--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If all of this makes orchids seem…" description: "\"“If all of this makes orchids seem smart—well, they do seem smart. There is something clever and un-plantlike about their determination to survive and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/susan-orlean-2207_orchids_if-all-of-this-makes-orchids-seem-smart_1862996.png" --- # If all of this makes orchids seem smart—well, they do seem… ![“If all of this makes orchids seem smart—well, they do seem smart. There is something clever and un-plantlike about their determination to survive and their knack for useful deception and their genius for seducing human beings for hundreds and hundreds of years.” quote by Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/susan-orlean-2207_orchids_if-all-of-this-makes-orchids-seem-smart_1862996.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/susan-orlean-2207_orchids_if-all-of-this-makes-orchids-seem-smart_1862996.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c04/susan-orlean-2207_orchids_if-all-of-this-makes-orchids-seem-smart_1862996.png) > ““If all of this makes orchids seem smart—well, they do seem smart. There is something clever and un-plantlike about their determination to survive and their knack for useful deception and their genius for seducing human beings for hundreds and hundreds of years.”” [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Orchids display clever survival tactics, using deception and allure to thrive alongside humans for centuries. **In simple terms:** Orchids are cunning survivors. Key Takeaway Learn from nature’s adaptive strategies. Themes nature survival adaptation Mood curious analytical Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - gardening - conservation - product design - marketing strategies Key Concepts deception evolution symbiosis Questions to Reflect On - What can humans learn from orchid survival tactics? - How does deception affect trust in relationships? A Different Perspective Orchid resilience may not translate directly to human contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Orchids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchids/) ## Related quotes > [I proved to be the most smart and clever person in the world because I managed to convince someone so beautiful ,hott and absolutly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brighton-simpsons/i-proved-to-be-the-most-smart-and-clever-person-in-the-world-because/) [Brighton Simpsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brighton-simpsons/) > [I have watched Peppermint for years and I know how smart and clever and funny she can be with a lip-sync.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-the-drag-queen/i-have-watched-peppermint-for-years-and-i-know-how-smart-and-clever/) [Bob the Drag Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-the-drag-queen/) > [Be smart not clever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sha-ronda/be-smart-not-clever/) [Sha'ronda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sha-ronda/) > [Sephora's business is really smart and clever - I'm all for anything that gets people up and out and into the social experience of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-jacobs/sephora-s-business-is-really-smart-and-clever-i-m-all-for-anything/) [Marc Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-jacobs/) > [The old orchid hunter lay back on his pillow, his body limp... 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I really do react just as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-inspiration-is-really-very-simple-i-m-struck-by-things-that-i-want/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I wish I had coined the phrase 'tyranny of choice,' but someone beat me to it. The counterintuitive truth is that have an abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-wish-i-had-coined-the-phrase-tyranny-of-choice-but-someone-beat-me/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My ace in the hole as a human being used to be my capacity for remembering birthdays. I worked at it. Whenever I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-ace-in-the-hole-as-a-human-being-used-to-be-my-capacity-for/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Sometimes I think I've figured out some order in the universe, but then I find myself in Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/sometimes-i-think-i-ve-figured-out-some-order-in-the-universe-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) [Explore all 179 Susan Orlean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## More Orchids quotes > [“She thought of the orchids spreading across the plains below, choking the life out of the other plants, out of the soil itself, selfish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/she-thought-of-the-orchids-spreading-across-the-plains-below-choking/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [You like orchids?... Nasty things. Their flesh is too much like the flesh of men, their perfume has the rotten sweetness of corruption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/you-like-orchids-nasty-things-their-flesh-is-too-much-like-the-flesh/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Orchids manufacture their intricate devices from the common components of ordinary flowers, parts usually fitted for very different functions. If God had designed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/orchids-manufacture-their-intricate-devices-from-the-common/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I try to always have flowers in the house. I have a florist in Chinatown, and they deliver orchids every two weeks. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lim/i-try-to-always-have-flowers-in-the-house-i-have-a-florist-in/) [Phillip Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lim/) > [“I call the Change of Life "Orchids" because menopause is such an ugly word. It's got men in it for goddsakes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jey-davis/i-call-the-change-of-life-orchids-because-menopause-is-such-an-ugly/) Lisa Jey Davis > [Nothing could be taken for granted. Women who loved you tried to cut your throat, while women who didn't even know your name scrubbed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/nothing-could-be-taken-for-granted-women-who-loved-you-tried-to-cut/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Love is an orchid which thrives principally on hot air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/love-is-an-orchid-which-thrives-principally-on-hot-air/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [“Don't compare her to sunshine and roses when she's clearly orchids and moonlight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-lee/don-t-compare-her-to-sunshine-and-roses-when-she-s-clearly-orchids/) [Melody Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-lee/) > [He bought me so many orchids that I looked like a well-kept grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/texas-guinan/he-bought-me-so-many-orchids-that-i-looked-like-a-well-kept-grave/) [Texas Guinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/texas-guinan/) > [Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [The splendor of a human heart that trusts it is loved unconditionally gives God more pleasure than Westminster Cathedral, the Sistine Chapel, Beethoven’s “Ninth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/the-splendor-of-a-human-heart-that-trusts-it-is-loved-unconditionally/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Once you start carrying your own suitcase, paying your own bills, running your own show, you've done something to yourself that makes you one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-tucker/once-you-start-carrying-your-own-suitcase-paying-your-own-bills/) [Sophie Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-tucker/) > [When I was fourteen, my father decided to initiate me into the ways of manhood, and took me to the local whorehouse. The woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/when-i-was-fourteen-my-father-decided-to-initiate-me-into-the-ways-of/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [“Many collectors died in process of searching for new species, and despite persistent reports that the men died from drowning, gunshot and knife wounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hansen/many-collectors-died-in-process-of-searching-for-new-species-and/) [Eric Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hansen/) > [When speech comes from a quiet heart, it has the strength of the orchid, and the fragrance of rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/when-speech-comes-from-a-quiet-heart-it-has-the-strength-of-the/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) [Browse all 85 Orchids quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchids/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If all of this makes orchids seem smart—well, they do seem smart. 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