--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you give an ant infinite time, it can…" description: "\"If you give an ant infinite time, it can move a mountain all by itself\" — Scott Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d5/scott-adams-666_time_if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can_992343.jpg" --- # If you give an ant infinite time, it can move a mountain… ![“If you give an ant infinite time, it can move a mountain all by itself” quote by Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d5/scott-adams-666_time_if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can_992343.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d5/scott-adams-666_time_if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can_992343.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d5/scott-adams-666_time_if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can_992343.jpg) > “If you give an ant infinite time, it can move a mountain all by itself” [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Patience and persistence can achieve seemingly impossible goals over time. **In simple terms:** Persistence can move mountains. Key Takeaway Commit to long‑term effort. Themes perseverance goal setting humor motivation Mood optimistic determined Type inspirational humorous When to use this quote - learning a skill - building a business - fitness training - writing a book Key Concepts incremental progress time management resilience Questions to Reflect On - What long‑term goals am I willing to pursue? - How can I break a huge task into tiny steps? A Different Perspective Patience alone may not overcome structural obstacles; resources matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ant Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ant-infinite-2039013/) [Ants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ants/) [Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite/) [Infinite time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite-time/) [Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-mountain-2039014/) ## Related quotes > [“.. that old, cold time on the mountain when they owned the world and nothing seemed wrong ..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/that-old-cold-time-on-the-mountain-when-they-owned-the-world-and/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [I think, every time I'm on the mountain, I'm just so thankful to be there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-kim/i-think-every-time-i-m-on-the-mountain-i-m-just-so-thankful-to-be/) [Chloe Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-kim/) > [Certainly it was no design of the atoms to place themselves in a particular order, nor did they decide what motions each should have.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/certainly-it-was-no-design-of-the-atoms-to-place-themselves-in-a/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [God had infinite time to give us… He cut it up into a near succession of new mornings, and, with each, therefore, a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/god-had-infinite-time-to-give-us-he-cut-it-up-into-a-near-succession/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Human existence is girt round with mystery: the narrow region of our experience is a small island in the midst of a boundless sea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/human-existence-is-girt-round-with-mystery-the-narrow-region-of-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God is a God of galaxies, of storms, of roaring seas and boiling thunder, but He is also the God of bread baking, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/god-is-a-god-of-galaxies-of-storms-of-roaring-seas-and-boiling/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [It was certainly not by design that the particles fell into order, they did not work out what they were going to do, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/it-was-certainly-not-by-design-that-the-particles-fell-into-order/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [“From grain of sand, Births light births space births infinite time, and to grain of sand do all things return.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-barnhill/from-grain-of-sand-births-light-births-space-births-infinite-time-and/) [Kelly Barnhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-barnhill/) > [I am a gardener of infinite time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toru-takemitsu/i-am-a-gardener-of-infinite-time/) [Toru Takemitsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toru-takemitsu/) > [“Nothing can be truly infinite at a single point in time, as it would have taken an infinite amount of time to have arisen;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-reznik/nothing-can-be-truly-infinite-at-a-single-point-in-time-as-it-would/) [Noah Reznik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-reznik/) > [“Strange department, this. Their motto was: "The comprehension of Infinity requires infinite time." I did not argue with that, but then they derived an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arkady-strugatsky/strange-department-this-their-motto-was-the-comprehension-of-infinity/) [Arkady Strugatsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arkady-strugatsky/) > [Anything made out of destructible matter Infinite time would have devoured before. But if the atoms that make and replenish the world Have endured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/anything-made-out-of-destructible-matter-infinite-time-would-have/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [It's not that I don't enjoy TV. If I had infinite time, I would watch it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-collison/it-s-not-that-i-don-t-enjoy-tv-if-i-had-infinite-time-i-would-watch-it/) [Patrick Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-collison/) > [“THE ALL must be INFINITE, for there is nothing else to define, confine, bound, limit; or restrict THE ALL. It must be Infinite in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/three-initiates/the-all-must-be-infinite-for-there-is-nothing-else-to-define-confine/) [Three Initiates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/three-initiates/) > [The past is an interpretation. The future is on illusion. The world does not more through time as if it were a straight line,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shams-tabrizi/the-past-is-an-interpretation-the-future-is-on-illusion-the-world/) [Shams Tabrizi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shams-tabrizi/) ## More by Scott Adams > [The creator of the universe works in mysterious ways. But he uses a base ten counting system and likes round numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-creator-of-the-universe-works-in-mysterious-ways-but-he-uses-a/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“If you think your odds of solving your problem are bad, don’t rule out the possibility that what is really happening is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-think-your-odds-of-solving-your-problem-are-bad-don-t-rule-out/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [Frankly, I’m suspicious of anyone who has a strong opinion on a complicated issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/frankly-i-m-suspicious-of-anyone-who-has-a-strong-opinion-on-a/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“If you want success, figure out the price, then pay it. It sounds trivial and obvious, but if you unpack the idea it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-want-success-figure-out-the-price-then-pay-it-it-sounds/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [Ideas are worthless, execution is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/ideas-are-worthless-execution-is-everything/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [For five hundred dollars, I'll name a subatomic particle after you. Some of my satisfied customers include Arthur C. Quark and George Meson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/for-five-hundred-dollars-i-ll-name-a-subatomic-particle-after-you/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“Failure always brings something valuable with it. I don’t let it leave until I extract that value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/failure-always-brings-something-valuable-with-it-i-don-t-let-it-leave/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [The longer you verk here, diverse it gets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-longer-you-verk-here-diverse-it-gets/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“On all the important stuff, we are emotional creatures who make decisions first and rationalize them after the fact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/on-all-the-important-stuff-we-are-emotional-creatures-who-make/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“What you rarely see is a stillborn failure that transmogrifies into a stellar success. Small successes can grow into big ones, but failures rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/what-you-rarely-see-is-a-stillborn-failure-that-transmogrifies-into-a/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“Because everything you perceive is a metaphor for something your brain is not equipped to fully understand. God is as real as the clothes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/because-everything-you-perceive-is-a-metaphor-for-something-your/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“Capitalism is rotten at every level, and yet it adds up to something extraordinarily useful for society over time. The paradox of capitalism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/capitalism-is-rotten-at-every-level-and-yet-it-adds-up-to-something/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [The best part about being my age is in knowing how my life worked out. Sure, there's a lot more living to go, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-best-part-about-being-my-age-is-in-knowing-how-my-life-worked-out/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [If you see voters as rational, you'll be a terrible politician. People are not wired to be rational. Our brains simply evolved to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-see-voters-as-rational-you-ll-be-a-terrible-politician-people/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [E-books are impervious to analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/e-books-are-impervious-to-analogy/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) [Explore all 418 Scott Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) ## More Ants quotes > [Some people are like ants. Give them a warm day and a piece of ground and they start digging. There the similarity ends. Ants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/some-people-are-like-ants-give-them-a-warm-day-and-a-piece-of-ground/) [Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/) > [Great God of the Ants, thou hast granted victory to thy servants. I appoint thee honorary Colonel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karel-capek/great-god-of-the-ants-thou-hast-granted-victory-to-thy-servants-i/) [Karel Capek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karel-capek/) > [Pray look upon the plants and birds, the ants, spiders, and bees, and you will see them all exerting their nature, and busy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/pray-look-upon-the-plants-and-birds-the-ants-spiders-and-bees-and-you/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [People are like ants: Just a few of them give all the orders. And most of them spend their lives getting squashed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/people-are-like-ants-just-a-few-of-them-give-all-the-orders-and-most/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“Some people are ants by nature; they have to work, even when it’s useless. Few people have a talent for constructive laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/some-people-are-ants-by-nature-they-have-to-work-even-when-it-s/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [There's a good case to be made that having fun is a key evolutionary advantage right next to opposable thumbs in terms of importance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raph-koster/there-s-a-good-case-to-be-made-that-having-fun-is-a-key-evolutionary/) [Raph Koster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raph-koster/) > [“THE FIGHTERS ARE TINY. INSECTS, REALLY. BUT ANTS CAN SLAY AN ELEPHANT, IF THERE ARE ENOUGH OF THEM. ESPECIALLY ANTS ARMED WITH HIGH-YIELD EXPLOSIVES…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amie-kaufman/the-fighters-are-tiny-insects-really-but-ants-can-slay-an-elephant-if/) [Amie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amie-kaufman/) > [We know of no behavior in ants or any other social insects that can be construed as play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-holldobler/we-know-of-no-behavior-in-ants-or-any-other-social-insects-that-can/) [Bert Holldobler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-holldobler/) > [Oh, ants, my sisters, good old honeydew-seekers! From close up you are sticky and shiny and gristly; and your nymphs have parasitic red mites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/oh-ants-my-sisters-good-old-honeydew-seekers-from-close-up-you-are/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [Albert and I would spend hours and hours looking at them. Cleo had this big magnifying glass on his desk, and we'd find centipedes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/albert-and-i-would-spend-hours-and-hours-looking-at-them-cleo-had/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [When someone criticizes or disagrees with you, a small ant of hatred and antagonism is born in your heart. If you do not squash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/when-someone-criticizes-or-disagrees-with-you-a-small-ant-of-hatred/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“Lies are like ants; there's never just one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-ash/lies-are-like-ants-there-s-never-just-one/) [Julia Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-ash/) > [There's a scientific hypothesis that every person's name is a primary suggestive command that contains the entire script of their life in highly concentrated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-pelevin/there-s-a-scientific-hypothesis-that-every-person-s-name-is-a-primary/) [Victor Pelevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-pelevin/) > [When I was little, I would burn ants with a magnifying glass. But now that I'm older, I'm more of a cat guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/when-i-was-little-i-would-burn-ants-with-a-magnifying-glass-but-now/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [If ants were the size of humans, they would be able to run twice as fast as a Lamborghini.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-ants-were-the-size-of-humans-they-would-be-able-to-run-twice-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 499 Ants quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ants/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you give an ant infinite time, it can move a mountain all by itself", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Scott Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can-move-a-mountain-all-by-itself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ants" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can-move-a-mountain-all-by-itself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d5/scott-adams-666_time_if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can_992343.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d5/scott-adams-666_time_if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can_992343.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d5/scott-adams-666_time_if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can_992343.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you give an ant infinite time, it can move a mountain all by itself” — Scott Adams", "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": "Scott Adams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you give an ant infinite...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can-move-a-mountain-all-by-itself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/if-you-give-an-ant-infinite-time-it-can-move-a-mountain-all-by-itself/#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 } } ] } ```