QuoteProject
Shaped a little like a loaf of French country bread, our brain is a crowded chemistry lab, bustling with nonstop neural conversations.Imagine the brain, that shiny mound of being, that mouse-gray parliament of cells, that dream factory, that petit tyrant inside a ball of bone, that huddle of neurons calling all the plays, that little everywhere, that fickle pleasuredome, that wrinkled wardrobe of selves stuffed into the skull like too many clothes into a gym bag.
Diane Ackerman
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights the complexity and activity of the human brain, likening it to various vivid imagery.

Diane Ackerman's quote poetically describes the human brain as a bustling, intricate entity, full of neural activity and dynamic conversations. By using metaphors such as a chemistry lab and a dream factory, she emphasizes the brain's multifaceted nature, its ability to create thoughts and emotions, and the complexity of our identities that it harbors. The vibrant imagery captures both the physical and imaginative aspects of the brain, inviting us to appreciate its remarkable capabilities.

Themes

BrainNeuroscienceImaginationIdentityComplexity

In practice

Example use cases

In a neuroscience seminar discussing the fascinating nature of the human brain.

More from Diane Ackerman

Don't just live the length of your life - live the width of it as well.
Diane AckermanRead
We try to exile ourselves more and more from nature - not always consciously: We build houses; we dismiss nature; nature has to be outside, because we're inside. God forbid something like a cockroach comes inside, or some dust.
Diane AckermanRead
We ogle plants and animals up close on television, the Internet and in the movies. We may not worship the animals we see, but we still regard them as necessary physical and spiritual companions. Technological nature can't completely satisfy that yearning.
Diane AckermanRead
Because IQ tests favor memory skills and logic, overlooking artistic creativity, insight, resiliency, emotional reserves, sensory gifts, and life experience, they can't really predict success, let alone satisfaction.
Diane AckermanRead
American writer_x000D_ _x000D_ 1803-1882_x000D_ _x000D_ Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.
Diane AckermanRead
In rare moments of deep play, we can lay aside our sense of self, shed time's continuum, ignore pain, and sit quietly in the absolute present, watching the world's ordinary miracles. No mind or heart hobbles. No analyzing or explaining. No questing for logic. No promises. No goals. No relationships. No worry. One is completely open to whatever drama may unfold.
Diane AckermanRead

Similar quotes

The scientific community should work as hard as possible to address major issues that affect our everyday lives such as climate change, infectious diseases and counterterrorism; in particular, 'clean energy' research deserves far higher priority. And science and technology are the prime routes to tackling these issues.
Martin ReesRead
Science seeks the truth. And it does not discriminate. For better or worse it finds things out. Science is humble. It knows what it knows and it knows what it doesn’t know. It bases its conclusions and beliefs on hard evidence -­- evidence that is constantly updated and upgraded. It doesn’t get offended when new facts come along. It embraces the body of knowledge. It doesn’t hold on to medieval practices because they are tradition.
Ricky GervaisRead
Based on the science, you can make somewhat clear statements: The number of people who can survive on six hours of sleep without impairment is zero.
Matthew WalkerRead
Throughout history, people have studied pure science from a desire to understand the universe rather than practical applications for commercial gain. But their discoveries later turned out to have great practical benefits.
Stephen HawkingRead
No new creation or destruction of matter is within the reach of chemical agency. We might as well attempt to introduce a new planet into the solar system, or to annihilate one already in existence, as to create or destroy a particle of hydrogen.
John DaltonRead
The application of algebra to geometry ... has immortalized the name of Descartes, and constitutes the greatest single step ever made in the progress of the exact sciences.
John Stuart MillRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.