One of the most valuable qualities you can develop is the ability to think outside the box, and riddles are an excellent way to learn. A good riddle is anything but straightforward, and yet, like any good puzzle, should make you satisfied to find out the answer I find it difficult to determine which is worse, honestly – a riddle that can be solved with little effort, or a riddle that leaves you feeling like there was no logical through line to the solution.
While solving a riddle can be rather satisfying, a truly good riddle can be satisfying even if you fail to solve it yourself. One example of a decent riddle is “The more you take, the more you leave behind.” But what does it mean? If you’re feeling stumped about it, I’m here to help sort it all out.
What does “the more you take, the more you leave behind” mean?
Instead of first giving you the answer, I think it might be fun to ease you towards it. One of the first things you should do is figure out what each word in a riddle might mean. Consider take, for example: the common understanding of this word is to take possession of; ie, “take an apple” or even “take a seat.” Basically, to theoretically take something finite. Yet, that’s not the only way the word can be used, so consider alternative uses.
The word ‘take’ can be a little more abstract, and there are multiple ways it could be used as part of this riddle. For example:
- Take a breath, leave behind your stress
- Take for granted, leave behind lost opportunities
- Take the lead, leave behind an impact
While these possible answers to the riddle are on the right path to the correct answer, they don’t quite make it. Using what you know, what might you take that allows you to leave something behind?
Solution
If you still can’t wrap your head around it, no worries – a friend of mine had to explain it to me, so I get it! Basically, the riddle is about footsteps in the sand. The more footsteps you take, the more footprints are left behind. As discussed, the word ‘take’ doesn’t have the meaning we typically associate with it, and instead has the less common association of ‘take a step’. In turn, we do not leave behind anything tangible; rather, the only thing we actually leave is confirmation that we were once there. Thus, for as long as you can take steps, you can leave footprints.
Appreciating the riddle
Footprints may not seem like a big deal at the moment, but they tell you and everyone who sees them where you’ve been. Heck, it wasn’t that long ago that we discovered the world’s oldest known footprint made by a human, some 150,000 years ago in South Africa. Imagine where that person was going and where they had been!
Why do riddles speak to us?
The simple explanation is that we are naturally driven to be problem solvers, though there’s not only one way to do that. Some people may be more able to solve linear problems, like math equations, while others are more equipped to solve problems that need a little more lateral thinking. Solving puzzles, word games, and of course, riddles.
A riddle like this communicates a lot to us and can be interpreted in different ways. For example, one person may say “The more you take, the more you leave behind” to mean that we should explore new places or even new ideas. Another interpretation may be that something seemingly insignificant may be more significant than you realize. Yet another is to convey the importance of moving forward and not being stuck in the past, knowing you left enough of yourself there already. Of course, some may argue that interpreting a riddle to have a deeper meaning is pointless; and that the value of the riddle is working your mind, which is also a valid way to approach riddles.
The value of exploration
Who knows what the owner of the oldest footprint was doing that day? We can only speculate. But when I make a footprint, I like to try to make it matter to me. And when all is said and done, what matters to me may not matter to you. Whether you leave behind footprints on a sunny Sunday morning at the beach, or you’re finally making time to visit the amazing beaches of Bali in Indonesia, the point should ultimately be what you take away from the experience. Because while the riddle is about taking footsteps, a good trip, a good adventure, is more than that – it’s about taking something with you that will last a lifetime.
