--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The world is made of Circles And we think…" description: "\"The world is made of Circles And we think in straight Lines\" — Peter Senge" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/peter-senge-3906_circles_the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-thin_442772.png" --- # The world is made of Circles And we think in straight Lines ![“The world is made of Circles And we think in straight Lines” quote by Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/peter-senge-3906_circles_the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-thin_442772.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/peter-senge-3906_circles_the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-thin_442772.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/peter-senge-3906_circles_the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-thin_442772.png) > “The world is made of Circles And we think in straight Lines” [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human thinking tends to simplify complex reality into linear patterns, despite its circular nature. **In simple terms:** We force straight‑line thinking on a circular world. Key Takeaway Embrace circular thinking for better problem solving. Themes systems thinking complexity holism Mood analytical creative Type strategic philosophical When to use this quote - strategy - education - design - conflict resolution Key Concepts circles linear bias Questions to Reflect On - When do you need straight‑line versus circular approaches? - How can you shift from linear to circular thinking? A Different Perspective Linear models can still be useful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Straight line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-line/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [If you're lucky, you don't think in a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/if-you-re-lucky-you-don-t-think-in-a-straight-line/) [Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/) > [Love makes the world go in circles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesliedolores/love-makes-the-world-go-in-circles/) Lesliedolores > [A circle is a round straight line with a hole in the middle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-circle-is-a-round-straight-line-with-a-hole-in-the-middle/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Logic, too, also rests on assumptions that do not correspond to anything in the real world, e.g., on the assumption that there areequal things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/logic-too-also-rests-on-assumptions-that-do-not-correspond-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Everything in the phenomenal universe is straight line and circle. The horizon, our heads, arms, electrons, the oceans, planets and stars. Their principle function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alonzo-king/everything-in-the-phenomenal-universe-is-straight-line-and-circle-the/) [Alonzo King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alonzo-king/) > [“t was amazing how easy it was to think in straight lines when he was in motion, even without his violin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/t-was-amazing-how-easy-it-was-to-think-in-straight-lines-when-he-was/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [I had multiple circles of friends around the world. Some circles were really wild and I was affectionately known by them as 'the nerdy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/i-had-multiple-circles-of-friends-around-the-world-some-circles-were/) [Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/) > [The so called "progress," "time marching on," is not a straight line, but a pendulum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/the-so-called-progress-time-marching-on-is-not-a-straight-line-but-a/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [“At thee seaside all is narrow horizontals, the world reduced to a few long straight lines pressed between earth and sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/at-thee-seaside-all-is-narrow-horizontals-the-world-reduced-to-a-few/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [If the earth were not round, heavy bodies would not tend from every side in a straight line towards the center of the earth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/if-the-earth-were-not-round-heavy-bodies-would-not-tend-from-every/) [Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/) > [History doesn't always move in a straight line. Sometimes it zigs and zags.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/history-doesn-t-always-move-in-a-straight-line-sometimes-it-zigs-and/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Common to the two geometries is only the general property of one-to-one correspondence, and the rule that this correspondence determines straight lines as shortest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-reichenbach/common-to-the-two-geometries-is-only-the-general-property-of-one-to/) [Hans Reichenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-reichenbach/) > [When you organize your work and look back at your entire production, it may feel like you're looking at a straight line, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vik-muniz/when-you-organize-your-work-and-look-back-at-your-entire-production/) [Vik Muniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vik-muniz/) > [The song of the curved line is called happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-crevel/the-song-of-the-curved-line-is-called-happiness/) [Rene Crevel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-crevel/) > [Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/look-at-jane-austen-her-characters-derive-in-a-reasonably-straight/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) ## More by Peter Senge > [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [In the Machine Age, the company itself became a machine - a machine for making money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/in-the-machine-age-the-company-itself-became-a-machine-a-machine-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [Trusting people to be creative and constructive when given more freedom does not imply an overly optimistic belief in the perfectibility of human nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/trusting-people-to-be-creative-and-constructive-when-given-more/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [It takes courage and skill to be unambiguous and clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/it-takes-courage-and-skill-to-be-unambiguous-and-clear/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [One possibility for difficulties innovating is that most people really donÕt care about innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/one-possibility-for-difficulties-innovating-is-that-most-people/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [One industrial age belief is that GDP or GNP is a measure of progress. I don't care if you're the President of China or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/one-industrial-age-belief-is-that-gdp-or-gnp-is-a-measure-of-progress/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [“The only sustainable competitive advantage is an organization's ability to learn faster than the competition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/the-only-sustainable-competitive-advantage-is-an-organization-s/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [Businesses and other human endeavors are also systems. They, too, are bound by invisible fabrics of interrelated actions, which often take years to fully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/businesses-and-other-human-endeavors-are-also-systems-they-too-are/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [To listen fully means to pay close attention to what is being said beneath the words. You listen not only to the 'music,' but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/to-listen-fully-means-to-pay-close-attention-to-what-is-being-said/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The faster we go, the slower we need to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/the-faster-we-go-the-slower-we-need-to-be/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [Leadership is about creating new realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/leadership-is-about-creating-new-realities/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [Don't push growth; remove the factors limiting growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/don-t-push-growth-remove-the-factors-limiting-growth/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [All great things have small beginnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/all-great-things-have-small-beginnings/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [It's common to say that trees come from seeds. But how can a tiny seed create a huge tree? Seeds do not contain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/it-s-common-to-say-that-trees-come-from-seeds-but-how-can-a-tiny-seed/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [Innovation requires resources to invest, and you can see many companies pulling back and going into an intense protective mode in a major extended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/innovation-requires-resources-to-invest-and-you-can-see-many/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) [Explore all 119 Peter Senge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) ## More Circles quotes > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [Maybe this is a way of gaslighting myself, but I think of it this way: In certain circles, my grandpa was considered to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/maybe-this-is-a-way-of-gaslighting-myself-but-i-think-of-it-this-way/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [All my life's a circle; But I can't tell you why; Season's spinning round again; The years keep rollin' by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/all-my-life-s-a-circle-but-i-can-t-tell-you-why-season-s-spinning/) [Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/) > [There's when a phrase circles in my head in a number of ways for any number of days, weeks, or months, and then that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/there-s-when-a-phrase-circles-in-my-head-in-a-number-of-ways-for-any/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [I have no name for what circles so perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/i-have-no-name-for-what-circles-so-perfectly/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [It's important to recognize that expanding the circle of opportunity and increasing the democratic potential of our own society, as well as those across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-important-to-recognize-that-expanding-the-circle-of-opportunity/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The fight against syphilis demands a fight against prostitution, against prejudices, old habits, against previous conceptions, general views among them not least the false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-fight-against-syphilis-demands-a-fight-against-prostitution/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Tell them you came, and saw, and looked into my eyes and saw the shadow of the guard receding. Thoughts in time and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/tell-them-you-came-and-saw-and-looked-into-my-eyes-and-saw-the-shadow/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [ \[Wise men\] have tried to understand our state of being, by grasping at its stars, or its arts, or its economics. But, if there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/wise-men-have-tried-to-understand-our-state-of-being-by-grasping-at/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [You know Kim Jong Un, the evil dictator of North Korea? Apparently, a guy in his inner circle used his ashtray while smoking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-kim-jong-un-the-evil-dictator-of-north-korea-apparently-a/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/) [Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/) [Browse all 1,860 Circles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The world is made of Circles And we think in straight Lines", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Senge" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-think-in-straight-lines/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Circles" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-think-in-straight-lines/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/peter-senge-3906_circles_the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-thin_442772.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/peter-senge-3906_circles_the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-thin_442772.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/peter-senge-3906_circles_the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-thin_442772.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The world is made of Circles And we think in straight Lines” — Peter Senge", "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": "Peter Senge", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The world is made of Circles...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-think-in-straight-lines/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-think-in-straight-lines/#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 } } ] } ```