--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the brain, all data is freely…" description: "\"“In the brain, all data is freely associated. When I go with my spouse to sing on a mortgage for our new home, I am reminded of the first place we live..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/yuval-noah-harari-100_first-place_in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associat_2685772.jpg" --- # In the brain, all data is freely associated. When I go… ![“In the brain, all data is freely associated. When I go with my spouse to sing on a mortgage for our new home, I am reminded of the first place we lived together, which reminds me of our honeymoon in New Orleans, which reminds me of alligators, which remind me of dragons, which remind me of The…” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/yuval-noah-harari-100_first-place_in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associat_2685772.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/yuval-noah-harari-100_first-place_in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associat_2685772.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/yuval-noah-harari-100_first-place_in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associat_2685772.jpg) > ““In the brain, all data is freely associated. When I go with my spouse to sing on a mortgage for our new home, I am reminded of the first place we lived together, which reminds me of our honeymoon in New Orleans, which reminds me of alligators, which remind me of dragons, which remind me of The Ring of the Nibelungen , and suddenly, before I know it, there I am humming the Siegfried leitmotif to a puzzled bank clerk. In bureaucracy, things must be kept apart. There is one drawer for home mortgages, another for marriage certificates, a third for tax registers, and a fourth for lawsuits. Otherwise, how can you find anything?”” [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human brains freely associate ideas, but bureaucratic systems compartmentalize information, creating tension. **In simple terms:** Brain links ideas; systems separate them. Key Takeaway Balance creative association with organized systems. Themes cognition bureaucracy association Mood analytical curious Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - Project planning - creative brainstorming - administrative work Key Concepts Neuroscience information management Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster useful connections at work? - When should you enforce strict categorization? A Different Perspective Over‑compartmentalization can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-data-2617335/) [Data Freely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data-freely-2617336/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Home mortgage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home-mortgage/) [Home Reminded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home-reminded-2617338/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mortgages Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortgages-marriage-2617337/) [New orleans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-orleans/) [Reminds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reminds/) [Science of mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-of-mind/) ## Related quotes > [Since functional brain imaging first emerged, we have learned that there aren't very many brain regions uniquely responsible for specific tasks; most complex tasks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-greene/since-functional-brain-imaging-first-emerged-we-have-learned-that/) [Joshua Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-greene/) > [I live right under the Hollywood sign, so that every day when I drive home I'm reminded of why I'm here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandro-nivola/i-live-right-under-the-hollywood-sign-so-that-every-day-when-i-drive/) [Alessandro Nivola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandro-nivola/) > [The paid-off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/the-paid-off-home-mortgage-has-taken-the-place-of-the-bmw-as-the/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [Even the once simple home mortgage now has so many flavors and styles and variations that it is difficult for people to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-the-once-simple-home-mortgage-now-has-so-many-flavors-and-styles/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How do you think we have the home mortgage deduction? We have it because way back when it was determined that the American dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/how-do-you-think-we-have-the-home-mortgage-deduction-we-have-it/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“For that purpose, partly as the result of Ranieri’s persistent lobbying, two new facilities had sprung up in the federal government alongside Ginnie Mae.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/for-that-purpose-partly-as-the-result-of-ranieri-s-persistent/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [The average net worth of the lower half of the distribution, representing 62 million households, was $11,000 in 2013. About one-fourth of these families…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/the-average-net-worth-of-the-lower-half-of-the-distribution/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [While I encourage people to save 100% down for a home, a mortgage is the one debt that I don't frown upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/while-i-encourage-people-to-save-100-down-for-a-home-a-mortgage-is/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [Light is one of the most important factors in photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-gilpin/light-is-one-of-the-most-important-factors-in-photography/) [Laura Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-gilpin/) > [And if you like 14.4 percent unemployment, if you like the fact that 70 percent of home mortgages in Nevada are underwater, then stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornyn/and-if-you-like-14-4-percent-unemployment-if-you-like-the-fact-that/) [John Cornyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornyn/) > [Student debt is crushing the lives of millions of Americans. How does it happen that we can get a home mortgage or purchase a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/student-debt-is-crushing-the-lives-of-millions-of-americans-how-does/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [“1.Payment history (35 percent)—Paying on time is the criterion. Missing payments hurts you here. 2.Debt (30 percent)—How much debt do you have? Too many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-siegel/1-payment-history-35-percent-paying-on-time-is-the-criterion-missing/) [Cary Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-siegel/) > [I've never been very fully employed either but just think of what it's like, you know, to go home with a mortgage payment you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-ve-never-been-very-fully-employed-either-but-just-think-of-what-it/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [“Religion is not a book, it is not an institution, and it is not even a person. True Religion is realization of the self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/religion-is-not-a-book-it-is-not-an-institution-and-it-is-not-even-a/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Indeed, the underlying precept of the new science of mind is that all mental processes are biological—they all depend on organic molecules and cellular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kandel/indeed-the-underlying-precept-of-the-new-science-of-mind-is-that-all/) [Eric Kandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kandel/) ## More by Yuval Noah Harari > [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. And whereas you can conquer oil fields through war, you cannot acquire knowledge that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/today-the-main-source-of-wealth-is-knowledge-and-whereas-you-can/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/how-do-you-cause-people-to-believe-in-an-imagined-order-such-as/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I think the basic thing that happened is we have lost our story. Humans think in stories, and we try to make sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/i-think-the-basic-thing-that-happened-is-we-have-lost-our-story/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Whereas chimpanzees spend five hours a day chewing raw food, a single hour suffices for people eating cooked food. The advent of cooking enabled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-chimpanzees-spend-five-hours-a-day-chewing-raw-food-a-single/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“the Chinese air-purification market is booming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-chinese-air-purification-market-is-booming/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Whereas liberalism merged with the milder versions of nationalism to protect the unique experiences of each human community, evolutionary humanists such as Hitler identified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-liberalism-merged-with-the-milder-versions-of-nationalism-to/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Corporations, money and nations exist only in our imagination. We invented them to serve us; why do we find ourselves sacrificing our lives in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/corporations-money-and-nations-exist-only-in-our-imagination-we/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Small children in affluent societies often dislike showering, and it takes them years of education and parental discipline to adopt this supposedly attractive custom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/small-children-in-affluent-societies-often-dislike-showering-and-it/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Ever more scholars see cultures as a kind of mental infection or parasite, with humans as its unwitting host. Organic parasites, such as viruses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/ever-more-scholars-see-cultures-as-a-kind-of-mental-infection-or/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Soviet Communism was a fanatical and missionary religion. A devout Communist could not be a Christian or a Buddhist, and was expected to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/soviet-communism-was-a-fanatical-and-missionary-religion-a-devout/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Whereas religion asks us to believe in something, money asks us to believe that other people believe in something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-religion-asks-us-to-believe-in-something-money-asks-us-to/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Terrorists are like a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. The fly is so weak that it cannot budge even a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/terrorists-are-like-a-fly-that-tries-to-destroy-a-china-shop-the-fly/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Yet what happens if the greedy shoemaker increases his profits by paying employees less and increasing their work hours? The standard answer is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-what-happens-if-the-greedy-shoemaker-increases-his-profits-by/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“A natural order is a stable order. There is no chance that gravity will cease to function tomorrow, even if people stop believing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-natural-order-is-a-stable-order-there-is-no-chance-that-gravity/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) [Explore all 1,200 Yuval Noah Harari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## More First place quotes > [“But the process should not be confused with science. When tests are used as selections devices, they're not a neutral tool; they become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-whyte/but-the-process-should-not-be-confused-with-science-when-tests-are/) [William H. Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-whyte/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [At times you are going to miss people. When that happens, others have to come to the front and show the calibre that brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-phelan/at-times-you-are-going-to-miss-people-when-that-happens-others-have/) [Mike Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-phelan/) > [Im never shocked when people let me down nowadays. I just hate the fact that I put myself in a position to be let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-never-shocked-when-people-let-me-down-nowadays-i-just-hate-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Had a 90's music party with my Glee family tonight. Helped remind me why I got into music in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-salling/had-a-90-s-music-party-with-my-glee-family-tonight-helped-remind-me/) [Mark Salling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-salling/) > [“We heard about people who go back to their roots. That is good, but don't get stuck in the root. There is the branch,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/we-heard-about-people-who-go-back-to-their-roots-that-is-good-but-don/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Don't be afraid of failure, be afraid of not trying in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-forleo/don-t-be-afraid-of-failure-be-afraid-of-not-trying-in-the-first-place/) [Marie Forleo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-forleo/) > [“If you have the ability and the opportunity to help someone, but you don't do anything just because you're scared or it's inconvenient or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/if-you-have-the-ability-and-the-opportunity-to-help-someone-but-you/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [Every penny we spend comes from the taxpayer. We thus owe it to the taxpayer to work as hard managing that money wisely as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-mulvaney/every-penny-we-spend-comes-from-the-taxpayer-we-thus-owe-it-to-the/) [Mick Mulvaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-mulvaney/) > [“The traumatized soul finds no rest in conditions of peace. It’s forever questing for violence, for action, for the same combination of factors which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-s-williams/the-traumatized-soul-finds-no-rest-in-conditions-of-peace-it-s/) [Matthew S. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-s-williams/) > [When you're 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you're 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you're 60 you realize no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/when-you-re-20-you-care-what-everyone-thinks-when-you-re-40-you-stop/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Because I'm not, in fact, depressed, Prozac makes me manic and numb - one of the reasons I slice my arm in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/because-i-m-not-in-fact-depressed-prozac-makes-me-manic-and-numb-one/) [Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/) > [“The greatest faith is the willingness to ask in the first place, all evidence to the contrary. Faith not just in God, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/the-greatest-faith-is-the-willingness-to-ask-in-the-first-place-all/) [Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/) [Browse all 2,907 First place quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In the brain, all data is freely associated. When I go with my spouse to sing on a mortgage for our new home, I am reminded of the first place we lived together, which reminds me of our honeymoon in New Orleans, which reminds me of alligators, which remind me of dragons, which remind me of The Ring of the Nibelungen , and suddenly, before I know it, there I am humming the Siegfried leitmotif to a puzzled bank clerk. In bureaucracy, things must be kept apart. There is one drawer for home mortgages, another for marriage certificates, a third for tax registers, and a fourth for lawsuits. Otherwise, how can you find anything?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yuval Noah Harari" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associated-when-i-go-with-my-spouse/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First place" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associated-when-i-go-with-my-spouse/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/yuval-noah-harari-100_first-place_in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associat_2685772.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/yuval-noah-harari-100_first-place_in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associat_2685772.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/yuval-noah-harari-100_first-place_in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associat_2685772.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the brain, all data is freely associated. When I go with my spouse to sing on a mortgage for our new…” — Yuval Noah Harari", "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": "Yuval Noah Harari", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In the brain, all data is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associated-when-i-go-with-my-spouse/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-brain-all-data-is-freely-associated-when-i-go-with-my-spouse/#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 } } ] } ```