--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They were small, brightly coloured, happy…" description: "\"They were small, brightly coloured, happy little creatures who secreted some of the nastiest toxins in the world, which is why the job of looking after..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/terry-pratchett-19_animals_they-were-small-brightly-coloured-happy_3236139.jpg" --- # They were small, brightly coloured, happy little creatures… ![“They were small, brightly coloured, happy little creatures who secreted some of the nastiest toxins in the world, which is why the job of looking after the large vivarium where they happily passed their days was given to first-year students, on the basis that if they got things wrong there…” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/terry-pratchett-19_animals_they-were-small-brightly-coloured-happy_3236139.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/terry-pratchett-19_animals_they-were-small-brightly-coloured-happy_3236139.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/terry-pratchett-19_animals_they-were-small-brightly-coloured-happy_3236139.jpg) > “They were small, brightly coloured, happy little creatures who secreted some of the nastiest toxins in the world, which is why the job of looking after the large vivarium where they happily passed their days was given to first-year students, on the basis that if they got things wrong there wouldn't be too much education wasted.” [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. First‑year students manage a vivarium of toxic, bright creatures, a task that tolerates mistakes because the educational loss is minimal. **In simple terms:** Students handle dangerous creatures, learning through low‑stakes errors Key Takeaway Use low‑risk tasks for hands‑on learning Themes education risk management biology Mood playful educational Type advice humorous When to use this quote - science labs - student orientation - animal care training Key Concepts experiential learning error tolerance Questions to Reflect On - How does low stakes improve skill acquisition? - What are the limits of tolerating mistakes? A Different Perspective If errors were costly, learning would be hindered ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Pigs are not that dirty. And they're smart, strange little creatures. They just need love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-duvall/pigs-are-not-that-dirty-and-they-re-smart-strange-little-creatures/) [Shelley Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-duvall/) > [All little creatures are beautiful...every living thing when it first sees life is born in beauty. What they grow to be is a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/all-little-creatures-are-beautiful-every-living-thing-when-it-first/) [Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/) > [ I always loved those little creatures \[hummingbird\], always feel blessed when they appear nearby. There's a magical quality to them. I finally put one… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-always-loved-those-little-creatures-hummingbird-always-feel-blessed/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“...little creatures they were who seemed to have been blown from glass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/little-creatures-they-were-who-seemed-to-have-been-blown-from-glass/) [Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/) > [Children, they're the same everywhere. Greedy little creatures but the best listeners in the world - any world. 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"It was either that or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-francis/they-re-horrible-little-creatures-all-snot-and-smelly-feet-and/) Brian Francis > [Children are unaccountable little creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/children-are-unaccountable-little-creatures/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [Most people think that aging is irreversible and we know that there are mechanisms even in the human machinery that allow for the reversal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-people-think-that-aging-is-irreversible-and-we-know-that-there/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) ## 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. 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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. 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The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. 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