--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It used to be thought that the events…" description: "\"It used to be thought that the events that changed the world were things like big bombs, maniac politicians, huge earthquakes, or vast population movem..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/neil-gaiman-29_bigs_it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-th_1313473.jpg" --- # It used to be thought that the events that changed the… ![“It used to be thought that the events that changed the world were things like big bombs, maniac politicians, huge earthquakes, or vast population movements, but it has now been realized that this is a very old-fashioned view held by people totally out of touch with modern thought. The things that…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/neil-gaiman-29_bigs_it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-th_1313473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/neil-gaiman-29_bigs_it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-th_1313473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/neil-gaiman-29_bigs_it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-th_1313473.jpg) > “It used to be thought that the events that changed the world were things like big bombs, maniac politicians, huge earthquakes, or vast population movements, but it has now been realized that this is a very old-fashioned view held by people totally out of touch with modern thought. The things that really change the world, according to Chaos theory, are the tiny things. A butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian jungle, and subsequently a storm ravages half of Europe.” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Small, seemingly insignificant events can trigger massive, unpredictable changes in the world. **In simple terms:** Tiny actions can cause huge impacts. Key Takeaway Pay attention to minor details. Themes chaos theory butterfly effect interconnectedness Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal decisions - policy making - environmental planning Key Concepts sensitivity to initial conditions nonlinearity Questions to Reflect On - What small change could alter your life? - How do you recognize hidden influences? A Different Perspective Minor actions may be overlooked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Butterfly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/) [Change the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) [Changing the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-the-world/) [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Chaos theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos-theory/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Jungle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jungle/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Old fashioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-fashioned/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The things that really change the world, according to Chaos theory, are the tiny things. A butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian jungle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-things-that-really-change-the-world-according-to-chaos-theory-are/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“There are some of us alive today who remember him. And some of us claim that he was a messiah, and some think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/there-are-some-of-us-alive-today-who-remember-him-and-some-of-us/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Some of us claim that he was a messiah, and some think that he was just a man with very special powers. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/some-of-us-claim-that-he-was-a-messiah-and-some-think-that-he-was/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“If you shouldn’t blame yourself for minor things you did or didn’t do when someone dies, how can you start giving yourself credit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rogerson/if-you-shouldn-t-blame-yourself-for-minor-things-you-did-or-didn-t-do/) Mark Rogerson > [“Mr. Marsham was born (in 1822) into a world that was still essentially medieval—a place of candlelight, medicinal leeches, travel at walking pace, news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/mr-marsham-was-born-in-1822-into-a-world-that-was-still-essentially/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Excellence is a habit acquired by continuous improvement on the little things you do with a firm belief that it's going to be better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/excellence-is-a-habit-acquired-by-continuous-improvement-on-the/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“unlike, say, the sun, or the rainbow, or earthquakes, the fascinating world of the very small never came to the notice of primitive peoples.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/unlike-say-the-sun-or-the-rainbow-or-earthquakes-the-fascinating/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I became obsessed with making more and more tiny things. I think I was trying to find a way of compensating for my embarrassment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/i-became-obsessed-with-making-more-and-more-tiny-things-i-think-i-was/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) > [“Yes, that dream ultimately failed, but I learned so much. Mostly tiny things, but it only takes a spark to light a fire. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-hope-fletcher/yes-that-dream-ultimately-failed-but-i-learned-so-much-mostly-tiny/) [Carrie Hope Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-hope-fletcher/) > [It always amazes me to look at the little, wrinkled brown seeds and think of the rainbows in 'em," said Captain Jim. "When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-always-amazes-me-to-look-at-the-little-wrinkled-brown-seeds-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tiny things, Everyone very well known but doesn't want understand its. Die another days..Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/tiny-things-everyone-very-well-known-but-doesn-t-want-understand-its/) Mak\_786 > [ I like the idea of becoming \[fairly\] good at lots of things rather than very good at just one thing. So it would be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/i-like-the-idea-of-becoming-fairly-good-at-lots-of-things-rather-than/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [“Someday someone’s going to love all of those tiny things about you. Someone’s going to love the way you cough. They’re going to laugh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thought-catalog/someday-someone-s-going-to-love-all-of-those-tiny-things-about-you/) [Thought Catalog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thought-catalog/) > [ \[You should\] see everything about your life as a lesson. Ask, "Am I empowering myself?" Even for a tiny thing, like if you're in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/you-should-see-everything-about-your-life-as-a-lesson-ask-am-i/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [At home, when the heating pipes made noises, I imagined a tiny person was in there skipping with a rope. The fantasy world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-wigan/at-home-when-the-heating-pipes-made-noises-i-imagined-a-tiny-person/) [Willard Wigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-wigan/) ## More by Neil Gaiman > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/) [neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It used to be thought that the events that changed the world were things like big bombs, maniac politicians, huge earthquakes, or vast population movements, but it has now been realized that this is a very old-fashioned view held by people totally out of touch with modern thought. The things that really change the world, according to Chaos theory, are the tiny things. A butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian jungle, and subsequently a storm ravages half of Europe.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Gaiman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-that-changed-the-world-were/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bigs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-that-changed-the-world-were/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/neil-gaiman-29_bigs_it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-th_1313473.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/neil-gaiman-29_bigs_it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-th_1313473.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/neil-gaiman-29_bigs_it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-th_1313473.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It used to be thought that the events that changed the world were things like big bombs, maniac politicians…” — Neil Gaiman", "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": "Neil Gaiman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It used to be thought that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-that-changed-the-world-were/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-used-to-be-thought-that-the-events-that-changed-the-world-were/#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 } } ] } ```