--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An American has invented a remote control…" description: "\"An American has invented a remote control that will turn off any telly within a 20ft radius. What a marvellous device! What a splendid invention! What ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/a-a-gill-3415_book_an-american-has-invented-a-remote-contro_1700576.png" --- # An American has invented a remote control that will turn… ![“An American has invented a remote control that will turn off any telly within a 20ft radius. What a marvellous device! What a splendid invention! What a really helpful and improving way of devoting your time to building something that turns off culture. Next week, I'm instigating Burn a Book Week…” quote by A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/a-a-gill-3415_book_an-american-has-invented-a-remote-contro_1700576.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/a-a-gill-3415_book_an-american-has-invented-a-remote-contro_1700576.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/a-a-gill-3415_book_an-american-has-invented-a-remote-contro_1700576.png) > “An American has invented a remote control that will turn off any telly within a 20ft radius. What a marvellous device! What a splendid invention! What a really helpful and improving way of devoting your time to building something that turns off culture. Next week, I'm instigating Burn a Book Week, to encourage even more conversation. I've come up with a fantastic little device which I'll call a box of matches.” [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A satirical critique of a device that suppresses television, mocking its claimed benefits while highlighting its cultural censorship. **In simple terms:** Mocking a gadget that kills TV as a cultural attack. Key Takeaway Question media consumption habits. Themes satire media criticism culture technology censorship Mood ironic critical wry Type satirical commentary humorous When to use this quote - Personal media choices - public policy on broadcasting - activist campaigns - educational initiatives Key Concepts Freedom of expression media influence cultural decay Questions to Reflect On - How does suppressing TV affect public discourse? - What alternatives exist to improve media consumption? A Different Perspective The humor may overlook legitimate concerns about media overuse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Boxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Building something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-something/) [Come up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-up/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Devices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devices/) [Fantastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantastic/) [Helpful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helpful/) [Improving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improving/) [Invented Remote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invented-remote-1146260/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Marvellous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marvellous/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Next week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-week/) [Radius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radius/) [Remote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remote/) [Remote control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remote-control/) [Splendid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendid/) [Splendid Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendid-invention-1146261/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Turn off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-off/) [Turn Telly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-telly-1146262/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) ## Related quotes > [Before you go,mate,turn on the telly. Something raunchy too. Think I'll rub off one before I go to sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/before-you-go-mate-turn-on-the-telly-something-raunchy-too-think-i-ll/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [The nicest thing people can say about us, is, 'I turn the telly on for half an hour and go off with me mates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-myers/the-nicest-thing-people-can-say-about-us-is-i-turn-the-telly-on-for/) [Dave Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-myers/) > [Starting now, you're just starting to see a glimmer of what the idea of West will mean. So right now, at this age and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/starting-now-you-re-just-starting-to-see-a-glimmer-of-what-the-idea/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [When you're building something, you know all of the trade-offs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-bushnell/when-you-re-building-something-you-know-all-of-the-trade-offs/) [Nolan Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-bushnell/) > [I love cycling, but if I could find a way of building something above the streets for cyclists, that would be amazing. We need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-love-cycling-but-if-i-could-find-a-way-of-building-something-above/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [Dear young people, let me now ask you a question. What will you leave to the next generation? Are you building your lives on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/dear-young-people-let-me-now-ask-you-a-question-what-will-you-leave/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [I grew up in a household that revered building businesses. It wasn't thinking about leadership; it was more about building something. To build something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-pritzker/i-grew-up-in-a-household-that-revered-building-businesses-it-wasn-t/) [Penny Pritzker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-pritzker/) > [Innovation is hard because solving problems people didn't know they had & building something no one needs look identical at first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/innovation-is-hard-because-solving-problems-people-didn-t-know-they/) [Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/) > [Skillful pitching... is a necessary, but not sufficient, part of raising capital. More important are the realities of your organization: Are you building something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/skillful-pitching-is-a-necessary-but-not-sufficient-part-of-raising/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [The weakness of cable news is that it chases its audience around. Your audience wants fast-paced, popular news. It needs real news. Cable news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-velshi/the-weakness-of-cable-news-is-that-it-chases-its-audience-around-your/) [Ali Velshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-velshi/) > [Nowadays, if you're a great artist, you don't have to leave the house, which is a really big difference. You're closer to the artist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/nowadays-if-you-re-a-great-artist-you-don-t-have-to-leave-the-house/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [What if we found ourselves building something that nobody wanted? In that case what did it matter if we did it on time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/what-if-we-found-ourselves-building-something-that-nobody-wanted-in/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [In some ways, you do lose a bit of freedom but as you get older, you might realize that you've met someone pretty cool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/in-some-ways-you-do-lose-a-bit-of-freedom-but-as-you-get-older-you/) [Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/) > [What matters is that you enjoy doing something creative. And I'm more and more seeing that as the key. That success and money or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lucas/what-matters-is-that-you-enjoy-doing-something-creative-and-i-m-more/) [Josh Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lucas/) > [Sorry, investing was pretty boring and I really missed being part of building something. I felt like I was always standing on the sidelines,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hsieh/sorry-investing-was-pretty-boring-and-i-really-missed-being-part-of/) [Tony Hsieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hsieh/) ## More by A. A. Gill > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [If New York is a wise guy, Paris a coquette, Rome a gigolo and Berlin a wicked uncle, then London is an old lady…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/if-new-york-is-a-wise-guy-paris-a-coquette-rome-a-gigolo-and-berlin-a/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Frightened is the natural state for all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/frightened-is-the-natural-state-for-all-men/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [So, being a good man is not an exam or a qualification, it changes, and it incorporates being a good friend, a good father,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/so-being-a-good-man-is-not-an-exam-or-a-qualification-it-changes-and/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Women's handbags are incredibly heavy. You rarely get to pick one up and, when you do, you wonder why anyone carries so much stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/women-s-handbags-are-incredibly-heavy-you-rarely-get-to-pick-one-up/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Gifts are an important and necessary part of our collective lives. We need to give and we need to allow others to give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/gifts-are-an-important-and-necessary-part-of-our-collective-lives-we/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Have you ever wondered why the rich and privileged care about, or even bother with, the gift bag? Because they don't need this stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/have-you-ever-wondered-why-the-rich-and-privileged-care-about-or-even/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [London is a city of ghosts; you feel them here. Not just of people, but eras. The ghost of empire, or the blitz, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/london-is-a-city-of-ghosts-you-feel-them-here-not-just-of-people-but/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Television gives us the gift to see ourselves as we'd like to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/television-gives-us-the-gift-to-see-ourselves-as-we-d-like-to-be-seen/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [I walk up a dune to a beach and look out to sea, but it's 100km away. The ships lie askew in their dry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/i-walk-up-a-dune-to-a-beach-and-look-out-to-sea-but-it-s-100km-away/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Being able to afford everything you desire is not, by any means, the worst thing that can happen to you. But, depressingly, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/being-able-to-afford-everything-you-desire-is-not-by-any-means-the/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [If the world were to end tomorrow and we could choose to save only one thing as the explanation and memorial to who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/if-the-world-were-to-end-tomorrow-and-we-could-choose-to-save-only/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [You see, the problem with Dave Cameron is that people know who he is. The less people know about him, the more he's likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/you-see-the-problem-with-dave-cameron-is-that-people-know-who-he-is/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Personal adornment is the only cultural form that everybody in the world takes part in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/personal-adornment-is-the-only-cultural-form-that-everybody-in-the/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [The part that makes you unique is the bit people will like or fear, fall in love with, or try to avoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/the-part-that-makes-you-unique-is-the-bit-people-will-like-or-fear/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) [Explore all 131 A. A. Gill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An American has invented a remote control that will turn off any telly within a 20ft radius. What a marvellous device! What a splendid invention! What a really helpful and improving way of devoting your time to building something that turns off culture. Next week, I'm instigating Burn a Book Week, to encourage even more conversation. I've come up with a fantastic little device which I'll call a box of matches.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A. A. Gill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/an-american-has-invented-a-remote-control-that-will-turn-off-any/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/an-american-has-invented-a-remote-control-that-will-turn-off-any/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/a-a-gill-3415_book_an-american-has-invented-a-remote-contro_1700576.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/a-a-gill-3415_book_an-american-has-invented-a-remote-contro_1700576.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bd/a-a-gill-3415_book_an-american-has-invented-a-remote-contro_1700576.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An American has invented a remote control that will turn off any telly within a 20ft radius. What a…” — A. A. Gill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "A. A. Gill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An American has invented a remote...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/an-american-has-invented-a-remote-control-that-will-turn-off-any/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/an-american-has-invented-a-remote-control-that-will-turn-off-any/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```