---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I must have a prodigious quantity of…"
description: "\"I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week sometimes to make it up.\" — Mark Twain"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/mark-twain-22_intelligence_i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-min_1608057.png"
---

#  I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as…

![“I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week sometimes to make it up.” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/mark-twain-22_intelligence_i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-min_1608057.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/mark-twain-22_intelligence_i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-min_1608057.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/mark-twain-22_intelligence_i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-min_1608057.png)

> “I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week sometimes to make it up.”

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker admits that his thoughts are abundant but take time to organize, indicating a prolific yet slow creative process.

**In simple terms:** Lots of ideas need time to shape.

Key Takeaway

Allow yourself time to develop ideas.

Themes

creativity patience self-awareness

Mood

thoughtful self-critical

Type

philosophical humorous

When to use this quote

- writing
- research
- problem solving

Key Concepts

cognitive load idea generation

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you prioritize quantity over speed?
- How do you capture fleeting thoughts?

A Different Perspective

Ideas may become stale without timely action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Prodigious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prodigious/) [Prodigious Quantity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prodigious-quantity-2021046/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Quantity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantity/) [Quantity Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantity-mind-6127571/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Takes Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/takes-week-379432/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Week Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week-make-653330/)

## Related quotes

> [“I must have a prodigious amount of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-must-have-a-prodigious-amount-of-mind-it-takes-me-as-much-as-a-week/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [...it is prodigious the quantity of good that may be done by one man if he will make a business of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/it-is-prodigious-the-quantity-of-good-that-may-be-done-by-one-man-if/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [If Christians should vote their duty to God at the polls, they would carry every election, and do it with ease. They would elect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-christians-should-vote-their-duty-to-god-at-the-polls-they-would/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There is one notable thing about our Christianity: bad, bloody, merciless, money-grabbing and predatory as it is - in our country particularly, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-one-notable-thing-about-our-christianity-bad-bloody-2/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [You can manage 50 people through the strength of your personality and lack of sleep. You can touch them all in a week and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pincus/you-can-manage-50-people-through-the-strength-of-your-personality-and/)

[Mark Pincus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pincus/)

> [I do try to schedule out the week and I do make sure that when I get home, I'm done. That's when my emails…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-anstead/i-do-try-to-schedule-out-the-week-and-i-do-make-sure-that-when-i-get/)

[Christina Anstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-anstead/)

> [There is a huge misconception that streaming and creating content for 12 hours straight, 7 days a week will make you successful. While that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pokimane/there-is-a-huge-misconception-that-streaming-and-creating-content-for/)

[Pokimane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pokimane/)

> [The lazy part of me would love to do a sitcom where I could work three days a week and make a fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corbin-bernsen/the-lazy-part-of-me-would-love-to-do-a-sitcom-where-i-could-work/)

[Corbin Bernsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corbin-bernsen/)

> [I feel like the days that I do work in the week I make really busy, so that the rest of the days when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rochelle-humes/i-feel-like-the-days-that-i-do-work-in-the-week-i-make-really-busy-so/)

[Rochelle Humes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rochelle-humes/)

> [I always do a mental audit at the end of the week to make sure Im balancing time between my career and my personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-wagner/i-always-do-a-mental-audit-at-the-end-of-the-week-to-make-sure-im/)

[Jill Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-wagner/)

> [You can't work three hours a week and make $100,000. Get rich quick doesn't work. Crock pot mentality always defeats microwave mentality!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-can-t-work-three-hours-a-week-and-make-100-000-get-rich-quick/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

> [I've been lucky enough that in the U.K., I've done shows that have aired once a week. I make a show there that runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-corden/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-that-in-the-u-k-i-ve-done-shows-that-have/)

[James Corden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-corden/)

> [“It takes a week to write a book, but it takes years to write a good one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/it-takes-a-week-to-write-a-book-but-it-takes-years-to-write-a-good-one/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [What I've found in the last few tours is that it takes a week to hit the body. You're still on a high and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-bennett/what-i-ve-found-in-the-last-few-tours-is-that-it-takes-a-week-to-hit/)

[Sam Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-bennett/)

> [You can be in shape forever, it takes one week to get out of shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-crawford/you-can-be-in-shape-forever-it-takes-one-week-to-get-out-of-shape/)

[Jamal Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-crawford/)

## More by Mark Twain

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. Behind him stretched the illimitable continent of heaven, steeped in a glory of light and color; before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-creator-sat-upon-the-throne-thinking-behind-him-stretched-the/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-easy-to-quit-smoking-i-ve-done-it-hundreds-of-times/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“It is never wrong to do the right thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-never-wrong-to-do-the-right-thing/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There is nothing training can't cannot do. Nothing is above its reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-nothing-training-can-t-cannot-do-nothing-is-above-its-reach/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. Man gets his through months and months of cruel torture; he will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-higher-animals-get-their-teeth-without-pain-or-inconvenience-man/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“As far as I can see, Italy, for fifteen hundred years, has turned all her energies, all her finances, and all her industry to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/as-far-as-i-can-see-italy-for-fifteen-hundred-years-has-turned-all/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Begin with the determination to succeed and the work is half done already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/begin-with-the-determination-to-succeed-and-the-work-is-half-done/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Many public-school children seem to know only two dates—1492 and 4th of July; and as a rule they don't know what happened on either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/many-public-school-children-seem-to-know-only-two-dates-1492-and-4th/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [You perceive, now, that these things are all impossible except in a dream. You perceive that they are pure and puerile insanities, the silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-perceive-now-that-these-things-are-all-impossible-except-in-a/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Lord save us all from a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/lord-save-us-all-from-a-hope-tree-that-has-lost-the-faculty-of/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

[Explore all 3,277 Mark Twain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

## More Intelligence quotes

> [If you can do anything for love there's no reason you can't do everything to someone you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayjay-guillermo/if-you-can-do-anything-for-love-there-s-no-reason-you-can-t-do/)

[Jayjay Guillermo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayjay-guillermo/)

> [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/)

[Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/)

> [“If people fully understand you, they will think of you as a normal, if they half understand you, will think of you as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-people-fully-understand-you-they-will-think-of-you-as-a-normal-if/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/)

[Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/)

> [“The mystery of the world is revealed only to the person who can look upon the material world with his physical eyes and simultaneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awdhesh-singh/the-mystery-of-the-world-is-revealed-only-to-the-person-who-can-look/)

[Awdhesh Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/awdhesh-singh/)

> [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [“Your mind has the intellect to lift the world, your heart has the wisdom to better the world, and your soul has the genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/your-mind-has-the-intellect-to-lift-the-world-your-heart-has-the/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [An ex is an ex for a reason, they are an EXample of what you don't want in your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexia/an-ex-is-an-ex-for-a-reason-they-are-an-example-of-what-you-don-t/)

[Alexia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexia/)

> [“When it comes to smarts, adolescents like Jesse have plenty. What they lack, however, are some of the brain-based skills that we all need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-guare/when-it-comes-to-smarts-adolescents-like-jesse-have-plenty-what-they/)

[Richard Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-guare/)

> [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/)

[Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/)

> [“A smart person learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-schramm/a-smart-person-learns-from-his-mistakes-but-a-truly-wise-person/)

[Ken Schramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-schramm/)

> [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/for-the-execution-of-the-voyage-to-the-indies-i-did-not-make-use-of/)

[Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/)

[Browse all 9,546 Intelligence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week sometimes to make it up.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mark Twain"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-mind-it-takes-me-as-much-as-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Intelligence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-mind-it-takes-me-as-much-as-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/mark-twain-22_intelligence_i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-min_1608057.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/mark-twain-22_intelligence_i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-min_1608057.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/mark-twain-22_intelligence_i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-min_1608057.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week sometimes to make it up.” — Mark Twain",
                "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 Twain",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I must have a prodigious quantity...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-mind-it-takes-me-as-much-as-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-must-have-a-prodigious-quantity-of-mind-it-takes-me-as-much-as-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
