---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's progress for you. A bigger and…"
description: "\"“There's progress for you. A bigger and better mousetrap every month. Pretty soon, we'll all be able to kill all the mice at the same time.”\" — Paul Au..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/paul-auster-351_bigger-and-better_there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-be_2966409.jpg"
---

#  There's progress for you. A bigger and better mousetrap…

![“There's progress for you. A bigger and better mousetrap every month. Pretty soon, we'll all be able to kill all the mice at the same time.” quote by Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/paul-auster-351_bigger-and-better_there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-be_2966409.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/paul-auster-351_bigger-and-better_there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-be_2966409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/paul-auster-351_bigger-and-better_there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-be_2966409.jpg)

> ““There's progress for you. A bigger and better mousetrap every month. Pretty soon, we'll all be able to kill all the mice at the same time.””

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

## About This Quote

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

Technological progress promises better solutions, yet may lead to unintended consequences.

**In simple terms:** Progress brings better tools, but also risks.

Key Takeaway

Consider impacts.

Themes

technology progress ethics

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- product design
- policy making
- environmental planning

Key Concepts

innovation unintended consequences

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the hidden costs?
- How do you balance innovation and risk?

A Different Perspective

New tools can create new problems.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Mousetrap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mousetrap/)

## Related quotes

> [Anyone who has invented a better mousetrap, or the contemporary equivalent, can expect to be harassed by strangers demanding that you read their unpublished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/anyone-who-has-invented-a-better-mousetrap-or-the-contemporary/)

[Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/)

> [“... the object of learning was not to build a better mousetrap but to ask a better question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-lester/the-object-of-learning-was-not-to-build-a-better-mousetrap-but-to-ask/)

[Julius Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-lester/)

> [Before you build a better mousetrap, it helps to know if there are any mice out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/before-you-build-a-better-mousetrap-it-helps-to-know-if-there-are-any/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [We're simple-minded, the team at Hulu, which is, we think if we can obsess over quality and build a better mousetrap, that good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-kilar/we-re-simple-minded-the-team-at-hulu-which-is-we-think-if-we-can/)

[Jason Kilar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-kilar/)

> [“Whenever man comes up with a better mousetrap, nature immediately comes up with a better mouse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-carswell/whenever-man-comes-up-with-a-better-mousetrap-nature-immediately/)

James D. Carswell

> [If you think you have a better mousetrap or car, or shirt, or whatever, you've got to tell people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-clow/if-you-think-you-have-a-better-mousetrap-or-car-or-shirt-or-whatever/)

[Lee Clow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-clow/)

> [Today, if you invent a better mousetrap, the government comes along with a better mouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-if-you-invent-a-better-mousetrap-the-government-comes-along/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Building good technology starts with strong curiosity, pursuit of hard problems and exploration, wherever it leads. It isn't necessarily high-minded. Rather, on an important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-johnson/building-good-technology-starts-with-strong-curiosity-pursuit-of-hard/)

[Bryan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-johnson/)

> [If you build a better mousetrap, regardless of your marketing budget, the world will beat its own path to your door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-kelman/if-you-build-a-better-mousetrap-regardless-of-your-marketing-budget/)

[Glenn Kelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-kelman/)

> [Building a better mousetrap merely results in smarter mice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/building-a-better-mousetrap-merely-results-in-smarter-mice/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [If a man can... make a better mousetrap, the world will make a beaten path to his door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-a-man-can-make-a-better-mousetrap-the-world-will-make-a-beaten/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“I used to love the saying, 'If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.' It sounds great,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hawkins/i-used-to-love-the-saying-if-you-build-a-better-mousetrap-the-world/)

[John Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hawkins/)

> [If you build a better mousetrap, you will catch better mice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gobel/if-you-build-a-better-mousetrap-you-will-catch-better-mice/)

[George Gobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gobel/)

> [Money has no color. If you can build a better mousetrap, it won't matter whether you're black or white. People will buy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-gaston/money-has-no-color-if-you-can-build-a-better-mousetrap-it-won-t/)

A. G. Gaston

> [This decade is strewn with examples of bright people who thought they built a better mousetrap that could consistently extract abnormal returns from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/this-decade-is-strewn-with-examples-of-bright-people-who-thought-they/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

## More by Paul Auster

> [“On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-that-he-was-nowhere-and-this/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“No es que escribir me produzca un gran placer, pero es mucho peor si no lo hago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/no-es-que-escribir-me-produzca-un-gran-placer-pero-es-mucho-peor-si/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [You see, the interesting thing about books, as opposed, say, to films, is that it's always just one person encountering the book, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/you-see-the-interesting-thing-about-books-as-opposed-say-to-films-is/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I'm not a man deeply interested in technology. It eludes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-m-not-a-man-deeply-interested-in-technology-it-eludes-me/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [The joke is the purest, most essential form of storytelling. Every word has to count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-joke-is-the-purest-most-essential-form-of-storytelling-every-word/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“What people saw when he appeared before them, then, was not really him, but a person he had invented, an artificial creature he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/what-people-saw-when-he-appeared-before-them-then-was-not-really-him/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [As long as there's one person to believe it, there's no story that can't be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/as-long-as-there-s-one-person-to-believe-it-there-s-no-story-that-can/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [Writing has always had a tactile quality for me. It's a physical experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/writing-has-always-had-a-tactile-quality-for-me-it-s-a-physical/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I was very moved to see that the name of the boat was Hamlet - an imaginary character becomes so important to people, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-very-moved-to-see-that-the-name-of-the-boat-was-hamlet-an/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [Our lifelong certainties about the world can be demolished in a single second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/our-lifelong-certainties-about-the-world-can-be-demolished-in-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [The ideal reader's the same, and I suppose this person has never had a face or a gender or an age. It's just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-ideal-reader-s-the-same-and-i-suppose-this-person-has-never-had-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“Most lives vanish. A person dies, and little by little all traces of that life disappear. An inventor survives in his inventions, an architect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/most-lives-vanish-a-person-dies-and-little-by-little-all-traces-of/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“and cut down many trees. When the Humans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/and-cut-down-many-trees-when-the-humans/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

[Explore all 582 Paul Auster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

## More Bigger and better quotes

> [“Oh, nothing. Only you really did help them, you know.” “Who?” “All the men who’ve come through this House. You helped them find their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-wecker/oh-nothing-only-you-really-did-help-them-you-know-who-all-the-men-who/)

[Helene Wecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-wecker/)

> [We might make money and be in the careers we're in, but we don't need a bunch of stuff. We like showcasing that and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-bella/we-might-make-money-and-be-in-the-careers-we-re-in-but-we-don-t-need/)

[Brie Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-bella/)

> [“You’ve come to this juncture in your life, merely because something in you kept saying, “You deserve to be happy.” You were born to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/you-ve-come-to-this-juncture-in-your-life-merely-because-something-in/)

[Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/)

> [“Have fun in everything you do. Challenge yourself to bigger and better things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-miller/have-fun-in-everything-you-do-challenge-yourself-to-bigger-and-better/)

[Dan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-miller/)

> [I've definitely become smuttier. When I first started out, I had these aspirations: 'I'm not going to do jokes about anything crude because I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-whitehall/i-ve-definitely-become-smuttier-when-i-first-started-out-i-had-these/)

[Jack Whitehall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-whitehall/)

> [Eventually I booked a 2-line role on a show called 'JAG' and slowly the parts got bigger and better. I'm very thankful that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-witwer/eventually-i-booked-a-2-line-role-on-a-show-called-jag-and-slowly-the/)

[Samuel Witwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-witwer/)

> [“I wonder how many people, just like David, have been anointed to do something great in life, to be in a position of leadership,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/i-wonder-how-many-people-just-like-david-have-been-anointed-to-do/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [We singer-songwriter people, we're used to getting up and doing our own thing in front of people, and we're it. We're the band, artist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-wilkinson/we-singer-songwriter-people-we-re-used-to-getting-up-and-doing-our/)

[Andy Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-wilkinson/)

> [“If a free people is going to be reproduced, it will require watering and revivifying and owning anew older traditions and awaking the curiosity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sasse/if-a-free-people-is-going-to-be-reproduced-it-will-require-watering/)

[Ben Sasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sasse/)

> [“When I face an obsticle that it seem I can't overcome I tell myself it's God's way of telling me to move on becase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiree-mccarver/when-i-face-an-obsticle-that-it-seem-i-can-t-overcome-i-tell-myself/)

Shiree McCarver

> [“If there’s one thing you learn from me, after hearing about just under one year of my life can it be that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-seeley/if-there-s-one-thing-you-learn-from-me-after-hearing-about-just-under/)

R.J. Seeley

> [If you're going to take away our sponsors, why not bump it up to $100,000 for a fight bonus? Let us scrap it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stephens/if-you-re-going-to-take-away-our-sponsors-why-not-bump-it-up-to-100/)

[Jeremy Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stephens/)

> [I still want to put together bigger and better programs to work with the community. I still think I could do better on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/i-still-want-to-put-together-bigger-and-better-programs-to-work-with/)

[Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/)

> [“The next day was a dream of such perfection that I have never approached the like again. It was, of course, all illusion, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-pears/the-next-day-was-a-dream-of-such-perfection-that-i-have-never/)

[Iain Pears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-pears/)

> [My goal every year is to be bigger and better than I was the year before. The competition just keeps getting better, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-heath/my-goal-every-year-is-to-be-bigger-and-better-than-i-was-the-year/)

[Phil Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-heath/)

Browse all 164 Bigger and better quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There's progress for you. A bigger and better mousetrap every month. Pretty soon, we'll all be able to kill all the mice at the same time.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Auster"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-better-mousetrap-every-month/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bigger and better"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-better-mousetrap-every-month/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/paul-auster-351_bigger-and-better_there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-be_2966409.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/paul-auster-351_bigger-and-better_there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-be_2966409.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/paul-auster-351_bigger-and-better_there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-be_2966409.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There's progress for you. A bigger and better mousetrap every month. Pretty soon, we'll all be able to kill…” — Paul Auster",
                "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": "Paul Auster",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There's progress for you. A bigger...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-better-mousetrap-every-month/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/there-s-progress-for-you-a-bigger-and-better-mousetrap-every-month/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
