--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I got a statistic for you right now. Grab…" description: "\"I got a statistic for you right now. Grab your pencil, Doug. There are five billion trees in the world. I looked it up. Under every tree is a shadow, r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/ray-bradbury-75_air_i-got-a-statistic-for-you-right-now-grab_2720224.jpg" --- # I got a statistic for you right now. Grab your pencil… ![“I got a statistic for you right now. Grab your pencil, Doug. There are five billion trees in the world. I looked it up. Under every tree is a shadow, right? So, then, what makes night? I'll tell you: shadows crawling out from under five billion trees! Think of it! Shadows running around in the…” quote by Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/ray-bradbury-75_air_i-got-a-statistic-for-you-right-now-grab_2720224.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/ray-bradbury-75_air_i-got-a-statistic-for-you-right-now-grab_2720224.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ce/ray-bradbury-75_air_i-got-a-statistic-for-you-right-now-grab_2720224.jpg) > “I got a statistic for you right now. Grab your pencil, Doug. There are five billion trees in the world. I looked it up. Under every tree is a shadow, right? So, then, what makes night? I'll tell you: shadows crawling out from under five billion trees! Think of it! Shadows running around in the air, muddying the waters you might say. If only we could figure a way to keep those darn five billion shadows under those trees, we could stay up half the night, Doug, because there'd be no night!” [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He imagines eliminating night by removing shadows under trees, illustrating whimsical problem‑solving. **In simple terms:** Removing shadows would end night. Key Takeaway Think creatively about solving impossible problems. Themes imagination humor problem solving Mood playful thought‑provoking Type fictional philosophical When to use this quote - environmental design - nighttime activities - creative brainstorming Key Concepts science fiction philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What real problems could benefit from playful thinking? - How can imagination guide real solutions? A Different Perspective Practical constraints make the idea impossible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Places I love come back to me like music, Hush me and heal me when I am very tired; I see the oak woods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/places-i-love-come-back-to-me-like-music-hush-me-and-heal-me-when-i-2/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [“What would your good be doing if there were no evil, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it? After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/what-would-your-good-be-doing-if-there-were-no-evil-and-what-would/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [Should at that moment the full moon Step forth upon the hill, And memories hard to bear at noon, By moonlight harder still, Form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/should-at-that-moment-the-full-moon-step-forth-upon-the-hill-and/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [“They have been sitting in this position since they were born, so they think these shadows are all there are. Imagine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/they-have-been-sitting-in-this-position-since-they-were-born-so-they/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Most people think that shadows follow, precede or surround beings or objects. The truth is that they also surround words, ideas, desires, deeds, impulses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/most-people-think-that-shadows-follow-precede-or-surround-beings-or/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [To think of shadows is a serious thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/to-think-of-shadows-is-a-serious-thing/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [And then I painted it. I think my shadows made it look bad, but my family says its really awesome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-then-i-painted-it-i-think-my-shadows-made-it-look-bad-but-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You build your world around someone, and then what happens when he disappears? 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Of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/do-you-ever-read-any-of-the-books-you-burn-he-laughed-that-s-against/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [There's no reason to burn books if you don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/there-s-no-reason-to-burn-books-if-you-don-t-read-them/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. 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The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-travel-for-romance-we-travel-for-architecture-and-we-travel-to-be/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. 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