The quote was further popularised by John Green's book of the same title - in which he used the quote in reference to thought spirals (which both he, and the protagonist of the book, experienced as a symptom of their OCD). The earliest allusions in print to this mythological story can be found in the 17th and 18th centuries, but the first publication of "turtles all the way down" is attributed to Joseph Berg in 1854 (see below). Quotes with "turtles all the way down" have been incorrectly attributed to William James and Bertrand Russell (see "Variations" section below). In another version, it is yet another turtle standing on a column of turtles continuing indefinitely (i.e., "turtles all the way down"). In one version, it is a giant turtle who swims in an endless ocean. Those beasts, in turn stand on the back of another beast. The saying alludes to the mythological idea that the earth rests on the back of a large beast ( World Turtle/Tortoise) or beasts ( World Elephants). " Turtles all the way down" is a humorous expression of the problem of infinite regress.
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