I like to watch the news, because I don't like people very much and when you watch the news... if you ever had an idea that people were really terrible, you could watch the news and know that you're right.
Frank ZappaRead
Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Zappa argues that while hydrogen is abundant, human ignorance is even more fundamental to existence.
In this quote, Frank Zappa presents a provocative view on the nature of the universe, contrasting hydrogen, a basic element crucial to life, with human stupidity. He suggests that ignorance and folly are fundamental to human nature and society, perhaps more so than any scientific element, emphasizing the pervasive impact of irrationality in human behavior and decision-making.
Themes
HydrogenStupidityUniverseKnowledgeIgnorance
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate on science and philosophy, one could use this quote to highlight the significance of critical thinking.
More from Frank Zappa
All quotes →The richest people in the world aren't particularly smart or happy. And the happiest people in the world aren't particularly smart or rich.… That leaves me making music. But we can't talk about that.
Frank ZappaRead
Bad facts make bad law, and people who write bad laws are in my opinion more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality. Freedom of speech, freedom of religious thought, and the right to due process for composers, performers and retailers are imperiled if the PMRC and the major labels consummate this nasty bargain.
Frank ZappaRead
Don't mind your make-up, you'd better make your mind up.
Frank ZappaRead
Music is always a commentary on society.
Frank ZappaRead
I'm more interested in melodic things. I think the biggest challenge when you go to play a solo is trying to invent a melody on the spot.
Frank ZappaRead
Similar quotes
The secret of life is to have no fear; it's the only way to function.
Stokely CarmichaelRead
The whole meaning of morality is a rule that we ought to obey whether we like it or not. If so, then the idea of creating a morality we like better is incoherent. Moreover, it would seem that until we had created our new morality, we would have no standard by which to criticize God. Since we have not yet created one, the standard by which we judge Him must be the very standard that He gave us. If it is good enough to judge Him by, then why do we need a new one?
J. BudziszewskiRead
Every thought is a cause & every condition is an effect. Change your thoughts & you change your destiny.
Joseph MurphyRead
I still don't even know if the sheriff will let me see him. And suppose he did; what then? What do I say to him? Do I know what a man is? Do I know how a man is supposed to die? I'm still trying to find out how a man should live. Am I supposed to tell someone how to die who has never lived?
Ernest GainesRead
One will seldom go wrong if one attributes extreme actions to vanity, average ones to habit, and pretty ones to fear.
Friedrich NietzscheRead
The man who said 'I'd rather be lucky than good' saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net and for a split second it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck it goes forward and you win. Or maybe it doesn't and you lose.
Woody AllenRead