I’m not saying that every neuron can do everything, but any neuron can do more than one thing, just like a single airport can launch planes, sell tickets, and serve crappy food.

The highly complex human brain isn’t a pinnacle of evolution, remember; it’s just well adapted to the environments we inhabit.

Your brain actively constructs your experiences.

Similarly, when babies are born with dense cataracts, meaning the brain receives no visual input, neurons in the visual cortex become repurposed for other senses.

Sometimes we’re responsible for things not because they’re our fault, but because we’re the only ones who can change them.

Abstraction gives you the power to recognize things you’ve never encountered before, such as a woman with snakes for hair. You’ve

particularly challenging way to modify a mind is by moving it to another culture.

Metaphors provide the illusion of knowledge, so they must be used with care.

Your brain is a network​—a collection of parts that are connected to function as a single unit.