You’re a Ghost Driving a Meat Coated Skeleton Made from Stardust

Gilbert Ryle? Rat_sandwich? Brostoyevskiy? Clifford A. Pickover? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: Halloween is approaching, and the following quasi-philosophical saying fits the holiday theme:

You’re a ghost driving a meat-coated skeleton made from stardust; what do you have to be scared of?

Would you please explore the provenance of this remark?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The chemical elements of life such as carbon, magnesium, and calcium were originally created in the extremely hot and dense cores of stars and subsequently dispersed via stellar explosions. Thus, human bodies are made of stardust.

In 1921 a newspaper in Michigan printed an advertisement that highlighted a pertinent adage. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:^[1] 1921 January 24, Evening News, (Advertisement promoting a new contributor to the Evening News newspaper), Quote Page 2, Column 3, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. (GenealogyBank)

We’re All Made of Dust—
But It’s Star Dust!

A Quote Investigator article about the saying “We are made of star-stuff” is available here.

In 1949 philosopher Gilbert Ryle employed the phrase “the Ghost in the Machine” while criticizing mind/body dualism. The quotation under examination implicitly references this notion of ghost.^[2] 1963 (1949 Copyright), The Concept of Mind by Gilbert Ryle, Chapter 1: Descartes’ Myth, Quote Page 15 and 16, Hutchinson, London. (Verified with scans)

QI hypothesizes that the quotation evolved from a collection of antecedents circulating on social media. Here is a sampling of precursor phrases with dates from twitter:

2011 Apr 28: I just feel like I’m a ghost in a heavy meat suit
2012 Jan 29: im just a brain driving a meat suit around life
2012 Jul 30: skeleton wearing a meat-suit
2012 Aug 05: people are still basically just skeletons coated in filthy meat
2012 Oct 29: Ain’t nothin’ but a ghost driving a meat suit
2013 Jan 31: You’re a ghost driving a meat coated skeleton made from stardust, what do you have to be scared of?

The earliest full match given above was tweeted by @rat_sandwich on January 31, 2013 at 4:58 AM EDT. QI tentatively credits @rat_sandwich with the full saying although future researchers may discover superior citations.

Additional details for these citations are given below.

In April 2011 a tweet from @blackmesaintern used “ghost” and “meat suit”. The tweet contained some typos:^[3] Tweet, From: Dr Dave Quinn @blackmesaintern, Time: 2:17 PM EDT, Date: Apr 28, 2011, Text: @shadowmaat I don’t taste anyting … (Accessed on twitter.com on October 12, 2022) link

@shadowmaat I don’t taste anyting… Or feel I just feel like I’m a ghost ina heavy meat suit

In January 2012 a tweet from @robpattersonXx used “brain driving” and “meat suit”:^[4] Tweet, From: rpatterson.eth @robpattersonXx, Time: 11:49 PM EDT, Date: Jan 29, 2012, Text: I just dont know anything … (Accessed on twitter.com on October 12, 2022) link

I just dont know anything.. and thats totally fine. im just a brain driving a meat suit around life..

In July 2012 a tweet from @wizard1953 used the phrase “skeleton wearing a meat-suit”:^[5] Tweet, From: wizard1953 @wizard1953, Time: 6:36 PM EDT, Date: Jul 30, 2012, Text: skeleton wearing a meat-suit … (Accessed on twitter.com on October 12, 2022) link

@thehill Mitch MCCONNEL is a skeleton wearing a meat-suit; like the rest of the Teatards!

In August 2012 a tweet from @GL1TTER_M3AT used the phrase “skeletons coated in filthy meat”:^[6] Tweet, From: @GL1TTER_M3AT, Time: 4:57 PM EDT, Date: Aug 5, 2012, Text: Sometimes it’s comforting to remember … (Accessed on twitter.com on October 12, 2022) link

Sometimes it’s comforting to remember that even the most beautiful people are still basically just skeletons coated in filthy meat

In October 2012 a tweet from @Brostoyevskiy used the phrase “ghost driving a meat suit”:^[7] Tweet, From: Richard Bulge @Brostoyevskiy, Time: 11:24 AM EDT, Date: Oct 29, 2012, Text: Ain’t nothin’ but a ghost driving a meat suit. (Accessed on twitter.com on October 12, 2022) link

Ain’t nothin’ but a ghost driving a meat suit.

The culmination occurred in January 2013 when @rat_sandwich tweeted the full expression:^[8] Tweet, From: @rat_sandwich, Time: 4:58 AM EDT, Date: Jan 31, 2013, Text: You’re a ghost driving a meat coated skeleton … (Accessed on twitter.com on October 13, 2022) link

You’re a ghost driving a meat coated skeleton made from stardust, what do you have to be scared of?

In February 2013 popular author Clifford A. Pickover shared the saying with his followers on twitter:^[9] Tweet, From: Cliff Pickover @pickover, Time: 10:51 PM EDT, Date: Feb 11, 2013, Text: Think about it … (Accessed on twitter.com on October 13, 2022) link

Think about it. “You’re a ghost driving a meat-coated skeleton made from stardust; what do you have to be scared of?” ~@Porkbeard

In conclusion, QI believes that this saying evolved from precursor fragments that were circulating on social media. The full statement was assembled by January 2013. Currently, the person behind the twitter handle @rat_sandwich is the leading candidate for creator of the full expression.

Image Notes: Illustration of a ghostly running skeleton made out of stardust.

(Great thanks to Mom_Bunny and Bill Mullins whose inquiries led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Also, thanks to JaneBella for her efforts exploring this topic.)