Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.
E. M. ForsterRead
You talk as if a god had made the Machine," cried the other. "I believe that you pray to it when you are unhappy. Men made it, do not forget that. Great men, but men. The Machine is much, but not everything.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the idea that while technology is powerful, it is ultimately created by humans and should not be worshipped.
E. M. Forster's quote reflects on the relationship between humanity and technology, cautioning against ascribing divine qualities to machines. It serves as a reminder that although machines have significant influence and capabilities, they are ultimately human creations, constructed by great individuals who are still fallible. The quote invites us to recognize the limitations of technology and to maintain a critical perspective on its role in our lives.
Themes
TechnologyHumanityMachinesCreationCaution
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impacts of AI, you might say this quote to remind others of the human element in technological advancements.
More from E. M. Forster
All quotes →A poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself.
E. M. ForsterRead
One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.
E. M. ForsterRead
Oxford is Oxford: not a mere receptacle for youth, like Cambridge. Perhaps it wants its inmates to love it rather than to love one another.
E. M. ForsterRead
The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.
E. M. ForsterRead
One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.
E. M. ForsterRead
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