Have you ever heard the riddle “The More You Take, the More You Leave Behind”?
It’s a puzzling question that leaves many people scratching their heads. But actually, there is a lot of meaning behind this riddle.
Let’s take a closer look at what it means and see if we can’t shed some light on this mystery!
Maybe you’re at a quiz night and you hear the full question “The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?”
Well, it’s best to think of this question in the most literal sense. What are you taking and what are you leaving behind?
This is where the riddle gets interesting, as if you are taking something away, our logical brain tells us there will be less of it left behind.
The riddle is about what you are taking and what you are leaving behind. If you take something, there will be less of it left behind.
But not in this instance as we are not using the work “take” to take something away.
Looking at the Merriam Webster dictionary definition of “take” and you can see why this riddle stumps so many people.
There are more than 30 ways to use the word “take” – seriously!
In this instance, we are looking at “to undertake and make, do, or perform”.
Don’t worry, we won’t leave you hanging for much longer.
The answer to the riddle “the more you take, the more you leave behind” is footsteps.
Think about it, with every footstep you take, you are leaving a footstep behind you. So for every step you take to move forward, you leave more steps behind you.
Unless you decide to walk backward. But don’t do that because then the riddle doesn’t work anymore.
Other funny answers to this riddle
As with so many riddles, people love to find alternative answers.
Here are some of the best (wrong) answers to this riddle we found online:
Fingerprints – the more you take, the more of your fingerprints you leave behind (so just don’t take anything).
Smoke – the more you take, the more smoke is left in the air (not really sure how this works but OK).
Ice cream – the more you take, the more you leave on your actual behind in the form of weight gain?
Sand – the more sand you take, the more sand you have to wash out of every part of your body and clothing for all of eternity?
Water – the more water you take, the more water you leave behind you after relieving yourself?
Wine – the more wine you drink, the more ends up left behind you in the bathroom the next morning. No? Maybe that’s just me. #lightweight
The more you take, the more you leave behind. It’s not about literally taking anything away; it’s about what we are leaving behind after a certain action.
The answer in this case is footsteps because every time we take one step forward, there will be an additional footstep left behind us on our way to wherever it is that we’re going.
So, the next time you hear this riddle, be sure to share with your friends the answer that’s right in front of you – and maybe they’ll return the favor next time you’re stumped!
We hoped you enjoyed learning more about this travel riddle with us. Be sure to check out some of our other related content below: