---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We use other people's brains to navigate…"
description: "\"“We use other people's brains to navigate the world: to acquire skills and practices, and to access knowledge systems of long-dead strangers. We call t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/mark-earls-260188_culture_we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate_495932.jpg"
---

#  We use other people's brains to navigate the world: to…

![“We use other people's brains to navigate the world: to acquire skills and practices, and to access knowledge systems of long-dead strangers. We call this 'culture'.” quote by Mark Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/mark-earls-260188_culture_we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate_495932.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/mark-earls-260188_culture_we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate_495932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/mark-earls-260188_culture_we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate_495932.jpg)

> ““We use other people's brains to navigate the world: to acquire skills and practices, and to access knowledge systems of long-dead strangers. We call this 'culture'.””

Mark Earls

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Culture is the collective brain of past individuals that we use to navigate life and acquire knowledge.

**In simple terms:** Culture stores knowledge from past people.

Key Takeaway

Tap into shared heritage for learning.

Themes

culture knowledge heritage learning collective mind

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

Culture:1 Use People:0 People Brains:0 Access Knowledge:1 Brains Navigate:0 Strangers Culture:0

When to use this quote

- education
- innovation
- personal growth
- cross‑cultural communication

Key Concepts

cultural transmission social learning memetics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does cultural inheritance shape identity?
- When might tradition hinder progress?

A Different Perspective

Reliance on others may limit original thought.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/)

## Related quotes

> [Access to communication in the widest sense is access to knowledge, and that is vitally important for us We do not need pity, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-braille/access-to-communication-in-the-widest-sense-is-access-to-knowledge-2/)

Louis Braille

> [Everyone, young and old, must have access to the knowledge and skills to participate in the evolving economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-young-and-old-must-have-access-to-the-knowledge-and-skills/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“These are dangerous times. Never have so many people had so much access to so much knowledge and yet have been so resistant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/these-are-dangerous-times-never-have-so-many-people-had-so-much/)

[Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/)

> [“Librarians are the bedrock of the public domain and the defenders of our fundamental right to access knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-malamud/librarians-are-the-bedrock-of-the-public-domain-and-the-defenders-of/)

Carl Malamud

> [For me, Sci-Hub has a value by itself, as a website where users can access knowledge. There are many websites where you can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-elbakyan/for-me-sci-hub-has-a-value-by-itself-as-a-website-where-users-can/)

[Alexandra Elbakyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-elbakyan/)

> [“I like to share info &amp; links to help access knowledge and possible solutions to situations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/i-like-to-share-info-links-to-help-access-knowledge-and-possible/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [Access to communication in the widest sense is access to knowledge, and that is vitally important for us if we are not to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-braille/access-to-communication-in-the-widest-sense-is-access-to-knowledge/)

Louis Braille

> [Access to knowledge is the superb, the supreme act of truly great civilizations. Of all the institutions that purport to do this, free libraries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/access-to-knowledge-is-the-superb-the-supreme-act-of-truly-great-2/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [The Earth is alive and contains the knowledge you seek. It is your consciousness that determines what it reveals. How to access this knowledge?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-marciniak/the-earth-is-alive-and-contains-the-knowledge-you-seek-it-is-your/)

[Barbara Marciniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-marciniak/)

> [“Anyone can have access to knowledge but very few are chosen by the divine light to be guided.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/anyone-can-have-access-to-knowledge-but-very-few-are-chosen-by-the/)

[Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/)

> [Until very recently, most knowledge was inaccessible to people who couldn't read text. But this is changing. The computer opens up other channels of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/until-very-recently-most-knowledge-was-inaccessible-to-people-who/)

[Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/)

> [“Access to knowledge is the superb, the supreme act of truly great civilizations. Of all the institutions that purport to do this, free libraries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/access-to-knowledge-is-the-superb-the-supreme-act-of-truly-great/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Picking other people's brains is an art worth cultivating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mitford/picking-other-people-s-brains-is-an-art-worth-cultivating/)

[Jessica Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mitford/)

> [That's just the way people's brains work. If you want to talk about something, you have to reduce it to a form that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dieterich/that-s-just-the-way-people-s-brains-work-if-you-want-to-talk-about/)

[John Dieterich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dieterich/)

> [“when people’s brains are in defensive mode, it becomes harder to see common sense. Small disagreements can end up holding back progress beyond reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-webb/when-people-s-brains-are-in-defensive-mode-it-becomes-harder-to-see/)

[Caroline Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-webb/)

## More Culture quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/)

[Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/)

[Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

> [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/)

[Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/)

> [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/)

[Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

[Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We use other people's brains to navigate the world: to acquire skills and practices, and to access knowledge systems of long-dead strangers. We call this 'culture'.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mark Earls"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-earls/we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate-the-world-to-acquire-skills/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Culture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-earls/we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate-the-world-to-acquire-skills/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/mark-earls-260188_culture_we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate_495932.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/mark-earls-260188_culture_we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate_495932.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ef/mark-earls-260188_culture_we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate_495932.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We use other people's brains to navigate the world: to acquire skills and practices, and to access knowledge…” — Mark Earls",
                "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": "Mark Earls",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-earls/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We use other people's brains to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-earls/we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate-the-world-to-acquire-skills/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-earls/we-use-other-people-s-brains-to-navigate-the-world-to-acquire-skills/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
