Don't keep forever on the public road, going only where others have gone and following one after the other like a flock of sheep. Leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods.
The telephone will be used to inform people that a telegram has been sent.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the evolution of communication technology and the interconnectedness of different messaging mediums.
Alexander Graham Bell's quote reflects the innovative spirit of technological advancement, demonstrating how one form of communication can serve to announce another. The telephone was a groundbreaking invention that not only changed personal interactions but also facilitated the swift transmission of information, which was essential in a world where telegrams were prevalent. This intertwining of communication methods showcases the ongoing progress in how humans connect and share messages over time.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a presentation about the history of communication technologies.
More from Alexander Graham Bell
All quotes βConcentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.
You cannot force ideas. Successful ideas are the result of slow growth. Ideas do not reach perfection in a day, no matter how much study is put upon them.
A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with - a man is what he makes of himself.
America is a country of inventors, and the greatest of inventors are the newspaper men.
There cannot be mental atrophy in any person who continues to observe, to remember what he observes, and to seek answers for his unceasing hows and whys about things.
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If the Net becomes the center of the universe, which is what seems to be happening, then the dizzying array of machines that will be plugged into it will virtually guarantee that the specifics of which chip and which operating system you've got will be irrelevant.
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.
The strength of the computer lies in its being a logic machine. It does precisely what it is programed to do. This makes it fast and precise. It also makes it a total moron; for logic is essentially stupid.
The idea that Bill Gates (one of the founders of Microsoft) has appeared like a knight in shining armour to lead all customers out of a mire of technological chaos neatly ignores the fact that it was he, by peddling second rate technology, led them into it in the first place...