# Consistent Small Actions Create Emergent Complexity by Bryant McGill > “Emergence explains how complexity arises from simple parts. Ants, vibrating sand, and simple computer programs can produce surprising patterns when many small elements interact. Lives built from consistent small actions show the same effect.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream (Aug 2016)* ## Sources and Context - **Authoritative developed source:** [[livestreams/Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream|Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream]] — the Reminder reproduces the complete marked quotation object without alteration. For this workflow, the developed livestream document is the source authority. - **Science and human-development context:** The examples illustrate how interactions among simple components can produce organized patterns at a larger scale. The final sentence applies that systems insight to a life as an analogy of accumulation; it does not claim that personal development and physical emergence are identical mechanisms. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Quorum, the Holobiont, and the Mycelium|The Quorum, the Holobiont, and the Mycelium]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Livestream:** [[livestreams/Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream|Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Emergence|Emergence]] - [[wiki/Self-Organization|Self-Organization]] - [[wiki/Complex Systems|Complex Systems]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Emergence explains how complexity arises from simple parts. Ants, vibrating sand, and simple computer programs can produce surprising patterns when many small elements interact. Lives built from consistent small actions show the same effect.” — Bryant McGill, Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream (Aug 2016) https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-bryant-mcgill-actions-emergent-complexity ```