--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A picture is worth a thousand words...and…" description: "\"A picture is worth a thousand words...and uses up a thousand times the memory.\" — Stephen Hawking" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/462/stephen-hawking-389_memories_a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and_1072137.jpg" --- # A picture is worth a thousand words...and uses up a… ![“A picture is worth a thousand words...and uses up a thousand times the memory.” quote by Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/462/stephen-hawking-389_memories_a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and_1072137.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/462/stephen-hawking-389_memories_a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and_1072137.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/462/stephen-hawking-389_memories_a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and_1072137.jpg) > “A picture is worth a thousand words...and uses up a thousand times the memory.” [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Images convey complex ideas efficiently, but they consume far more digital memory than text. **In simple terms:** Pictures are efficient yet memory‑heavy. Key Takeaway Balance visual detail with storage limits. Themes communication technology memory Mood analytical practical Type educational technical When to use this quote - presentations - social media - educational content Key Concepts information density visual vs textual data Questions to Reflect On - When is a picture worth the memory cost? - How can we optimize visual data? A Different Perspective High‑resolution images can strain limited storage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Picture is worth a thousand words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [If a picture is worth a thousand words, in business, so is a number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/if-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-in-business-so-is-a-number/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [Whoever came up first with that saying a picture is worth a thousand words didn't understand the first thing about either one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [A picture is worth a thousand words. An interface is worth a thousand pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shneiderman/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-an-interface-is-worth-a-thousand/) [Ben Shneiderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shneiderman/) > [A picture is worth a thousand words, but conversations with them generally end in dissapointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-but-conversations-with-them/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [If a picture is worth a thousand words, photographers are worth a million.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/if-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-photographers-are-worth-a/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [One picture is worth a thousand words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/one-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There's that statement, "A picture is worth a thousand words" - well, I think flying around in Google Earth is worth a million words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-moore/there-s-that-statement-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-well-i/) [Rebecca Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-moore/) > [i'm beginning to feel like this. caught the incredible sunshine just in the nick of time today on my walk. the wall of rain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/i-m-beginning-to-feel-like-this-caught-the-incredible-sunshine-just/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [If a picture is worth a thousand words, please paint me the Gettysburg Address.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/if-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-please-paint-me-the-gettysburg/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [“Happiness is not always a reality many times it is in our memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hockson-floin/happiness-is-not-always-a-reality-many-times-it-is-in-our-memory/) [Hockson Floin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hockson-floin/) > [Ladies and gentlemen, a picture is not worth a thousand words. In fact, we found some pictures that are worth 500 billion words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erez-lieberman-aiden/ladies-and-gentlemen-a-picture-is-not-worth-a-thousand-words-in-fact/) [Erez Lieberman Aiden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erez-lieberman-aiden/) > [I don't believe a picture is worth a thousand words, unless they're very confusing words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-don-t-believe-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-unless-they-re/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [“A picture is worth a thousand words…and a video is worth a million pictures…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankala-subbarao/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and-a-video-is-worth-a-million/) [Ankala Subbarao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankala-subbarao/) > [They say never judge a book by its cover but they also said a picture is worth a thousand words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaz/they-say-never-judge-a-book-by-its-cover-but-they-also-said-a-picture/) [Jaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaz/) > [A picture of you is worth more than a thousand words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/a-picture-of-you-is-worth-more-than-a-thousand-words/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) ## More by Stephen Hawking > [The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-doctor-who-diagnosed-me-with-als-or-motor-neuron-disease-told-me/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [We are the product of quantum fluctuations in the very early universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/we-are-the-product-of-quantum-fluctuations-in-the-very-early-universe/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The human race does not have a very good record of intelligent behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-human-race-does-not-have-a-very-good-record-of-intelligent/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“We have finally found something that doesn’t have a cause, because there was no time for a cause to exist in. For me this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/we-have-finally-found-something-that-doesn-t-have-a-cause-because/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [ \[On President Bush's plan to get to Mars in 10 years\] Stupid. Robots would do a better job and be much cheaper because you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/on-president-bush-s-plan-to-get-to-mars-in-10-years-stupid-robots/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I believe the simplest explanation is, there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-believe-the-simplest-explanation-is-there-is-no-god-no-one-created/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The Paralympic Games is about transforming our perception of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-paralympic-games-is-about-transforming-our-perception-of-the-world/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The increase of disorder or entropy is what distinguishes the past from the future, giving a direction to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-increase-of-disorder-or-entropy-is-what-distinguishes-the-past/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Most sets of values would give rise to universes that, although they might be very beautiful, would contain no one able to wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/most-sets-of-values-would-give-rise-to-universes-that-although-they/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, and science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/there-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-religion-which-is-based-on/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“In the eighteenth century, philosophers considered the whole of human knowledge, including science, to be their field and discussed questions such as: Did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/in-the-eighteenth-century-philosophers-considered-the-whole-of-human/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [A model is a good model if first it interprets a wide range of observations in terms of a simple and elegant model, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-model-is-a-good-model-if-first-it-interprets-a-wide-range-of/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Empedocles noticed that if you cover the neck before you immerse it, a clepsydra does not fill. He reasoned that something invisible must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/empedocles-noticed-that-if-you-cover-the-neck-before-you-immerse-it-a/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-human-race-shouldn-t-have-all-its-eggs-in-one-basket-or-on-one/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I hope I have helped to raise the profile of science and to show that physics is not a mystery but can be understood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-hope-i-have-helped-to-raise-the-profile-of-science-and-to-show-that/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) [Explore all 601 Stephen Hawking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) ## More Memories quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/i-have-a-memory-like-an-elephant-i-remember-every-elephant-i-ve-ever/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [My greatest memories as a kid were playing sports with my dad and watching sports with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-greatest-memories-as-a-kid-were-playing-sports-with-my-dad-and/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [A well-fashioned day - with a beginning and an end, a purpose and a content, a color and a character, a feel and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/a-well-fashioned-day-with-a-beginning-and-an-end-a-purpose-and-a/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chiarello/what-keeps-me-motivated-is-not-the-food-itself-but-all-the-bonds-and/) Michael Chiarello > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [In the name of Jerusalem. If I forget the extermination of the Jews, may my right hand wither, may my tongue stick to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/in-the-name-of-jerusalem-if-i-forget-the-extermination-of-the-jews/) [Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) > [Children, Never look Back!" and this meant that we must never allow the future to be weighed down by memory . for children have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/children-never-look-back-and-this-meant-that-we-must-never-allow-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) [Browse all 11,132 Memories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A picture is worth a thousand words...and uses up a thousand times the memory.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Hawking" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and-uses-up-a-thousand-times-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Memories" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and-uses-up-a-thousand-times-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/462/stephen-hawking-389_memories_a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and_1072137.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/462/stephen-hawking-389_memories_a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and_1072137.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/462/stephen-hawking-389_memories_a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and_1072137.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A picture is worth a thousand words...and uses up a thousand times the memory.” — Stephen Hawking", "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": "Stephen Hawking", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A picture is worth a thousand...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and-uses-up-a-thousand-times-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-and-uses-up-a-thousand-times-the/#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 } } ] } ```