--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life shows no trend to complexity in the…" description: "\"Life shows no trend to complexity in the usual sense-only an asymmetrical expansion of diversity around a starting point constrained to be simple.\" — S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-jay-gould-885_complexity_life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the_2309575.png" --- # Life shows no trend to complexity in the usual sense-only… ![“Life shows no trend to complexity in the usual sense-only an asymmetrical expansion of diversity around a starting point constrained to be simple.” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-jay-gould-885_complexity_life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the_2309575.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-jay-gould-885_complexity_life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the_2309575.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-jay-gould-885_complexity_life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the_2309575.png) > “Life shows no trend to complexity in the usual sense-only an asymmetrical expansion of diversity around a starting point constrained to be simple.” [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Complexity arises not from linear growth but from diverse, asymmetric branching from simple origins. **In simple terms:** Complexity is diverse branching from simplicity. Key Takeaway Foster diversity and simple foundations. Themes evolution complexity diversity asymmetry origin Mood analytical inquisitive hopeful Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - research design - education curricula - innovation strategy - ecosystem management - artistic creation Key Concepts branching processes systems theory biological diversity Questions to Reflect On - What simple rules can guide complex systems? - How do you manage asymmetric growth? A Different Perspective Complexity can become unmanageable without guiding principles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asymmetrical Expansion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asymmetrical-expansion-5480407/) [Complexity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity/) [Complexity Usual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity-usual-5480405/) [Diversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diversity/) [Diversity Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diversity-starting-5480408/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Expansion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expansion/) [Expansion Diversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expansion-diversity-5480406/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting/) [Starting point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-point/) [Trends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trends/) [Usual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usual/) ## Related quotes > [Evolution is a process of constant branching and expansion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/evolution-is-a-process-of-constant-branching-and-expansion/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [On entering this world our starting-point is ignorance. None, however, but idiots remain there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/on-entering-this-world-our-starting-point-is-ignorance-none-however/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [“Absolute means Universal or fixed. So I think nothing is fixed and universal in Conscious manner. But I also think everything is fixed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajendra-prasad-ojha/absolute-means-universal-or-fixed-so-i-think-nothing-is-fixed-and/) [Rajendra Prasad Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajendra-prasad-ojha/) > [When what has been created in time according to the temporal order has reached maturity, it ceases from natural growth. But when what has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximus-the-confessor/when-what-has-been-created-in-time-according-to-the-temporal-order/) [Maximus the Confessor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximus-the-confessor/) > [“A BURNING DESIRE TO BE, AND TO DO is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-burning-desire-to-be-and-to-do-is-the-starting-point-from-which-the/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“I can’t leave him. I made a promise.” I start to explain it, but I don’t even know how to begin. How do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-can-t-leave-him-i-made-a-promise-i-start-to-explain-it-but-i-don-t/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [There are many lessons to learn. Naming just one is next to impossible. However, learning to love and be loved is a good starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hill/there-are-many-lessons-to-learn-naming-just-one-is-next-to-impossible/) [Faith Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hill/) > [You don't go to school to become the best chef in the world right after you graduate. School is always a starting point so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-yamaguchi/you-don-t-go-to-school-to-become-the-best-chef-in-the-world-right/) [Roy Yamaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-yamaguchi/) > [“When a writer uses his secret wounds as his starting point, he is, whether he is aware of it or not, putting great faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-jackson/when-a-writer-uses-his-secret-wounds-as-his-starting-point-he-is/) [Michael D. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-jackson/) > [I'm a historian by training and by conviction. And so the thing that has throughout informed my thinking about international relations is history. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-m-a-historian-by-training-and-by-conviction-and-so-the-thing-that/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [There are numerous ways to be classy and one of them starts with what you are wearing. A strand of classic white pearls is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-numerous-ways-to-be-classy-and-one-of-them-starts-with-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The starting point of sanctification is the filthiness, corruption, or stain of sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ames/the-starting-point-of-sanctification-is-the-filthiness-corruption-or/) [William Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ames/) > [“Rock is a commercially made mass music and this must be the starting point for its celebration as well as for its dismissal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-frith/rock-is-a-commercially-made-mass-music-and-this-must-be-the-starting/) [Simon Frith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-frith/) > [“As we look over the list of the early leaders of the republic, Washington, John Adams, Hamilton, and others, we discern that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-truslow-adams/as-we-look-over-the-list-of-the-early-leaders-of-the-republic/) [James Truslow Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-truslow-adams/) > [When I wrote my fictional novels, they always had a starting point of something real. Those images that are not real are exactly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-wrote-my-fictional-novels-they-always-had-a-starting-point-of/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) ## More by Stephen Jay Gould > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Zoocentrism is the primary fallacy of human sociobiology, for this view of human behavior rests on the argument that if the actions of "lower"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/zoocentrism-is-the-primary-fallacy-of-human-sociobiology-for-this/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The world, unfortunately, rarely matches our hopes and consistently refuses to behave in a reasonable manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-world-unfortunately-rarely-matches-our-hopes-and-consistently/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The true beauty of nature is her amplitude; she exists neither for nor because of us, and possesses a staying power that all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-true-beauty-of-nature-is-her-amplitude-she-exists-neither-for-nor/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [With copious evidence ranging from Plato's haughtiness to Beethoven's tirades, we may conclude that the most brilliant people of history tend to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/with-copious-evidence-ranging-from-plato-s-haughtiness-to-beethoven-s/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [When scientists need to explain difficult points of theory, illustration by hypothetical example - rather than by total abstraction - works well (perhaps indispensably)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/when-scientists-need-to-explain-difficult-points-of-theory/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The truly awesome intellectuals in our history have not merely made discoveries; they have woven variegated, but firm, tapestries of comprehensive coverage. The tapestries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-truly-awesome-intellectuals-in-our-history-have-not-merely-made/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Science simply cannot adjudicate the issue of God's possible superintendence of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-simply-cannot-adjudicate-the-issue-of-god-s-possible/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [But if we laugh with derision, we will never understand. Human intellectual capacity has not altered for thousands of years so far as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/but-if-we-laugh-with-derision-we-will-never-understand-human/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) [Explore all 341 Stephen Jay Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## More Complexity quotes > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [From the 1990s onward, the financial sector created a vast array of instruments designed to separate investors from their money, financial derivatives of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/from-the-1990s-onward-the-financial-sector-created-a-vast-array-of/) [John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/) > [Being actors we are dealing with the beauty and complexity of human confusion, no? And we are always trying to get answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/being-actors-we-are-dealing-with-the-beauty-and-complexity-of-human/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [ \[In science any model depends on a pre-chosen taxonomy\] a set of classifications into which we divide the enormous complexity of the real world...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/in-science-any-model-depends-on-a-pre-chosen-taxonomy-a-set-of/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [The complexity increases exponentially when you try and combine two companies that both need to be restructured in their own right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/the-complexity-increases-exponentially-when-you-try-and-combine-two/) [Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/) > [We're in this strange age where we can't say 'I love you,' at least not sincerely. It's something where, if you simplify it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoffer-boe/we-re-in-this-strange-age-where-we-can-t-say-i-love-you-at-least-not/) [Christoffer Boe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoffer-boe/) > [I've realized that life is indeed full of contradictions. Sometimes its crazy to be sane.You need to fall to fly. People suffer because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-realized-that-life-is-indeed-full-of-contradictions-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Calvin: The more you know, the harder it is to take decisive action. Once you are informed, you start seeing complexities and shades of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-the-more-you-know-the-harder-it-is-to-take-decisive-action/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [As we get more transparent with data sets about infrastructure and systems management, I have a feeling we'll see big changes in how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-koblin/as-we-get-more-transparent-with-data-sets-about-infrastructure-and/) [Aaron Koblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-koblin/) > [Show me a person without prejudice of any kind on any subject and I'll show you someone who may be admirably virtuous but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/show-me-a-person-without-prejudice-of-any-kind-on-any-subject-and-i/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [We're all complex human beings, and if some of that complexity shows through, I think it's advantageous for the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-de-bont/we-re-all-complex-human-beings-and-if-some-of-that-complexity-shows/) [Jan de Bont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-de-bont/) > [The base of artistic pursuit is ambivalence and complexity. And that's what I try to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-perez/the-base-of-artistic-pursuit-is-ambivalence-and-complexity-and-that-s/) [Fernando Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-perez/) > [If you want to gain market share at your competitor's expense - look for a customer that's suffering from too much complexity and simplify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cohan/if-you-want-to-gain-market-share-at-your-competitor-s-expense-look/) [Peter Cohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cohan/) > [What music is better able to do than language is to represent the complexity of human emotional states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/what-music-is-better-able-to-do-than-language-is-to-represent-the/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-become-convinced-through-my-studies-that-the-only-way-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) [Browse all 1,258 Complexity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life shows no trend to complexity in the usual sense-only an asymmetrical expansion of diversity around a starting point constrained to be simple.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the-usual-sense-only-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complexity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the-usual-sense-only-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-jay-gould-885_complexity_life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the_2309575.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-jay-gould-885_complexity_life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the_2309575.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-jay-gould-885_complexity_life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the_2309575.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life shows no trend to complexity in the usual sense-only an asymmetrical expansion of diversity around a…” — Stephen Jay Gould", "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 Jay Gould", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life shows no trend to complexity...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the-usual-sense-only-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/life-shows-no-trend-to-complexity-in-the-usual-sense-only-an/#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 } } ] } ```