It is by all odds the loftiest of cities. It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression.
E. B. WhiteRead
The terror of the atom age is not the violence of the new power but the speed of man's adjustment to it, the speed of his acceptance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The fear of atomic power arises not from its destructive potential but from humanity's quick adaptation to it.
E. B. White's quote reflects a profound concern that the real danger of atomic energy lies in how rapidly society adjusts to wielding such immense power. Instead of focusing solely on the destructive capabilities of atomic weapons, it emphasizes the necessity of cautious and thoughtful adaptation to technological advancements, urging a deeper consideration of moral and ethical responsibilities.
Themes
Atomic PowerAdaptationResponsibilityTechnologySociety
In practice
Example use cases
During a public discussion on the implications of new technology, this quote could highlight the need for responsible adaptation.
More from E. B. White
All quotes →It isn't silence you can cut with a knife any more, it's interchange of ideas. Intelligent discussion of practically everything is what is breaking up modern marriage.
E. B. WhiteRead
The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and if he's going to the trouble of reading what I've written -- I'm a slow reader myself and I guess most people are -- why, the least I can do is make it as easy as possible for him to find out what I'm trying to say, trying to get at. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
E. B. WhiteRead
A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus.
E. B. WhiteRead
A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom- he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.
E. B. WhiteRead
All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
E. B. WhiteRead
Similar quotes
I would not question the sincerity of vegetarians who take little interest in Animal Liberation because they give priority to other causes; but when nonvegetarians say that "human problems come first" I cannot help wondering what exactly it is that they are doing for human beings that compels them to continue to support the wasteful, ruthless exploitation of farm animals.
Peter SingerRead
To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature, and it remains premature today.
Isaac AsimovRead
The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. It's people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.
BanksyRead
Feeling lost, crazy and desperate belongs to a good life as much as optimism, certainty and reason.
Alain De BottonRead
As long as human labor power, and, consequently, life itself, remain articles of sale and purchase, of exploitation and robbery, the principle of the “sacredness of human life” remains a shameful lie, uttered with the object of keeping the oppressed slaves in their chains.
Leon TrotskyRead
Those who do not think that employment is systemic slavery are either blind or employed.
Nassim Nicholas TalebRead