It didn't come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that technological advancements and societal pressures, rather than government mandates, drove significant changes in society.
Ray Bradbury highlights how the evolution of technology and the influence of social dynamics can lead to transformative changes without the need for government intervention. He appreciates the natural progression of societal shifts driven by innovation and collective action, suggesting a sense of optimism and gratitude for such organic developments.
In practice
In a discussion about how technology has shaped modern life, you could reference this quote to illustrate that change often comes from grassroots movements rather than top-down mandates.
I've written about 2,000 short stories; I've only published 300 and I feel I'm still learning. Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as a writer. Ray Bradbury, 1967 interview (Doing the Math - that means for every story he sold, he wrote six "un-publishable" ones. Keep typing!)
I never went to college, so I went to the library.
There must be something in books, something we canβt imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You donβt stay for nothing.
I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour.
The first thing a writer should be is - excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches; God knows it'd be better for his health.
You can't try to do things; you simply must do them.
Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock 'n' roll.
For technology to be a force for peace and food security, we must widen access to reliable and affordable Internet, accompanied by training in digital literacy and cybersecurity.
We used to have lots of questions to which there were no answers. Now, with the computer, there are lots of answers to which we haven't thought up questions.
Any competent programmer has an API to cash, payments, escrow, wills, notaries, lotteries, dividends, micropayments, subscriptions, crowdfunding, and more.
One of the things I'm excited about is the observation that gamers are creators and creators are gamers too. We used to think of creators as workstation customers and think of gamers as consumers.
The helicopter is probably the most versatile instrument ever invented by man. It approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams of the flying horse and the magic carpet.
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