--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Put a small child in a playpen with an…" description: "\"Put a small child in a playpen with an apple and a bunny. If s/he eats the apple and plays with the bunny, s/he's normal;but if s/he eats the bunny and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/maynard-james-keenan-3839_animal_put-a-small-child-in-a-playpen-with-an-a_2812467.png" --- # Put a small child in a playpen with an apple and a bunny… ![“Put a small child in a playpen with an apple and a bunny. If s/he eats the apple and plays with the bunny, s/he's normal;but if s/he eats the bunny and plays with the apple, I'll buy you a new car. Somewhere along the line we must have been TAUGHT to do the wrong thing.” quote by Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/maynard-james-keenan-3839_animal_put-a-small-child-in-a-playpen-with-an-a_2812467.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/maynard-james-keenan-3839_animal_put-a-small-child-in-a-playpen-with-an-a_2812467.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/maynard-james-keenan-3839_animal_put-a-small-child-in-a-playpen-with-an-a_2812467.png) > “Put a small child in a playpen with an apple and a bunny. If s/he eats the apple and plays with the bunny, s/he's normal;but if s/he eats the bunny and plays with the apple, I'll buy you a new car. Somewhere along the line we must have been TAUGHT to do the wrong thing.” [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal conditioning can invert natural instincts, leading to harmful choices. **In simple terms:** We learn wrong habits from culture. Key Takeaway Question your learned norms. Themes culture morality conditioning Mood critical provocative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - advertising influence - peer pressure - parental guidance - media consumption Key Concepts behavioral economics social psychology Questions to Reflect On - What norms feel unnatural? - How can you rewire harmful learned behaviors? A Different Perspective Changing ingrained habits is hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Apples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [New car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-car/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Small child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-child/) ## Related quotes > [Here's a test you can try at home, Put a 2 year old in a playpen with an apple and a rabbit. 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