The uniform necessities of human nature produce in a great measure uniformity of life, and for part of the day make one place like another; to dress and to undress, to eat and to sleep, are the same in London as in the country.
Samuel JohnsonRead
If we generally like the way things are now, we must also ask whether our current situation is really so different from the open ages of radio, film, or the telephone. Might it not also have seemed in those times that the orgy of limitless entrepreneurism would never end? The point is that we are near the high end of a pendulum arc that, so far, has aways begun to swing in the opposite direction -toward greater integration and centralization- with a force that can seem inexorable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the cyclical nature of technological and entrepreneurial innovation, suggesting that current trends may also reverse.
Tim Wu's quote draws parallels between the present and historical technological breakthroughs, indicating that while current advancements may feel permanent, history shows that they often lead to periods of regression towards centralization. This cyclical pattern suggests that the extraordinary freedom and opportunity brought by innovation may eventually give way to a counter-movement that seeks greater structure and control.
Themes
TechnologyEntrepreneurshipHistoryChangeInnovation
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about technology trends, this quote can illustrate the ebb and flow of innovation.
Similar quotes
No man is so methodical as a complete idler, and none so scrupulous in measuring out his time as he whose time is worth nothing.
Washington IrvingRead
We must show that liberty is not merely one particular value but that it is the source and condition of most moral values. What a free society offers to the individual is much more than what he would be able to do if only he were free. We can therefore not fully appreciate the value of freedom until we know how a society of free men as a whole differs from one in which unfreedom prevails.
Friedrich August Von HayekRead
The reality of the Eucharistic sacrifice has always been at the heart of Catholic faith; called into question in the 16th century, it was solemnly reaffirmed at the Council of Trent against the backdrop of our justification in Christ.
Pope Benedict XviRead
I am sorry to say that there is too much point to the wisecrack that life is extinct on other planets because their scientists were more advanced than ours.
John F. KennedyRead
You're not what you have and you're not what you do; you're aninfinite, divine being disguised as a successful person who has accumulated a certain amount of stuff. The stuff is not you. For that reason, you must avoid being attached to it in any way.
Wayne DyerRead