--- title: "10 You Quotes By James Gleick" description: "10 You quotes by James Gleick. Plus more from James Gleick and more You sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/james-gleick-2623_about_people-worry-about-twitter-twitter-is-ba_187255.jpg" --- > [People worry about Twitter. Twitter is banal. It's 140-character messages. By definition, you can hardly say anything profound. On the other hand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/people-worry-about-twitter-twitter-is-banal-it-s-140-character/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/james-gleick-2623_about_people-worry-about-twitter-twitter-is-ba_187255.jpg) > [Flying was great. You have to think fast. You have to develop intuition about the physics of air moving quickly over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/flying-was-great-you-have-to-think-fast-you-have-to-develop-intuition/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/james-gleick-2623_about_flying-was-great-you-have-to-think-fast_1594813.jpg) > [A bit, the smallest unit of information, the fundamental particle of information theory, is a choice, yes or no, on or off.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-bit-the-smallest-unit-of-information-the-fundamental-particle-of/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/james-gleick-2623_bit_a-bit-the-smallest-unit-of-information-t_2907584.jpg) > [Alphabetical order had to be invented to help people organize the first dictionaries. On the other hand, we may have reached a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/alphabetical-order-had-to-be-invented-to-help-people-organize-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/james-gleick-2623_about_alphabetical-order-had-to-be-invented-to_92885.jpg) > [A book is not necessarily made of paper. A book is not necessarily made to be read on a Kindle. A book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper-a-book-is-not-necessarily/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/james-gleick-2623_between_a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper_139893.jpg) > [A good part of 'The Information' is about the transition from an oral to a literary culture. Books effected such a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-good-part-of-the-information-is-about-the-transition-from-an-oral/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d31/james-gleick-2623_about_a-good-part-of-the-information-is-about_1546104.jpg) > [Is privacy about government security agents decrypting your e-mail and then kicking down the front door with their jackboots? Or is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/is-privacy-about-government-security-agents-decrypting-your-e-mail/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/james-gleick-2623_about_is-privacy-about-government-security-age_1781705.jpg) > [Type 'What is th' and faster than you can find the 'e' Google is sending choices back at you: 'What is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/type-what-is-th-and-faster-than-you-can-find-the-e-google-is-sending/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/james-gleick-2623_american_type-what-is-th-and-faster-than-you-can_3021000.jpg) > [It is seldom right to say that anything is true 'according to Google.' Google is the oracle of redirection. Go there for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/it-is-seldom-right-to-say-that-anything-is-true-according-to-google/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/james-gleick-2623_according_it-is-seldom-right-to-say-that-anything_2634285.jpg) > [You know, entropy is associated thermodynamically, in systems involving heat, with disorder. And in an analogous way, information is associated with disorder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/you-know-entropy-is-associated-thermodynamically-in-systems-involving/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/james-gleick-2623_about_you-know-entropy-is-associated-thermodyn_55681.jpg) ## Other authors on You ## More by James Gleick > [When the Lilliputians first saw Gulliver's watch, that "wonderful kind of engine...a globe, half silver and half of some transparent metal," they identified it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/when-the-lilliputians-first-saw-gulliver-s-watch-that-wonderful-kind/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [You know, entropy is associated thermodynamically, in systems involving heat, with disorder. And in an analogous way, information is associated with disorder, which seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/you-know-entropy-is-associated-thermodynamically-in-systems-involving/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“No one has even a definitive spelling for Cawdrey’s name (Cowdrey, Cawdry). But then, no one agreed on the spelling of most names: they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/no-one-has-even-a-definitive-spelling-for-cawdrey-s-name-cowdrey/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“Where, then, is any particular gene—say, the gene for long legs in humans? This is a little like asking where is Beethoven’s Piano Sonata…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/where-then-is-any-particular-gene-say-the-gene-for-long-legs-in/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [Alphabetical order had to be invented to help people organize the first dictionaries. On the other hand, we may have reached a point where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/alphabetical-order-had-to-be-invented-to-help-people-organize-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [As a technology, the book is like a hammer. That is to say, it is perfect: a tool ideally suited to its task. Hammers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/as-a-technology-the-book-is-like-a-hammer-that-is-to-say-it-is/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [The universe is computing its own destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/the-universe-is-computing-its-own-destiny/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [A book is not necessarily made of paper. A book is not necessarily made to be read on a Kindle. A book is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper-a-book-is-not-necessarily/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“From this point of view, the laws of science represent data compression in action. A theoretical physicist acts like a very clever coding algorithm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/from-this-point-of-view-the-laws-of-science-represent-data/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [Children and scientists share an outlook on life. If I do this, what will happen? is both the motto of the child at play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/children-and-scientists-share-an-outlook-on-life-if-i-do-this-what/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“Your body moves always in the present, the dividing line between the past and the future, but your mind is more free. It can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/your-body-moves-always-in-the-present-the-dividing-line-between-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [People worry about Twitter. Twitter is banal. It's 140-character messages. By definition, you can hardly say anything profound. On the other hand, we communicate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/people-worry-about-twitter-twitter-is-banal-it-s-140-character/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“The Difference Engine stands—for a replica works today, in the Science Museum in London—as a milestone of what could be achieved in precision engineering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/the-difference-engine-stands-for-a-replica-works-today-in-the-science/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [It is significant that one says book lover and music lover and art lover but not record lover or CD lover or, conversely, text…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/it-is-significant-that-one-says-book-lover-and-music-lover-and-art/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“quoting Tolstoy: “I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/quoting-tolstoy-i-know-that-most-men-including-those-at-ease-with/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/james-gleick/#itemlist", "name": "10 You Quotes By James Gleick", "numberOfItems": 10, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People worry about Twitter. 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But if and when that day comes, there will still be a thing called books.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Gleick" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper-a-book-is-not-necessarily/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/james-gleick-2623_between_a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper_139893.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/james-gleick-2623_between_a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper_139893.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/james-gleick-2623_between_a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper_139893.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A book is not necessarily made of paper. A book is not necessarily made to be read on a Kindle. 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I think we would be greatly diminished as a people and as a culture if the book became obsolete.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Gleick" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-good-part-of-the-information-is-about-the-transition-from-an-oral/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d31/james-gleick-2623_about_a-good-part-of-the-information-is-about_1546104.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d31/james-gleick-2623_about_a-good-part-of-the-information-is-about_1546104.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d31/james-gleick-2623_about_a-good-part-of-the-information-is-about_1546104.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A good part of 'The Information' is about the transition from an oral to a literary culture. 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Mainly, of course, it depends on whether you live in a totalitarian or a free society.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Gleick" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/is-privacy-about-government-security-agents-decrypting-your-e-mail/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/james-gleick-2623_about_is-privacy-about-government-security-age_1781705.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/james-gleick-2623_about_is-privacy-about-government-security-age_1781705.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/james-gleick-2623_about_is-privacy-about-government-security-age_1781705.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Is privacy about government security agents decrypting your e-mail and then kicking down the front door with…” — James Gleick", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Type 'What is th' and faster than you can find the 'e' Google is sending choices back at you: 'What is the cloud?' 'What is the mean?' 'What is the American dream?' 'What is the illuminati?' Google is trying to read your mind. Only it's not your mind. It's the World Brain.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Gleick" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/type-what-is-th-and-faster-than-you-can-find-the-e-google-is-sending/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/james-gleick-2623_american_type-what-is-th-and-faster-than-you-can_3021000.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/james-gleick-2623_american_type-what-is-th-and-faster-than-you-can_3021000.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/james-gleick-2623_american_type-what-is-th-and-faster-than-you-can_3021000.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Type 'What is th' and faster than you can find the 'e' Google is sending choices back at you: 'What is the…” — James Gleick", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is seldom right to say that anything is true 'according to Google.' Google is the oracle of redirection. Go there for 'hamadryad,' and it points you to Wikipedia. Or the Free Online Dictionary. Or the Official Hamadryad Web Site (it's a rock band, too, wouldn't you know).", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Gleick" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/it-is-seldom-right-to-say-that-anything-is-true-according-to-google/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/james-gleick-2623_according_it-is-seldom-right-to-say-that-anything_2634285.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/james-gleick-2623_according_it-is-seldom-right-to-say-that-anything_2634285.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab0/james-gleick-2623_according_it-is-seldom-right-to-say-that-anything_2634285.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is seldom right to say that anything is true 'according to Google.' Google is the oracle of redirection…” — James Gleick", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You know, entropy is associated thermodynamically, in systems involving heat, with disorder. And in an analogous way, information is associated with disorder, which seems paradoxical. But when you think about it, a bit of information is a surprise. If you already knew what the message contained, there would be no new information in it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Gleick" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/you-know-entropy-is-associated-thermodynamically-in-systems-involving/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/james-gleick-2623_about_you-know-entropy-is-associated-thermodyn_55681.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/james-gleick-2623_about_you-know-entropy-is-associated-thermodyn_55681.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83c/james-gleick-2623_about_you-know-entropy-is-associated-thermodyn_55681.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You know, entropy is associated thermodynamically, in systems involving heat, with disorder. 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