--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All living things are gnarly, in that…" description: "\"All living things are gnarly, in that they inevitably do things that are much more complex than one might have expected.\" — Rudy Rucker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/rudy-rucker-12413_expected_all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-the_79600.jpg" --- # All living things are gnarly, in that they inevitably do… ![“All living things are gnarly, in that they inevitably do things that are much more complex than one might have expected.” quote by Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/rudy-rucker-12413_expected_all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-the_79600.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/rudy-rucker-12413_expected_all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-the_79600.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/rudy-rucker-12413_expected_all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-the_79600.jpg) > “All living things are gnarly, in that they inevitably do things that are much more complex than one might have expected.” [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life exhibits unexpected complexity, surpassing simplistic expectations. **In simple terms:** Complexity beyond expectations Key Takeaway Life is inherently intricate Themes complexity unexpectedness nature philosophy wonder Mood awe curiosity Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - observing ecosystems - studying cellular processes - philosophical reflection Key Concepts emergent behavior systems theory Practical Applications - educational curricula - science communication Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions limit our understanding of life? - How does complexity shape our perception of nature? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gnarly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gnarly/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-things/) ## Related quotes > [Countries we love will inevitably do things we don't like or fail to understand. The same goes for people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-stephens/countries-we-love-will-inevitably-do-things-we-don-t-like-or-fail-to/) [Bret Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-stephens/) > [“Because humans are complicated,” Harry said, and could hear an echo of something he had heard and forgotten. “We want to do things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/because-humans-are-complicated-harry-said-and-could-hear-an-echo-of/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [Science talks about very simple things, and asks hard questions about them. As soon as things become too complex, science can't deal with them...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/science-talks-about-very-simple-things-and-asks-hard-questions-about/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Dealing with complexity is an inefficient and unnecessary waste of time, attention and mental energy. There is never any justification for things being complex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-de-bono/dealing-with-complexity-is-an-inefficient-and-unnecessary-waste-of/) [Edward de Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-de-bono/) > [“Great things seem complex and cause the nations to rush towards the minor things that seem easy to reach, hence, they perish. And again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-tshibwabwa/great-things-seem-complex-and-cause-the-nations-to-rush-towards-the/) Blaise Tshibwabwa > [There are cases where you can say a lot more in a hook than you can by making things more complex in a verse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/there-are-cases-where-you-can-say-a-lot-more-in-a-hook-than-you-can/) [Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/) > [It's just this feeling of when you're a kid, you have these ideas about the world and about people in your life that don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-watts/it-s-just-this-feeling-of-when-you-re-a-kid-you-have-these-ideas/) [Jon Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-watts/) > [Things that are complex are not useful, Things that are useful are simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-kalashnikov/things-that-are-complex-are-not-useful-things-that-are-useful-are/) [Mikhail Kalashnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-kalashnikov/) > [“You're a complex girl. I tend to be drawn to things complex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-laurens/you-re-a-complex-girl-i-tend-to-be-drawn-to-things-complex/) [Jennifer Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-laurens/) > [In studying music, you're dealing with a person, not just what comes to you on a piece of paper, and it's important to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meale/in-studying-music-you-re-dealing-with-a-person-not-just-what-comes-to/) [Richard Meale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meale/) > [“Life is simple. You're the one making things complex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/life-is-simple-you-re-the-one-making-things-complex/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [You were about five feet short of a ten feet jump?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-knoxville/you-were-about-five-feet-short-of-a-ten-feet-jump/) [Johnny Knoxville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-knoxville/) > [I go through phases where I'll overuse words. S.E. Hinton, who wrote The Outsiders - she and I have been in contact for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-go-through-phases-where-i-ll-overuse-words-s-e-hinton-who-wrote-the/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [Some people have like a certain person, when they're around they get like a gnarly energy. I see it in other people, if a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-fanning/some-people-have-like-a-certain-person-when-they-re-around-they-get/) [Mick Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-fanning/) > [“Nothing is too gnarly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-way/nothing-is-too-gnarly/) Danny Way ## More by Rudy Rucker > [It's soothing to realize that my mind's processes are inherently uncontrollable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/it-s-soothing-to-realize-that-my-mind-s-processes-are-inherently/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [Science fiction writers put characters into a world with arbitrary rules and work out what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/science-fiction-writers-put-characters-into-a-world-with-arbitrary/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [“Everything is cellular. Reality is cellular. I really love that word, cellular. Cellular phone, cellular foam, sleeper cell, cellulite, cellular automata . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/everything-is-cellular-reality-is-cellular-i-really-love-that-word/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [I think dry nanotechnology is probably a dead-end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/i-think-dry-nanotechnology-is-probably-a-dead-end/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [Some ideas you have to chew on, then roll them around a lot, play with them before you can turn them into funky science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/some-ideas-you-have-to-chew-on-then-roll-them-around-a-lot-play-with/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [I am, as it were, an eye that the cosmos uses to look at itself. The Mind is not mine alone; the Mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/i-am-as-it-were-an-eye-that-the-cosmos-uses-to-look-at-itself-the/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [“No one can point to the fourth dimension, yet it is all around us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/no-one-can-point-to-the-fourth-dimension-yet-it-is-all-around-us/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [For me, the best thing about Cyberpunk is that it taught me how to enjoy shopping malls, which used to terrify me. Now I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/for-me-the-best-thing-about-cyberpunk-is-that-it-taught-me-how-to/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [Advice to beginning SF writers? Write a lot, finish what you write, and when it's done, keep sending it out for quite awhile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/advice-to-beginning-sf-writers-write-a-lot-finish-what-you-write-and/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [If we suppose that many natural phenomena are in effect computations, the study of computer science can tell us about the kinds of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/if-we-suppose-that-many-natural-phenomena-are-in-effect-computations/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [At present, however, I don't think the Net is a very good medium for books, books should really be inexpensive lightweight paperbacks you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/at-present-however-i-don-t-think-the-net-is-a-very-good-medium-for/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [Traditional science is all about finding shortcuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/traditional-science-is-all-about-finding-shortcuts/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [The study of infinity is much more than a dry academic game. The intellectual pursuit of the absolute infinity is, as Georg Cantor realized,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/the-study-of-infinity-is-much-more-than-a-dry-academic-game-the/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [ Intellectually, perspective \[drawing\] is a breakthrough, because here, for the first time, the physical space we live in is being depicted as ifit were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/intellectually-perspective-drawing-is-a-breakthrough-because-here-for/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [Unfortunately our nation, nay, our world, is run by evil morons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/unfortunately-our-nation-nay-our-world-is-run-by-evil-morons/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) [Explore all 55 Rudy Rucker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) ## More Expected quotes > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [A federal court has ruled that the U.S. Postal Service must reduce its stamp prices. The change in stamp prices is expected to affect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/a-federal-court-has-ruled-that-the-u-s-postal-service-must-reduce-its/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-propitious-smiles-of-heaven-can-never-be-expected-on-a-nation/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [I think we were raised in a nice Texas Jewish family where education was the most important thing, and close behind that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-loeb/i-think-we-were-raised-in-a-nice-texas-jewish-family-where-education/) [Lisa Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-loeb/) > [I am ever mindful of the legacy of my grandfather, the founder of this Kingdom, who had said to me that he perceived his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-hussein-i/i-am-ever-mindful-of-the-legacy-of-my-grandfather-the-founder-of-this/) [King Hussein I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-hussein-i/) > [I have never judged myself by other people’s standards. I have always expected a great deal of myself, and if I fail, I fail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-loren/i-have-never-judged-myself-by-other-people-s-standards-i-have-always/) [Sophia Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-loren/) > [But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy’ll be able to do is send sparks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-people-only-die-in-proper-duels-you-know-with-real-wizards-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [True love does not consist in trying to correct others, but in feeling joy that things are better than we expected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/true-love-does-not-consist-in-trying-to-correct-others-but-in-feeling/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Playing in the NFL, you're expected to perform and perform well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-jones/playing-in-the-nfl-you-re-expected-to-perform-and-perform-well/) [Daniel Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-jones/) > [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [We were always expected to see Quebec's side of things, but there was damned little reciprocity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-lamarsh/we-were-always-expected-to-see-quebec-s-side-of-things-but-there-was/) [Judy LaMarsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-lamarsh/) > [When you're walking at the airport, you're expected to smile at people because they know you... I find that tough. I'm only trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kaif/when-you-re-walking-at-the-airport-you-re-expected-to-smile-at-people/) [Katrina Kaif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kaif/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [There's a story about how the program is organized, there's a story about the context in which the program is expected to operate. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-steele/there-s-a-story-about-how-the-program-is-organized-there-s-a-story/) [Guy Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-steele/) Browse all 2,196 Expected quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All living things are gnarly, in that they inevitably do things that are much more complex than one might have expected.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rudy Rucker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-they-inevitably-do-things-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expected" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-they-inevitably-do-things-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/rudy-rucker-12413_expected_all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-the_79600.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/rudy-rucker-12413_expected_all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-the_79600.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/rudy-rucker-12413_expected_all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-the_79600.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All living things are gnarly, in that they inevitably do things that are much more complex than one might…” — Rudy Rucker", "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": "Rudy Rucker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All living things are gnarly, in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-they-inevitably-do-things-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/all-living-things-are-gnarly-in-that-they-inevitably-do-things-that/#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 } } ] } ```