---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Plate tectonics will be plate tectonics."
description: "\"“Plate tectonics will be plate tectonics.”\" — N.K. Jemisin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/n-k-jemisin-1466_plate_plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics_1534838.png"
---

#  Plate tectonics will be plate tectonics.

![“Plate tectonics will be plate tectonics.” quote by N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/n-k-jemisin-1466_plate_plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics_1534838.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/n-k-jemisin-1466_plate_plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics_1534838.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/n-k-jemisin-1466_plate_plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics_1534838.png)

> ““Plate tectonics will be plate tectonics.””

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

## About This Quote

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

The statement suggests that the concept of plate tectonics is self‑reinforcing and inevitable.

**In simple terms:** Plate tectonics repeats itself.

Key Takeaway

Recognize patterns that sustain themselves.

Themes

science geology philosophy

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

explanatory reflective

When to use this quote

- academic discussion
- geology lecture
- science communication

Key Concepts

self‑reference systems theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How do self‑reinforcing ideas affect scientific progress?
- When does repetition become stagnation?

A Different Perspective

It may oversimplify complex processes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Plate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plate/) [Plate Tectonics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plate-tectonics-985111/) [Tectonics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tectonics-899285/) [Tectonics Plate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tectonics-plate-5703375/)

## Related quotes

> [Mountains aren't eternal: even the most imposing massifs are smoothed away by weathering in a few hundred million years or less. Plate tectonics makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/mountains-aren-t-eternal-even-the-most-imposing-massifs-are-smoothed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Planets that don't currently sport plate tectonics, such as Venus and Mars, are scarcely habitable. Tectonics might be a requirement of any world that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/planets-that-don-t-currently-sport-plate-tectonics-such-as-venus-and/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Though the theories of plate tectonics now provide us with a modus operandi, they still seem to me to be a periodic phenomenon. Nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-v-ager/though-the-theories-of-plate-tectonics-now-provide-us-with-a-modus/)

[D. V. Ager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-v-ager/)

> [Unfortunately, we haven't found many very old rocks on Earth because our planet's surface is constantly renewed by plate tectonics, coupled with erosion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duncan/unfortunately-we-haven-t-found-many-very-old-rocks-on-earth-because/)

[Robert Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duncan/)

> [“This is the yin and yang of the earth, an energetic feedback. What happens below relates directly to what is happening on the surface…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-childs/this-is-the-yin-and-yang-of-the-earth-an-energetic-feedback-what/)

[Craig Childs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-childs/)

> [I've broken probably every major bone in my body. I currently have, in my body, fifteen pins and a plate. I've broken my femur,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump-jr/i-ve-broken-probably-every-major-bone-in-my-body-i-currently-have-in/)

[Donald Trump, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump-jr/)

> [I'm not Yadier Molina behind the plate, but I can throw a ball to second on a rope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/i-m-not-yadier-molina-behind-the-plate-but-i-can-throw-a-ball-to/)

[Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/)

> [Well here's how I look at it, I've always been someone that's liked to have things on my plate, it just keeps me going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shavo-odadjian/well-here-s-how-i-look-at-it-i-ve-always-been-someone-that-s-liked-to/)

[Shavo Odadjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shavo-odadjian/)

> [I don't just want the belt, I want every one of their heads on a plate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/i-don-t-just-want-the-belt-i-want-every-one-of-their-heads-on-a-plate/)

[Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/)

> [My passion is definitely to be behind the plate for as long as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buster-posey/my-passion-is-definitely-to-be-behind-the-plate-for-as-long-as-i-can/)

[Buster Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buster-posey/)

> [I wish that the world's food was spread evenly on everybody's plate, and that no-one got more or less than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-potts-dawson/i-wish-that-the-world-s-food-was-spread-evenly-on-everybody-s-plate/)

[Arthur Potts Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-potts-dawson/)

> [If you can put a guy behind the plate that can hit in the middle of the order, it's just obviously gonna lengthen your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buster-posey/if-you-can-put-a-guy-behind-the-plate-that-can-hit-in-the-middle-of/)

[Buster Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buster-posey/)

> [If they are going to nibble and try to go below the zone or off the plate a little bit, I want to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-judge/if-they-are-going-to-nibble-and-try-to-go-below-the-zone-or-off-the/)

[Aaron Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-judge/)

> [What's that plate that's above a saucer but below a plate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/what-s-that-plate-that-s-above-a-saucer-but-below-a-plate/)

[Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/)

## More by N.K. Jemisin

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [You are Insignificant. One of millions, neither special nor unique. I did not ask for this ignominy, and I resent the comparison. Fine. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/you-are-insignificant-one-of-millions-neither-special-nor-unique-i/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“She feels closer than ever to her father in this moment of utter broken rage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/she-feels-closer-than-ever-to-her-father-in-this-moment-of-utter/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“When a comm builds atop a fault line, do you blame its walls when they inevitably crush the people inside? No; you blame whoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/when-a-comm-builds-atop-a-fault-line-do-you-blame-its-walls-when-they/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“I don’t know how I feel about a canon anymore ... The sheer volume of books that exist out there means that a canon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/i-don-t-know-how-i-feel-about-a-canon-anymore-the-sheer-volume-of/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ “\[...\] the kind of healer who knows that sometimes one must inflict terrible agony - rebreak a bone, carve off a limb, kill the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/the-kind-of-healer-who-knows-that-sometimes-one-must-inflict-terrible/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [So here is why I write what I do: We all have futures. We all have pasts. We all have stories. And we all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/so-here-is-why-i-write-what-i-do-we-all-have-futures-we-all-have/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“How can we prepare for the future if we won’t acknowledge the past?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/how-can-we-prepare-for-the-future-if-we-won-t-acknowledge-the-past/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“You waver, because you don’t really want to know … but you haven’t been a coward for some years now. So you steel yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/you-waver-because-you-don-t-really-want-to-know-but-you-haven-t-been/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“What can orogeny do against something like that? Keep her breathing, maybe. But breathing doesn't always mean living, and maybe... maybe genocide doesn't always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/what-can-orogeny-do-against-something-like-that-keep-her-breathing/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“What the rust do you matter? Who cares about you? Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? Once, you did have people who cared about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/what-the-rust-do-you-matter-who-cares-about-you-well-that-s-the-thing/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“Let me say only that these vehicles float a few inches off the ground. No animals draw them. No steam or chemical fuels them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/let-me-say-only-that-these-vehicles-float-a-few-inches-off-the-ground/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [We can never be gods, after all--but we can become something less than human with frightening ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/we-can-never-be-gods-after-all-but-we-can-become-something-less-than/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“(This is not a digression.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/this-is-not-a-digression/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“He's not a parasite if she needs him, too, and if she gives what he will not take. (One day soon, she will learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/he-s-not-a-parasite-if-she-needs-him-too-and-if-she-gives-what-he/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

[Explore all 225 N.K. Jemisin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

## More Plate quotes

> [What's that plate that's above a saucer but below a plate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/what-s-that-plate-that-s-above-a-saucer-but-below-a-plate/)

[Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/)

> [If they are going to nibble and try to go below the zone or off the plate a little bit, I want to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-judge/if-they-are-going-to-nibble-and-try-to-go-below-the-zone-or-off-the/)

[Aaron Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-judge/)

> [If you can put a guy behind the plate that can hit in the middle of the order, it's just obviously gonna lengthen your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buster-posey/if-you-can-put-a-guy-behind-the-plate-that-can-hit-in-the-middle-of/)

[Buster Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buster-posey/)

> [I wish that the world's food was spread evenly on everybody's plate, and that no-one got more or less than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-potts-dawson/i-wish-that-the-world-s-food-was-spread-evenly-on-everybody-s-plate/)

[Arthur Potts Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-potts-dawson/)

> [My passion is definitely to be behind the plate for as long as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buster-posey/my-passion-is-definitely-to-be-behind-the-plate-for-as-long-as-i-can/)

[Buster Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buster-posey/)

> [I don't just want the belt, I want every one of their heads on a plate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/i-don-t-just-want-the-belt-i-want-every-one-of-their-heads-on-a-plate/)

[Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/)

> [Well here's how I look at it, I've always been someone that's liked to have things on my plate, it just keeps me going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shavo-odadjian/well-here-s-how-i-look-at-it-i-ve-always-been-someone-that-s-liked-to/)

[Shavo Odadjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shavo-odadjian/)

> [I'm not Yadier Molina behind the plate, but I can throw a ball to second on a rope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/i-m-not-yadier-molina-behind-the-plate-but-i-can-throw-a-ball-to/)

[Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/)

> [I've broken probably every major bone in my body. I currently have, in my body, fifteen pins and a plate. I've broken my femur,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump-jr/i-ve-broken-probably-every-major-bone-in-my-body-i-currently-have-in/)

[Donald Trump, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump-jr/)

> [There is only one way to pitch to Musial - under the plate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-durocher/there-is-only-one-way-to-pitch-to-musial-under-the-plate/)

[Leo Durocher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-durocher/)

> [Growing up, we had 30, 40, 50 people coming through the house some Thanksgivings. Sometimes there was a kids' table; other times, the plate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-strahan/growing-up-we-had-30-40-50-people-coming-through-the-house-some/)

[Michael Strahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-strahan/)

> [I got into a bad habit of dropping my elbow and pushing the ball to the plate instead of getting on top of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cain/i-got-into-a-bad-habit-of-dropping-my-elbow-and-pushing-the-ball-to/)

[Matt Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cain/)

> [My friend's therapist once asked her, 'Why don't you make yourself a meal and plate it like you would for a guest?' And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ego-nwodim/my-friend-s-therapist-once-asked-her-why-don-t-you-make-yourself-a/)

[Ego Nwodim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ego-nwodim/)

> [I try to always step up to the plate, be professional, be good at what I'm doing and deliver on the character. In Hollywood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lawrence/i-try-to-always-step-up-to-the-plate-be-professional-be-good-at-what/)

[Martin Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lawrence/)

> [Imminent resignation isn't a fun thing to have on your plate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-key/imminent-resignation-isn-t-a-fun-thing-to-have-on-your-plate/)

[Tim Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-key/)

[Browse all 244 Plate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plate/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Plate tectonics will be plate tectonics.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "N.K. Jemisin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Plate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/n-k-jemisin-1466_plate_plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics_1534838.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/n-k-jemisin-1466_plate_plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics_1534838.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ea/n-k-jemisin-1466_plate_plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics_1534838.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Plate tectonics will be plate tectonics.” — N.K. Jemisin",
                "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": "N.K. Jemisin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Plate tectonics will be plate tectonics.”",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/plate-tectonics-will-be-plate-tectonics/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
