Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel)

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Student Question

What do these Dr. Seuss quotes mean?

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are complex."
"I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful one hundred percent."
"I'm afraid sometimes you'll play lonely games too, games you can't win because you'll play against you."

Quick answer:

The first quote by Dr. Seuss highlights how complicated questions often require complex answers, involving multiple factors and considerations. The second quote emphasizes honesty and integrity, as Horton the elephant vows to be truthful and consistent. The third quote reflects on loneliness and self-conflict, suggesting that personal battles can be unwinnable without external help, as playing against oneself can lead to isolation and difficulty in overcoming challenges.

Expert Answers

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For the first quote, one must understand the difference between the words "complicated" and "complex". Complicated refers to something which is difficult to explain or analyze. Complex is made up of complicated parts. Therein, something complicated can become complex if multiple complications are involved.

To address the quote, a question is complicated when is involves explanations and analysis. Not all questions are complicated through, only "sometimes".  That being said, the answers to complicated questions are complex give one must not only analyze the question, they must take into consideration all aspects and assumptions the question asks. Therefore, multiple complications can arise and an answer becomes complex.

To address quote two, the second part of the quote is easiest to explain: no matter what, an elephant always remains truthful. As for the first part, Horton (the speaker of the line) is simply letting the listener know that no matter how one bends it, he meant what he said. This comes from the confusions which can arise when the verbal (stated) message does not match up with a nonverbal message. Sometimes we say what we want others to hear and do not necessarily say what we mean.

The last quote refers to the fact that the speaker has been in a place of solitude and knows that it is not a healthy place to be. He/she is telling the listener that he/she worries that the place that they are in in life is not a good one because without help you cannot "win" (or get better).

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