nor destroy, I am a student of nightfall, I claim no other profession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/taking-a-final-pleasure-in-what-the-wind-can-neither-proclaim-nor/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [We are one of many appearances of the thing called Life; we are not its perfect image, for it has no perfect image except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/we-are-one-of-many-appearances-of-the-thing-called-life-we-are-not/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Perhaps a creature of so much ingenuity and deep memory is almost bound to grow alienated from his world, his fellows, and the objects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/perhaps-a-creature-of-so-much-ingenuity-and-deep-memory-is-almost/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“The best way to be resurrected is to be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-best-way-to-be-resurrected-is-to-be-forgotten/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [To have dragons one must have change; that is the first principle of dragon lore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/to-have-dragons-one-must-have-change-that-is-the-first-principle-of/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [It is frequently the tragedy of the great artist, as it is of the great scientist, that he frightens the ordinary man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-is-frequently-the-tragedy-of-the-great-artist-as-it-is-of-the/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/every-time-we-walk-along-a-beach-some-ancient-urge-disturbs-us-so/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [The future is neither ahead nor behind, on one side or another. Nor is it dark or light. It is contained within ourselves; its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-future-is-neither-ahead-nor-behind-on-one-side-or-another-nor-is/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Out of the choked Devonian waters emerged sight and sound and the music that rolls invisible through the composer's brain. They are there still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/out-of-the-choked-devonian-waters-emerged-sight-and-sound-and-the/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [One could not pluck a flower without troubling a star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/one-could-not-pluck-a-flower-without-troubling-a-star/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“I once saw, on a flower pot in my own living room, the efforts of a field mouse to build a remembered field. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/i-once-saw-on-a-flower-pot-in-my-own-living-room-the-efforts-of-a/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Lights come and go in the night sky. Men, troubled at last by the things they build, may toss in their sleep and dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/lights-come-and-go-in-the-night-sky-men-troubled-at-last-by-the/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [The secret, if one may paraphrase a savage vocabulary, lies in the egg of night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-secret-if-one-may-paraphrase-a-savage-vocabulary-lies-in-the-egg/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Without the gift of flowers and the infinite diversity of their fruits, man and bird, if they had continued to exist at all, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/without-the-gift-of-flowers-and-the-infinite-diversity-of-their/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“Black magic, the magic of the primeval chaos, blots out or transmogrifies the true form of things. At the stroke of twelve the princess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-chaos-blots-out-or/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) [Explore all 121 Loren Eiseley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) ## More Brain quotes > [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/) [Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/) > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' I don't know if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-prefer-the-word-musician-i-m-a-musician-and-a-composer-i-have-a/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [Thinking of sex provides enough mental stimulation to reduce risk of diseases that damage the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-of-sex-provides-enough-mental-stimulation-to-reduce-risk-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [Without illusions. I love you because you are fallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheels trying not to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/without-illusions-i-love-you-because-you-are-fallible-and-because/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/) [Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/) [Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/) > [The act of learning to read added an entirely new circuit to our hominid brain's repertoire. The long developmental process of learning to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-wolf/the-act-of-learning-to-read-added-an-entirely-new-circuit-to-our/) [Maryanne Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-wolf/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [I am the way I am. If you like me because I'm glamorous, so be it. If you like me, because I speak well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malaika-arora-khan/i-am-the-way-i-am-if-you-like-me-because-i-m-glamorous-so-be-it-if/) [Malaika Arora Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malaika-arora-khan/) [Browse all 8,465 Brain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is a funny thing what the brain will do with memories and how it will treasure them and finally bring them into odd juxtapositions with other things, as though it wanted to make a design, or get some meaning out of them, whether you want it or not, or even see it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Loren Eiseley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will-do-with-memories-and-how-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will-do-with-memories-and-how-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/loren-eiseley-3848_brain_it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will_1113255.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/loren-eiseley-3848_brain_it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will_1113255.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/882/loren-eiseley-3848_brain_it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will_1113255.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is a funny thing what the brain will do with memories and how it will treasure them and finally bring…” — Loren Eiseley", "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": "Loren Eiseley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is a funny thing what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will-do-with-memories-and-how-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-is-a-funny-thing-what-the-brain-will-do-with-memories-and-how-it/#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 } } ] } ```