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Complex System Quotes

How simple parts add up to complex, ordered wholes.

Complex system quotes look at how intricate structures, from a child's game of marbles to a living organism, are held together by underlying rules. One quote even compares the Animal organism to a vast network of interconnected parts working as a whole.

The way to build a complex system that works is to build it from very simple systems that work.

Quotes by Kevin Kelly

Children's games constitute the most admirable social institutions. The game of marbles, for instance, as played by boys, contains an extremely complex system of rules - that is to say, a code of laws, a jurisprudence of its own.

Quotes by Jean Piaget

It is clear to all that the animal organism is a highly complex system consisting of an almost infinite series of parts connected both with one another and, as a total complex, with the surrounding world, with which it is...

Quotes by Ivan Pavlov

You could not have evolved a complex system like a city or an organism - with an enormous number of components - without the emergence of laws that constrain their behavior in order for them to be resilient.

Quotes by Geoffrey West

Animal Quotes

Under Confucianism, the use of precisely measured court music, prescribed steps, actions, and phrases all added up to an extremely complex system of rituals, each used for a particular purpose at a particular time.

Quotes by Benjamin Hoff

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the connection between children's games and complex systems?
One quote points to children's marble games as an example of a complex system, noting the game contains an elaborate set of rules functioning almost like a code of law. It illustrates how order emerges from simple play, a theme also touched on in Children quotes.
Do any quotes compare complex systems to living organisms?
Yes, one quote describes an animal organism as a highly complex system made of countless interconnected parts, both internally and in relation to its environment. See the Animal quotes page for more on this comparison.
What's the recommended way to build a complex system, according to these quotes?
The collection includes a well-known line arguing that a complex system which actually works is best built by starting from simple systems that already work on their own, rather than designing complexity from scratch.
How do cities fit into the theme of complex systems?
One quote suggests something as complex as a city could not have evolved without emergent laws that keep its many components in check, drawing a parallel between urban growth and organic development.
Is 'behavior' mentioned in relation to complex systems here?
Yes, the idea that emergent laws constrain behavior so a large system can remain functional is central to one of the quotes, tying structure directly to how parts of a system act. Related ideas appear on the Behavior quotes page.

Other quotes argue that the way to Build a complex system that actually works is to start from simpler systems that already function well. This same logic is said to apply to cities and organisms, where emergent laws constrain Behavior for the whole to remain stable.