Thing Explainer Quotes

“By choosing the right words, you can take an idea that's happening in your head and try to make an idea like it happen in someone else's. That's what's happening right now.”
― Randall Munroe, Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words

“Trees make babies by dropping tiny wooden tree eggs on the ground.”
― Randall Munroe, Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words

“To really learn about things, you need help from other people.”
― Randall Munroe, Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words

“Some people say that there’s no reason to learn big words in the first place—all that matters is knowing what things do, not what they’re called. I don’t think
that’s always true. To really learn about things, you need help from other people, and if you want to understand those people, you need to know what they mean by the words they use. You also need to know what things are called so you can ask questions about them.”
― Randall Munroe, Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words

“Some people say that there’s no reason to learn big words in the first place—all
that matters is knowing what things do, not what they’re called. I don’t think
that’s always true. To really learn about things, you need help from other peo-
ple, and if you want to understand those people, you need to know what they
mean by the words they use. You also need to know what things are called so
you can ask questions about them.”
― Randall Munroe, Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words

“Thin Burning Light Gun

If the car found life, it could try to use this gun to learn about it, but the life might not be alive when it was done.”
― Randall Munroe, Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words

“Problem Boats
We keep extra boats stuck to these doors for people to use if there's a problem that makes them not want to be in space anymore, but no one will come get them.”
― Randall Munroe, Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words