--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I saw this thing years ago, where…" description: "\"I saw this thing years ago, where somebody filled a gymnasium with ping-pong balls and mousetraps. And then somebody threw just one more ping-pong ball..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/patrick-duffy-24819_ball_i-saw-this-thing-years-ago-where-somebod_2513491.jpg" --- # I saw this thing years ago, where somebody filled a… ![“I saw this thing years ago, where somebody filled a gymnasium with ping-pong balls and mousetraps. And then somebody threw just one more ping-pong ball in there, and literally, in five seconds, the room was popping. And then it was dead. And that's how it was with 'Dallas.' Just... 'boom!'” quote by Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/patrick-duffy-24819_ball_i-saw-this-thing-years-ago-where-somebod_2513491.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/patrick-duffy-24819_ball_i-saw-this-thing-years-ago-where-somebod_2513491.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/patrick-duffy-24819_ball_i-saw-this-thing-years-ago-where-somebod_2513491.jpg) > “I saw this thing years ago, where somebody filled a gymnasium with ping-pong balls and mousetraps. And then somebody threw just one more ping-pong ball in there, and literally, in five seconds, the room was popping. And then it was dead. And that's how it was with 'Dallas.' Just... 'boom!'” [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A small trigger can cause a rapid chain reaction that quickly overwhelms a system, leading to its collapse. **In simple terms:** A tiny event can cause a big, fast collapse. Key Takeaway Watch for tiny triggers that can cause big failures. Themes cause and effect chaos systems risk management Mood alert concerned analytical Type advisory cautionary When to use this quote - financial markets - software systems - public health crises - organizational change Key Concepts complex systems tipping points cascade failures Questions to Reflect On - What seemingly minor factor could destabilize your project? - How can you monitor early warning signs? A Different Perspective Small triggers may be hard to detect and can be misinterpreted as isolated incidents. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dallas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dallas/) [Gymnasium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gymnasium/) [Ping pong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ping-pong/) ## Related quotes > [The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-world-is-the-great-gymnasium-where-we-come-to-make-ourselves/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [It's the gymnasium of life where you get the workout, the resistance, and you find out things about yourself that you didn't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/it-s-the-gymnasium-of-life-where-you-get-the-workout-the-resistance/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [I was always at the gymnasium every day at six o'clock after school. In the mornings I would run, looking forward to future golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-was-always-at-the-gymnasium-every-day-at-six-o-clock-after-school/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Chess is the gymnasium of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/chess-is-the-gymnasium-of-the-mind/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“keep calm, hate the gays, support the cannibals”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nika-klaric/keep-calm-hate-the-gays-support-the-cannibals/) Nika Klaric > [“Give up your attachment to comfortable ways of living - show yourself in the gymnasium (gymnos = 'naked'), prove that you are not indifferent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/give-up-your-attachment-to-comfortable-ways-of-living-show-yourself/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“Built vein by vein never in vain”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genereux-uwabunkonye-philip/built-vein-by-vein-never-in-vain/) [Genereux Uwabunkonye Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genereux-uwabunkonye-philip/) > [“The temperature in the gym reached 125 degrees, qualifying anyone there to be served rare. "Could we," Dr. Henneman said, wafting her hands about,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-doyle/the-temperature-in-the-gym-reached-125-degrees-qualifying-anyone/) [Larry Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-doyle/) > [“More often than not, expecting to lose weight without first losing the diet that made the weight loss necessary is like expecting a pig…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/more-often-than-not-expecting-to-lose-weight-without-first-losing-the/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [It's like flying jet fighters in a gymnasium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-trickle/it-s-like-flying-jet-fighters-in-a-gymnasium/) [Dick Trickle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-trickle/) > [It will never be mistaken for a high school gymnasium or a meeting room in a Midwestern motel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donal-henahan/it-will-never-be-mistaken-for-a-high-school-gymnasium-or-a-meeting/) [Donal Henahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donal-henahan/) > [The other feature is a gymnasium named after another dead politician who was gifted with fast and extremely sure hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-breslin/the-other-feature-is-a-gymnasium-named-after-another-dead-politician/) [Jimmy Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-breslin/) > [“Some people who have been working out regularly for months or even years are still out of shape because the number of cheat days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-people-who-have-been-working-out-regularly-for-months-or-even/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [We slept in what had once been the gymnasium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/we-slept-in-what-had-once-been-the-gymnasium/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Love is like a ping pong ,you should know how to balance and control if you turn the ball becuse if you cannot control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-mae-nipa/love-is-like-a-ping-pong-you-should-know-how-to-balance-and-control/) [Ellen Mae Nipa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-mae-nipa/) ## More by Patrick Duffy > [I feel that marrying younger and being quite a young dad helped me with the stability of my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/i-feel-that-marrying-younger-and-being-quite-a-young-dad-helped-me/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [Every single unfortunate thing that happens, including, for instance, the murder of my parents, I am responsible for. I am responsible for being the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/every-single-unfortunate-thing-that-happens-including-for-instance/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [I'm an inherently happy person. It comes from the inside, which means you can achieve happiness under any circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/i-m-an-inherently-happy-person-it-comes-from-the-inside-which-means/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [Good luck happens to people who work hard for it. Sometimes people just fall into the honey pot, but I've consistently strived to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/good-luck-happens-to-people-who-work-hard-for-it-sometimes-people/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [When I was on 'Dallas,' I was known to audiences of the '80s. And then when my sons, who are in their 30s now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/when-i-was-on-dallas-i-was-known-to-audiences-of-the-80s-and-then/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [I learned to travel, then I travelled to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/i-learned-to-travel-then-i-travelled-to-learn/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [I quit it because at the end of seven years in an ensemble show with one leader, I thought: 'I will be known as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/i-quit-it-because-at-the-end-of-seven-years-in-an-ensemble-show-with/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [Dancers are a work of art - they are the canvas on which their work is painted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/dancers-are-a-work-of-art-they-are-the-canvas-on-which-their-work-is/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [I come from an alcoholic Irish background - I know where I was going! But I met my wife and started to practise Buddhism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/i-come-from-an-alcoholic-irish-background-i-know-where-i-was-going/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [I do all the cooking in our family. I'm a utilitarian cook, rather than an adventurous one - I only have about 15 recipes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/i-do-all-the-cooking-in-our-family-i-m-a-utilitarian-cook-rather-than/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [I'm one of the lucky actors in television. I don't make a lot of big waves, but there's constant activity, and that's the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/i-m-one-of-the-lucky-actors-in-television-i-don-t-make-a-lot-of-big/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [I had a lump on my face and had a big cancer thing removed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/i-had-a-lump-on-my-face-and-had-a-big-cancer-thing-removed/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [I lead a normal life and I don't assume there is anything I can impart to people. The only reason to write a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/i-lead-a-normal-life-and-i-don-t-assume-there-is-anything-i-can/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [The last episode of Dallas was in '1991.' Unfortunately, it was a terrible episode to end the show on: it was a sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/the-last-episode-of-dallas-was-in-1991-unfortunately-it-was-a/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) > [There's nothing I like more than picking fresh vegetables then putting them in the dinner you make that night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-duffy/there-s-nothing-i-like-more-than-picking-fresh-vegetables-then/) [Patrick Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) [Explore all 24 Patrick Duffy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-duffy/) ## More Ball quotes > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [Sometimes in midfield, it's nice because you do get a little bit more of the ball, and maybe out wide you rely on people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/sometimes-in-midfield-it-s-nice-because-you-do-get-a-little-bit-more/) [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [After '8 Mile' came out and blew up, the ball has been rolling ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-benson-miller/after-8-mile-came-out-and-blew-up-the-ball-has-been-rolling-ever-since/) [Omar Benson Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-benson-miller/) > [I don't believe in moral victories. I don't think in pro ball they exist, and they shouldn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-witten/i-don-t-believe-in-moral-victories-i-don-t-think-in-pro-ball-they/) [Jason Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-witten/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [In Memphis we don't talk. We ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-conley-jr/in-memphis-we-don-t-talk-we-ball/) [Mike Conley Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-conley-jr/) > [Football is not just all about throwing the ball. You got to run the ball, too. Defense has to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-jefferson/football-is-not-just-all-about-throwing-the-ball-you-got-to-run-the/) [Justin Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-jefferson/) > [I'm good with the ball, I can score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-bergwijn/i-m-good-with-the-ball-i-can-score/) [Steven Bergwijn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-bergwijn/) > [The golf ball doesn't care about know how hard you're working, or how many hours you slept that night. It only matters, what speed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-hovland/the-golf-ball-doesn-t-care-about-know-how-hard-you-re-working-or-how/) [Viktor Hovland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-hovland/) > [Throwing a ball is not natural, whether it's overhand or underhand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-finch/throwing-a-ball-is-not-natural-whether-it-s-overhand-or-underhand/) [Jennie Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-finch/) > [I have to chase down the most scientifically efficient way to get the golf ball in the hole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryson-dechambeau/i-have-to-chase-down-the-most-scientifically-efficient-way-to-get-the/) [Bryson DeChambeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryson-dechambeau/) > [I dislike the gym, but I'll chase a tennis ball all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-kuchar/i-dislike-the-gym-but-i-ll-chase-a-tennis-ball-all-day/) [Matt Kuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-kuchar/) > [There's one ball on the field, and that ball is mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-mendoza/there-s-one-ball-on-the-field-and-that-ball-is-mine/) Salvador Mendoza Browse all 1,822 Ball quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I saw this thing years ago, where somebody filled a gymnasium with ping-pong balls and mousetraps. 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