--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a shame,\" signed the Dodecahedron…" description: "\"“What a shame,\" signed the Dodecahedron. \"They're so very useful. Why, did you know that if a beaver two feet long with a tail a foot and a half long c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/norton-juster-2113_beaver_what-a-shame-signed-the-dodecahedron-the_1482784.png" --- # What a shame," signed the Dodecahedron. "They're so very… ![“What a shame," signed the Dodecahedron. "They're so very useful. Why, did you know that if a beaver two feet long with a tail a foot and a half long can build a dam twelve feet high and six feet wide in two days, all you would need to build Boulder Dam is a beaver sixty-eight feet long with a…” quote by Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/norton-juster-2113_beaver_what-a-shame-signed-the-dodecahedron-the_1482784.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/norton-juster-2113_beaver_what-a-shame-signed-the-dodecahedron-the_1482784.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/norton-juster-2113_beaver_what-a-shame-signed-the-dodecahedron-the_1482784.png) > ““What a shame," signed the Dodecahedron. "They're so very useful. Why, did you know that if a beaver two feet long with a tail a foot and a half long can build a dam twelve feet high and six feet wide in two days, all you would need to build Boulder Dam is a beaver sixty-eight feet long with a fifty-one-foot tail?" "Where would you find a beaver that big?" grumbled the Humbug as his pencil point snapped. "I'm sure I don't know," he replied, "but if you did, you'd certainly know what to do with him." "That's absurd," objected Milo, whose head was spinning from all the numbers and questions. "That may be true," he acknowledged, "but it's completely accurate, and as long as the answer is right, who cares if the question is wrong? If you want sense, you'll have to make it yourself.”” [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Absurd logic highlights that solutions can be found by questioning premises, even when the question seems nonsensical. **In simple terms:** Questioning odd premises can reveal useful answers. Key Takeaway Challenge assumptions to find solutions. Themes logic absurdity problem solving creativity Mood playful thoughtful Type humorous philosophical When to use this quote - engineering - education - design thinking - everyday decision making Key Concepts Socratic method lateral thinking Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions are you accepting without scrutiny? - How can you turn a nonsensical problem into a useful insight? A Different Perspective Absurd premises may lead to impractical solutions; not all questions need answers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) ## Related quotes > [Why, did you know that if a beaver two feet long with a tail a foot and a half long can build a dam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/why-did-you-know-that-if-a-beaver-two-feet-long-with-a-tail-a-foot/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [Canada has two emblems - the beaver and the maple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dawson/canada-has-two-emblems-the-beaver-and-the-maple/) John W. Dawson > [ \[Footnote:\] To give the Beaver his due, he does things because he has to do them, not because he believes that hard work per… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-to-give-the-beaver-his-due-he-does-things-because-he-has-to/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [I had one guy pretend to be me, go to a hotel room, and tell the people at the front desk that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-claypool/i-had-one-guy-pretend-to-be-me-go-to-a-hotel-room-and-tell-the-people/) [Les Claypool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-claypool/) > [“The rat will adapt to most any landscape. The beaver will gnaw and slap and drag the landscape to fit her needs. I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-k-anderson/the-rat-will-adapt-to-most-any-landscape-the-beaver-will-gnaw-and/) Jarod K. Anderson > ['Leave It to Beaver,' which ran from 1957 until 1963, was one of the strangest, sweetest, most distinctive domestic sitcoms of television's celebrated Golden Age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/leave-it-to-beaver-which-ran-from-1957-until-1963-was-one-of-the/) [Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/) > [A lot of things I have turned down ended up being a big embarrassment. Like that script, 'The Beaver.' I thought that was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-zwigoff/a-lot-of-things-i-have-turned-down-ended-up-being-a-big-embarrassment/) [Terry Zwigoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-zwigoff/) > [Body hair. You know when you're swimming as a kid and you want to crawl on your dad? None of us went anywhere near…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/body-hair-you-know-when-you-re-swimming-as-a-kid-and-you-want-to/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [Of course, Mississippi participates in federal matching programs for everything from preserving the post-Civil War home of Jefferson Davis to beaver control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-musgrove/of-course-mississippi-participates-in-federal-matching-programs-for/) [Ronnie Musgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-musgrove/) > [Contrary to popular opinion, 'Leave it to Beaver' was not a documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/contrary-to-popular-opinion-leave-it-to-beaver-was-not-a-documentary/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [I'm at a little loss in terms of my Leave It To Beaver expertise, since I never watched an episode of the show -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-shearer/i-m-at-a-little-loss-in-terms-of-my-leave-it-to-beaver-expertise/) [Harry Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-shearer/) > [I trapped for 10 years, selling the hides and everything. Muskrats, raccoons, coyote, mink, beaver, otter, fox. When I figured out you couldn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/i-trapped-for-10-years-selling-the-hides-and-everything-muskrats/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [Save a tree, eat a beaver¦](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-hanson/save-a-tree-eat-a-beaver/) [Zac Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-hanson/) > [You are here because you some Justin Beaver, Miley Cirus lookin' muthas. -Captain Dickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/21-jump-street/you-are-here-because-you-some-justin-beaver-miley-cirus-lookin-muthas/) 21 Jump Street > [Everything has changed in recent decades - the economy, technology, cultural attitudes, the demographics of the workforce, the role of women in society and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everything-has-changed-in-recent-decades-the-economy-technology/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Norton Juster > [You see, years ago I was just an ordinary bee minding my own business, smelling flowers all day, and occasionally picking up part-time work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/you-see-years-ago-i-was-just-an-ordinary-bee-minding-my-own-business/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [“How are you going to make it move? It doesn't have a – " "Be very quiet," advised the duke, "for it goes without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/how-are-you-going-to-make-it-move-it-doesn-t-have-a-be-very-quiet/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [It was really written as most, I think, books are by writers - for themselves. There was something that just had to be written,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/it-was-really-written-as-most-i-think-books-are-by-writers-for/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [“What kind of a place is Expectations?" inquired Milo, unable to see the humor and feeling very doubtful of the little man's sanity. "Good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/what-kind-of-a-place-is-expectations-inquired-milo-unable-to-see-the/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [There is much worth noticing that often escapes the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/there-is-much-worth-noticing-that-often-escapes-the-eye/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [“The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/the-most-important-reason-for-going-from-one-place-to-another-is-to/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [“As the cheering continued, Rhyme leaned forward and touched Milo gently on the shoulder. "They're cheering for you," she said with a smile. "But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/as-the-cheering-continued-rhyme-leaned-forward-and-touched-milo/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [He paused again as a tear of longing rolled from cheek to lip with the sweet-salty taste of an old memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/he-paused-again-as-a-tear-of-longing-rolled-from-cheek-to-lip-with/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [“Kad god se nasmiješiš, radost se oko tebe širi poput kolobara u bari, i kad god si tužan, nitko nigdje ne može biti stvarno…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/kad-god-se-nasmije-i-radost-se-oko-tebe-iri-poput-kolobara-u-bari-i/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [“Why not take a few pounds of ‘happys’?” advised the salesman. “They’re much more practical—and very useful for Happy Birthday, Happy New Year, happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/why-not-take-a-few-pounds-of-happys-advised-the-salesman-they-re-much/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [...it's not just learning that's important. It's learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/it-s-not-just-learning-that-s-important-it-s-learning-what-to-do-with/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [Sometimes I find the best way of getting from one place to another is simply to erase everything and begin again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/sometimes-i-find-the-best-way-of-getting-from-one-place-to-another-is/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/have-you-ever-heard-the-wonderful-silence-just-before-the-dawn-or-the/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [How can you see something that isn't there?" yawned the Humbug, who wasn't fully awake yet. "Sometimes, it's much simpler than seeing things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/how-can-you-see-something-that-isn-t-there-yawned-the-humbug-who-wasn/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [“I wonder where I am," said Milo in a very worried tone. "You're . . . in . . . the . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/i-wonder-where-i-am-said-milo-in-a-very-worried-tone-you-re-in-the/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) [Explore all 185 Norton Juster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) ## More Beaver quotes > [Canada has two emblems - the beaver and the maple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-dawson/canada-has-two-emblems-the-beaver-and-the-maple/) John W. Dawson > [You are here because you some Justin Beaver, Miley Cirus lookin' muthas. -Captain Dickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/21-jump-street/you-are-here-because-you-some-justin-beaver-miley-cirus-lookin-muthas/) 21 Jump Street > [Save a tree, eat a beaver¦](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-hanson/save-a-tree-eat-a-beaver/) [Zac Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-hanson/) > [I trapped for 10 years, selling the hides and everything. Muskrats, raccoons, coyote, mink, beaver, otter, fox. When I figured out you couldn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/i-trapped-for-10-years-selling-the-hides-and-everything-muskrats/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [I'm at a little loss in terms of my Leave It To Beaver expertise, since I never watched an episode of the show -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-shearer/i-m-at-a-little-loss-in-terms-of-my-leave-it-to-beaver-expertise/) [Harry Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-shearer/) > [Contrary to popular opinion, 'Leave it to Beaver' was not a documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/contrary-to-popular-opinion-leave-it-to-beaver-was-not-a-documentary/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [Of course, Mississippi participates in federal matching programs for everything from preserving the post-Civil War home of Jefferson Davis to beaver control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-musgrove/of-course-mississippi-participates-in-federal-matching-programs-for/) [Ronnie Musgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-musgrove/) > [Body hair. You know when you're swimming as a kid and you want to crawl on your dad? None of us went anywhere near…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/body-hair-you-know-when-you-re-swimming-as-a-kid-and-you-want-to/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [A lot of things I have turned down ended up being a big embarrassment. Like that script, 'The Beaver.' I thought that was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-zwigoff/a-lot-of-things-i-have-turned-down-ended-up-being-a-big-embarrassment/) [Terry Zwigoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-zwigoff/) > ['Leave It to Beaver,' which ran from 1957 until 1963, was one of the strangest, sweetest, most distinctive domestic sitcoms of television's celebrated Golden Age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shales/leave-it-to-beaver-which-ran-from-1957-until-1963-was-one-of-the/) [Tom Shales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shales/) > [“The rat will adapt to most any landscape. The beaver will gnaw and slap and drag the landscape to fit her needs. I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-k-anderson/the-rat-will-adapt-to-most-any-landscape-the-beaver-will-gnaw-and/) Jarod K. Anderson > [I had one guy pretend to be me, go to a hotel room, and tell the people at the front desk that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-claypool/i-had-one-guy-pretend-to-be-me-go-to-a-hotel-room-and-tell-the-people/) [Les Claypool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-claypool/) > [Why, did you know that if a beaver two feet long with a tail a foot and a half long can build a dam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/why-did-you-know-that-if-a-beaver-two-feet-long-with-a-tail-a-foot/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [ \[Footnote:\] To give the Beaver his due, he does things because he has to do them, not because he believes that hard work per… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-to-give-the-beaver-his-due-he-does-things-because-he-has-to/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [Everything has changed in recent decades - the economy, technology, cultural attitudes, the demographics of the workforce, the role of women in society and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everything-has-changed-in-recent-decades-the-economy-technology/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 41 Beaver quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What a shame,\" signed the Dodecahedron. \"They're so very useful. Why, did you know that if a beaver two feet long with a tail a foot and a half long can build a dam twelve feet high and six feet wide in two days, all you would need to build Boulder Dam is a beaver sixty-eight feet long with a fifty-one-foot tail?\" \"Where would you find a beaver that big?\" grumbled the Humbug as his pencil point snapped. \"I'm sure I don't know,\" he replied, \"but if you did, you'd certainly know what to do with him.\" \"That's absurd,\" objected Milo, whose head was spinning from all the numbers and questions. \"That may be true,\" he acknowledged, \"but it's completely accurate, and as long as the answer is right, who cares if the question is wrong? 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