--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At some time in the recent past someone…" description: "\"At some time in the recent past someone had decided to brighten the ancient corridors of the University by painting them, having some vague notion that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/terry-pratchett-19_ancient_at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone_2031660.jpg" --- # At some time in the recent past someone had decided to… ![“At some time in the recent past someone had decided to brighten the ancient corridors of the University by painting them, having some vague notion that Learning Should Be Fun. It hadn’t worked. It’s a fact known throughout the universes that no matter how carefully the colors are chosen…” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/terry-pratchett-19_ancient_at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone_2031660.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/terry-pratchett-19_ancient_at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone_2031660.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/terry-pratchett-19_ancient_at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone_2031660.jpg) > “At some time in the recent past someone had decided to brighten the ancient corridors of the University by painting them, having some vague notion that Learning Should Be Fun. It hadn’t worked. It’s a fact known throughout the universes that no matter how carefully the colors are chosen, institutional decor ends up as either vomit green, unmentionable brown, nicotine yellow or surgical appliance pink. By some little-understood process of sympathetic resonance, corridors painted in those colors always smell slightly of boiled cabbage—even if no cabbage is ever cooked in the vicinity.” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting to brighten university corridors with bright paint fails; institutional aesthetics resist whimsical changes and result in unpleasant odors. **In simple terms:** Bright paint in institutional spaces often backfires, creating odd smells and disliked colors. Key Takeaway Accept that institutional decor may not suit whimsical ideas. Themes institution design aesthetics failure humor Mood cynical humorous Type satirical observational When to use this quote - University renovations - office redesigns - public art projects - interior design experiments Key Concepts Color theory environmental psychology institutional inertia Questions to Reflect On - Why do institutional spaces resist vibrant redesign? - What alternative ways can improve morale without altering colors? A Different Perspective Even well‑intended design changes can clash with existing culture and expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Appliances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appliances/) [Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brown/) [Cabbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cabbage/) [Chosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chosen/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Colors Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colors-smell-3734407/) [Corridors Painted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corridors-painted-3734410/) [Decor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decor/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/) [Institutional Decor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutional-decor-3734408/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Nicotine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nicotine/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Painted Colors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painted-colors-888239/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Resonance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resonance/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Sympathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathetic/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [University Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university-painting-3734409/) [Yellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yellow/) ## Related quotes > [An A's fan made me a Darth Vader helmet but painted in A's colors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-doolittle/an-a-s-fan-made-me-a-darth-vader-helmet-but-painted-in-a-s-colors/) [Sean Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-doolittle/) > [I painted the picture, and in the colors the rhythm of the music quivers. I painted the colors I saw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/i-painted-the-picture-and-in-the-colors-the-rhythm-of-the-music/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [“Eight hours after putting out a cigarette, you are 97% nicotine-free. After just three days of not smoking, you are 100% nicotine-free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-carr/eight-hours-after-putting-out-a-cigarette-you-are-97-nicotine-free/) [Allen Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-carr/) > [There is no conclusive proof that nicotine's addictive... And the same thing with cigarettes causing emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-is-no-conclusive-proof-that-nicotine-s-addictive-and-the-same/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“The evidence suggests that nicotine induces weight loss by working on fat cells to increase their insulin resistance, while also decreasing the lipoprotein-lipase activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-taubes/the-evidence-suggests-that-nicotine-induces-weight-loss-by-working-on/) [Gary Taubes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-taubes/) > [I believe nicotine is not addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-campbell/i-believe-nicotine-is-not-addictive/) [William Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-campbell/) > [Last time I was sober, man I felt bad, Worst hangover that I ever had. It took six hamburgers, Scotch all night, Nicotine for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/last-time-i-was-sober-man-i-felt-bad-worst-hangover-that-i-ever-had/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [Cigarettes, I won't do cigarettes, nicotine will kill ya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/cigarettes-i-won-t-do-cigarettes-nicotine-will-kill-ya/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [People have romantic notions about television. In the highest realms they think it's some sort of art medium, and it's not. Others think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/people-have-romantic-notions-about-television-in-the-highest-realms/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I believe that for the typical smoker nicotine satisfaction is the dominant desire, as opposed to flavor and other satisfactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-reynolds/i-believe-that-for-the-typical-smoker-nicotine-satisfaction-is-the/) [R. J. Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-reynolds/) > [I get a craving like I fiend for nicotine. But I don't need a cigarette, know what I mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/i-get-a-craving-like-i-fiend-for-nicotine-but-i-don-t-need-a/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, and is present in most e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes also contain cancer-causing nitrosamines and diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cuomo/nicotine-is-a-highly-addictive-substance-and-is-present-in-most-e/) [Margaret Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cuomo/) > [No man who drank or smoked could ever come nearer to me than the telephone. I'd say, I won't let you - you nicotine-soaked,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-nation/no-man-who-drank-or-smoked-could-ever-come-nearer-to-me-than-the/) [Carrie Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-nation/) > [I like nicotine because it excites my brain and helps me work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-like-nicotine-because-it-excites-my-brain-and-helps-me-work/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“If you want to stop smoking, ask yourself, do you do it because you love nicotine, or because it provides a burst of stimulation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/if-you-want-to-stop-smoking-ask-yourself-do-you-do-it-because-you/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More Ancient quotes > [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/in-ancient-times-those-who-wished-to-illuminate-the-world-with-virtue/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Men must speak English who can write Sanskrit; they must speak a modern language who write, perchance, an ancient and universal one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-must-speak-english-who-can-write-sanskrit-they-must-speak-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [So too, monks, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/so-too-monks-i-saw-the-ancient-path-the-ancient-road-traveled-by-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Those of us with this ancient compulsion to tell stories sometimes start with a single kernel of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/those-of-us-with-this-ancient-compulsion-to-tell-stories-sometimes/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) [Browse all 2,415 Ancient quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At some time in the recent past someone had decided to brighten the ancient corridors of the University by painting them, having some vague notion that Learning Should Be Fun. It hadn’t worked. It’s a fact known throughout the universes that no matter how carefully the colors are chosen, institutional decor ends up as either vomit green, unmentionable brown, nicotine yellow or surgical appliance pink. By some little-understood process of sympathetic resonance, corridors painted in those colors always smell slightly of boiled cabbage—even if no cabbage is ever cooked in the vicinity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone-had-decided-to-brighten-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancient" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone-had-decided-to-brighten-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/terry-pratchett-19_ancient_at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone_2031660.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/terry-pratchett-19_ancient_at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone_2031660.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edb/terry-pratchett-19_ancient_at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone_2031660.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At some time in the recent past someone had decided to brighten the ancient corridors of the University by…” — Terry Pratchett", "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": "Terry Pratchett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At some time in the recent...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone-had-decided-to-brighten-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/at-some-time-in-the-recent-past-someone-had-decided-to-brighten-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 } } ] } ```