--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were too many lemmings - that was…" description: "\"There were too many lemmings - that was the core of their difficulty. None wanted solitude, but a crowd of this size was a torment. Being sensitive lit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64e/sally-carrighar-68668_beast_there-were-too-many-lemmings-that-was-th_288172.jpg" --- # There were too many lemmings - that was the core of their… ![“There were too many lemmings - that was the core of their difficulty. None wanted solitude, but a crowd of this size was a torment. Being sensitive little beasts, they became overstimulated by superfluous numbers of their own kind. They had tried to escape, but with pitiable irony, all tried to…” quote by Sally Carrighar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64e/sally-carrighar-68668_beast_there-were-too-many-lemmings-that-was-th_288172.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64e/sally-carrighar-68668_beast_there-were-too-many-lemmings-that-was-th_288172.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64e/sally-carrighar-68668_beast_there-were-too-many-lemmings-that-was-th_288172.jpg) > “There were too many lemmings - that was the core of their difficulty. None wanted solitude, but a crowd of this size was a torment. Being sensitive little beasts, they became overstimulated by superfluous numbers of their own kind. They had tried to escape, but with pitiable irony, all tried to escape together.” Sally Carrighar ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A large group can become overwhelming, causing stress and loss of individuality, making collective escape futile. **In simple terms:** Too many together cause stress and hinder escape. Key Takeaway Balance group size with personal space. Themes social dynamics stress individuality Mood anxious reflective Type observational analytical When to use this quote - wildlife observation - team management - crowd control - psychology research Key Concepts herding behavior overstimulation collective action Questions to Reflect On - How does crowd size affect individual well‑being? - What strategies reduce overstimulation in groups? A Different Perspective Large groups may still suffer from coordination failures despite shared goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony/) [Lemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lemmings/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Torment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torment/) ## Related quotes > [Love is made by two people, in different kinds of solitude. It can be in a crowd, but in an oblivious crowd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-aragon/love-is-made-by-two-people-in-different-kinds-of-solitude-it-can-be/) [Louis Aragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-aragon/) > [“No one tried to escape. Why was that? Was hope so powerful that it would cause a man to cooperate to the very end?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/no-one-tried-to-escape-why-was-that-was-hope-so-powerful-that-it/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [human names for natural things are superfluous. Nature herself does not name them. The important thing is to know this flower, look at its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-carrighar/human-names-for-natural-things-are-superfluous-nature-herself-does/) Sally Carrighar > [“All my sins were trapped between its covers. And the damn thing just wouldn’t go away. 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Very difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/they-tried-to-escape-technology-to-stay-away-from-that-and-still-have/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [I held a blue flower in my hand, probably a wild aster, wondering what its name was, and then thought that human names for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-carrighar/i-held-a-blue-flower-in-my-hand-probably-a-wild-aster-wondering-what/) Sally Carrighar > [Every body resisted (the slaughterer) in its own fashion, tried to escape and seemed to argue with the Creator to its last breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/every-body-resisted-the-slaughterer-in-its-own-fashion-tried-to/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [I was born in Philadelphia, and I've tried to escape that city all my life. 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Even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hayes/part-of-the-problem-was-that-i-couldn-t-seem-to-get-past-the-fact/) [Sophie Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hayes/) > [“I tried to escape the unescapable but I had to learn to confront it instead; building strength until I was unbreakable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-luz-matias/i-tried-to-escape-the-unescapable-but-i-had-to-learn-to-confront-it/) [Danielle Luz Matias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-luz-matias/) > [“What would happen if I tried to escape?" I asked. I didn't see anyone else. If I outran Loki, I could probably get away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/what-would-happen-if-i-tried-to-escape-i-asked-i-didn-t-see-anyone/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I went out of my way to try not to be an artist, because I thought I would end up leading a miserable, obscure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-went-out-of-my-way-to-try-not-to-be-an-artist-because-i-thought-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Sally Carrighar > [During the last century a seven-year-old boy, Harry Service, was lost from his family's home in Manitoba and lived for two weeks with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-carrighar/during-the-last-century-a-seven-year-old-boy-harry-service-was-lost/) Sally Carrighar > [I held a blue flower in my hand, probably a wild aster, wondering what its name was, and then thought that human names for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-carrighar/i-held-a-blue-flower-in-my-hand-probably-a-wild-aster-wondering-what/) Sally Carrighar > [human names for natural things are superfluous. Nature herself does not name them. The important thing is to know this flower, look at its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-carrighar/human-names-for-natural-things-are-superfluous-nature-herself-does/) Sally Carrighar Explore all 4 Sally Carrighar quotes ## More Beast quotes > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. 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If he is eaten, he no longer functions as an instrument of labour, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-a-beast-of-toil-an-ox-is-fixed-capital-if-he-is-eaten-he-no-longer/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [« He squeezed his hands into fists. I picked up a grapefruit-sized rock and handed it to him. It went flying. Home run, Beast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-squeezed-his-hands-into-fists-i-picked-up-a-grapefruit-sized-rock/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/) [Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/) > [When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/when-a-man-is-treated-like-a-beast-he-says-after-all-i-m-human-when/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) > [“He's a beast. A monster. And he looks like he wants to devour me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/he-s-a-beast-a-monster-and-he-looks-like-he-wants-to-devour-me/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [ Antichrist is the pope and the Turk \[Muslim\] together. A beast full of life must have a body and soul. The spirit or soul… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/antichrist-is-the-pope-and-the-turk-muslim-together-a-beast-full-of/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [My hero among heroes is my grandmother, she's the epitome of strength and I try to mock that strength all the time. She's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeriel-miranda/my-hero-among-heroes-is-my-grandmother-she-s-the-epitome-of-strength/) [Aeriel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeriel-miranda/) > [You've heard tales of beauty and the beast. How a fair maid falls in love with a monster and sees the beauty of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/you-ve-heard-tales-of-beauty-and-the-beast-how-a-fair-maid-falls-in/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) [Browse all 1,640 Beast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There were too many lemmings - that was the core of their difficulty. None wanted solitude, but a crowd of this size was a torment. Being sensitive little beasts, they became overstimulated by superfluous numbers of their own kind. 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