---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The board transported its jurisdiction to…"
description: "\"The board transported its jurisdiction to a never-never land where a Dorothy of the new millennium might exclaim: \"They still call it Kansas, but I don..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/stephen-jay-gould-885_atheism_the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-t_1594285.png"
---

#  The board transported its jurisdiction to a never-never…

![“The board transported its jurisdiction to a never-never land where a Dorothy of the new millennium might exclaim: &quot;They still call it Kansas, but I don't think we're in the real world anymore.&quot;” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/stephen-jay-gould-885_atheism_the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-t_1594285.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/stephen-jay-gould-885_atheism_the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-t_1594285.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/stephen-jay-gould-885_atheism_the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-t_1594285.png)

> “The board transported its jurisdiction to a never-never land where a Dorothy of the new millennium might exclaim: "They still call it Kansas, but I don't think we're in the real world anymore."”

[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.

The board abandoned reality for a fantastical realm, reflecting modern disconnection from tangible truth.

**In simple terms:** Escaping reality creates a surreal, detached perspective.

Key Takeaway

Stay grounded while imagining possibilities.

Themes

reality imagination disconnection

Mood

critical reflective

Type

analytical satirical

When to use this quote

- politics
- culture
- media analysis
- fiction writing

Key Concepts

postmodernism media critique

Questions to Reflect On

- When does imagination hinder practical action?
- How can we keep imagination productive?

A Different Perspective

Over‑reliance on fantasy may ignore real problems.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Board Transported](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/board-transported-6048385/) [Boards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boards/) [Exclaim Kansas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exclaim-kansas-6048386/) [Jurisdiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jurisdiction/) [Kansas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kansas/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Land Dorothy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land-dorothy-6048384/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Millennium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millennium/) [Millennium Exclaim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millennium-exclaim-6048387/) [Never never land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-never-land/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Why get excited over this latest episode in the long, sad history of American anti-intellectualism? Let me suggest that, as patriotic Americans, we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/why-get-excited-over-this-latest-episode-in-the-long-sad-history-of/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [And somewhere in that crimson-colored never-never land where i pirouetted madly, in a wild and crazy effort to exhaust myself into insensibility, i saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-somewhere-in-that-crimson-colored-never-never-land-where-i/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Operation Peter Pan spanned from 1960-62 whereby over 14,000 children were sent away from their families in Cuba, some never to reunite again. Pan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/operation-peter-pan-spanned-from-1960-62-whereby-over-14-000-children/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [I create other worlds, magical never-never lands where the camera is my weapon and the battles I fight are with the elements. i stretch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-shields/i-create-other-worlds-magical-never-never-lands-where-the-camera-is/)

[Tyler Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-shields/)

> [Stories of a mythical angel paradise called an Angelopolis are like Peter Pan's Never Never Land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-trussoni/stories-of-a-mythical-angel-paradise-called-an-angelopolis-are-like/)

[Danielle Trussoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-trussoni/)

> [The health of a nation, a society, can be determined by the art it demands. We have insisted of television and our movies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/the-health-of-a-nation-a-society-can-be-determined-by-the-art-it/)

[Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/)

> [BBC Radio is a never-never land of broadcasting, a safe haven from commercial considerations, a honey pot for every scholar and every hare-brained nut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/bbc-radio-is-a-never-never-land-of-broadcasting-a-safe-haven-from/)

[Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/)

> [But why,... if you have a serious comment to make on the real life of men, must you do it by talking about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/but-why-if-you-have-a-serious-comment-to-make-on-the-real-life-of-men/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-come-with-me-where-dreams-are-born-and-time-is-never-planned-just/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [One theory is that we will make war look so attractive that we undermine the deterrent. That's Never Never Land. What we have now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/one-theory-is-that-we-will-make-war-look-so-attractive-that-we/)

[Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/)

> [The fact that Universal Jurisdiction exists in relation to serious international crimes does convey two important aspects of the global reality: first, that such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/the-fact-that-universal-jurisdiction-exists-in-relation-to-serious/)

[Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/)

> [ John \[Mulaney\] likes to say I'm like a district attorney with absolutely no jurisdiction whatsoever. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nasim-pedrad/john-mulaney-likes-to-say-i-m-like-a-district-attorney-with/)

[Nasim Pedrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nasim-pedrad/)

> [It is imperative to take the initiative, to build firewalls around Alberta, to limit the extent to which an aggressive and hostile federal government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/it-is-imperative-to-take-the-initiative-to-build-firewalls-around/)

[Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/)

> [Whether at home or at work, ISTJs are nothing if not reliable, particularly when it comes to inspecting the people and things in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-keirsey/whether-at-home-or-at-work-istjs-are-nothing-if-not-reliable/)

[David Keirsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-keirsey/)

> [Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-paul/men-and-women-shall-have-equal-rights-throughout-the-united-states/)

[Alice Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-paul/)

## 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 Atheism quotes

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/)

[Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/)

[Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/)

> [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/)

[Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/)

> [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [Do you think that was kind? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/)

[Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/)

> [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/)

[Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/)

> [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

[Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The board transported its jurisdiction to a never-never land where a Dorothy of the new millennium might exclaim: \"They still call it Kansas, but I don't think we're in the real world anymore.\"",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Jay Gould"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-to-a-never-never-land-where-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Atheism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-to-a-never-never-land-where-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/stephen-jay-gould-885_atheism_the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-t_1594285.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/stephen-jay-gould-885_atheism_the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-t_1594285.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e90/stephen-jay-gould-885_atheism_the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-t_1594285.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The board transported its jurisdiction to a never-never land where a Dorothy of the new millennium might…” — 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": "The board transported its jurisdiction to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-to-a-never-never-land-where-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-board-transported-its-jurisdiction-to-a-never-never-land-where-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
