Skip to content

The robot could no longer lift his head, had not read the…

“The robot could no longer lift his head, had not read the message. They lifted his head, but he complained that his vision circuits had almost gone. They found a coin and helped him to the telescope. He complained and in-sulted them, but they helped him look at each individual letter in turn, The…” quote by Douglas Adams
Download Open image
““The robot could no longer lift his head, had not read the message. They lifted his head, but he complained that his vision circuits had almost gone. They found a coin and helped him to the telescope. He complained and in-sulted them, but they helped him look at each individual letter in turn, The first letter was a “w”, the second an “e”. Then there was a gap. An “a” followed, then a “p”, an “o” and an “l”. Marvin paused for a rest. After a few moments they resumed and let him see the “o”, the “g”, the “i”, the “s” and the “e”. The next two words were “for” and “the”. The last one was a long one, and Marvin needed another rest before he could tackle it. It started with an “i”, then “n” then a “c”. Next came an “o” and an “n”, followed by a “v”, an “e”, another “n” and an “i”. After a final pause, Marvin gathered his strength for the last stretch. He read the “e”, the “n”, the “c” and at last the final “e”, and staggered back into their arms. “I think,” he murmured at last, from deep within his corroding rattling thorax, “I feel good about it.” The lights went out in his eyes for absolutely the very last time ever. Luckily, there was a stall nearby where you could rent scooters from guys with green wings.””

Douglas Adams

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A robot struggles to read a message, receiving help letter piece by piece, ultimately feeling relief before its final shutdown.

In simple terms: The robot is aided to read, feeling good before dying.

Key Takeaway

Assist others step by step.

Themes

technology assistance mortality

Mood

empathetic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • elder care
  • education
  • technical support

Key Concepts

communication human-robot interaction

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do we support those with diminishing abilities?
  • What role does patience play in communication?
A Different Perspective

Assistance may be limited by physical constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Douglas Adams

Explore all 1,168 Douglas Adams quotes

More Language quotes

Browse all 21,951 Language quotes