--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Throughout the western world, new systems…" description: "\"Throughout the western world, new systems have risen up whose job is to constantly record and monitor the present - and then compare that to the record..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df4/adam-curtis-13463_aim_throughout-the-western-world-new-systems_2748387.jpg" --- # Throughout the western world, new systems have risen up… ![“Throughout the western world, new systems have risen up whose job is to constantly record and monitor the present - and then compare that to the recorded past. The aim is to discover patterns, coincidences and correlations, and from that, find ways of stopping change. Keeping things the same.” quote by Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df4/adam-curtis-13463_aim_throughout-the-western-world-new-systems_2748387.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df4/adam-curtis-13463_aim_throughout-the-western-world-new-systems_2748387.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df4/adam-curtis-13463_aim_throughout-the-western-world-new-systems_2748387.jpg) > “Throughout the western world, new systems have risen up whose job is to constantly record and monitor the present - and then compare that to the recorded past. The aim is to discover patterns, coincidences and correlations, and from that, find ways of stopping change. Keeping things the same.” [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societies create mechanisms to continuously track current events and compare them to history, seeking patterns to preserve the status quo and resist change. **In simple terms:** People monitor present and past to keep things unchanged. Key Takeaway Question how monitoring can limit progress. Themes control history stability surveillance change patterns Mood analytical critical skeptical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - government policy - corporate strategy - personal habit formation - media analysis Key Concepts sociology media studies political theory Questions to Reflect On - What patterns are being used to justify in quo? - How does constant monitoring affect freedom? A Different Perspective The desire for stability can suppress necessary innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Coincidences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coincidences/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Western world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [In fact, among the 1000 titles which I have recorded in the past 35 years, there are less than 10% of classical titles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-clayderman/in-fact-among-the-1000-titles-which-i-have-recorded-in-the-past-35/) [Richard Clayderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-clayderman/) > [There have been albums I've recorded in the past that have had success, and then there have been ones I've had extreme faith in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcdonald/there-have-been-albums-i-ve-recorded-in-the-past-that-have-had/) [Michael McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcdonald/) > [A recorded past is no more than a bygone present composed of the footprints made by human beings actually going somewhere but not knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-joseph-oakeshott/a-recorded-past-is-no-more-than-a-bygone-present-composed-of-the/) [Michael Joseph Oakeshott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-joseph-oakeshott/) > [Don’t dismiss the synchronicity of what is happening right now finding its way to your life at just this moment. There are no coincidences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/don-t-dismiss-the-synchronicity-of-what-is-happening-right-now/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [“There are no coincidences in life. What person that wandered in and out of your life was there for some purpose, even if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-alder/there-are-no-coincidences-in-life-what-person-that-wandered-in-and/) [Shannon Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-alder/) > [“To believe in coincidences, to believe in fate— it ties into the spiritual realm, to the idea that there is something universal out there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mildon/to-believe-in-coincidences-to-believe-in-fate-it-ties-into-the/) [Emma Mildon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mildon/) > [“Pure coincidence, of course, but a sensible man makes coincidences work for him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/pure-coincidence-of-course-but-a-sensible-man-makes-coincidences-work/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“They say numbers are just ordinary figures. It is, but not so when it gets to the point where they begin to synchronize and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/they-say-numbers-are-just-ordinary-figures-it-is-but-not-so-when-it/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Everything in this life has a purpose, there are no mistakes, no coincidences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/everything-in-this-life-has-a-purpose-there-are-no-mistakes-no/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [A scientist ought to have a healthy disregard for coincidences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/a-scientist-ought-to-have-a-healthy-disregard-for-coincidences/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“There are no coincidences in God's providence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-woodsmall/there-are-no-coincidences-in-god-s-providence/) [Cindy Woodsmall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-woodsmall/) > [“Premonitions are coincidences waiting to happen,” he said, without looking up. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/premonitions-are-coincidences-waiting-to-happen-he-said-without/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [It’s amazing how many coincidences occur when one begins to pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/it-s-amazing-how-many-coincidences-occur-when-one-begins-to-pray/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) > [When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-live-your-life-with-an-appreciation-of-coincidences-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Coincidence is the exception, not the rule.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soheir-khashoggi/coincidence-is-the-exception-not-the-rule/) [Soheir Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soheir-khashoggi/) ## More by Adam Curtis > [We live in a time when all elites, whether on the left or the right, believe in rigid rules that say there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/we-live-in-a-time-when-all-elites-whether-on-the-left-or-the-right/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [So much of the language that surrounds us - from things like economics, management theory, and the algorithms built into computer systems - appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-us-from-things-like-economics/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [Fred Hoyle was one of the first scientists to become famous on television and radio. It was because he told a dramatic story about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/fred-hoyle-was-one-of-the-first-scientists-to-become-famous-on/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [In the battle for Kobane on the Syrian border, everyone talks about the enemy - IS - and the frightening ideas that drive them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/in-the-battle-for-kobane-on-the-syrian-border-everyone-talks-about/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [I have a suspicion that the politicians' revival of the old behaviourist ideas and techniques will be helped and reinforced by a powerful ally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/i-have-a-suspicion-that-the-politicians-revival-of-the-old/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [I have always wanted to make a series of films which would be like an 'emotional history' that conveys what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/i-have-always-wanted-to-make-a-series-of-films-which-would-be-like-an/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [BP is accused of destroying the wildlife and coastline of America, but if you look back into history, you find that BP did something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/bp-is-accused-of-destroying-the-wildlife-and-coastline-of-america-but/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [In many cruise ships, there are hundreds of workers from some of the poorest countries on earth who are paid minute amounts of actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/in-many-cruise-ships-there-are-hundreds-of-workers-from-some-of-the/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [Journalists, whose job is to pull back and tell dramatic stories that bring power into focus, find it impossible because things like economic theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/journalists-whose-job-is-to-pull-back-and-tell-dramatic-stories-that/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [There is a lurking sense that there is a kind of seedy corruption underlying a lot of public life today. But while journalism does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/there-is-a-lurking-sense-that-there-is-a-kind-of-seedy-corruption/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [Tyler Kent was a horrible man. He was a rabid anti-communist who believed that the Jews had been behind the Russian Revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/tyler-kent-was-a-horrible-man-he-was-a-rabid-anti-communist-who/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [Ever since the economic crisis in 2008, millions of people have accepted cuts in all sorts of things - from real wages and living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/ever-since-the-economic-crisis-in-2008-millions-of-people-have/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [James Goldsmith is important because he used the power of the markets to break up the cosy patrician elite that ran Britain and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/james-goldsmith-is-important-because-he-used-the-power-of-the-markets/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [Of course there are many factors that led to the Iranian revolution, but back in 1951, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company - which would later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/of-course-there-are-many-factors-that-led-to-the-iranian-revolution/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) > [At its heart, 'South Park' has a touching faith in human beings: that despite their absurdities and flaws, people have the capacity to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/at-its-heart-south-park-has-a-touching-faith-in-human-beings-that/) [Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) [Explore all 50 Adam Curtis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Throughout the western world, new systems have risen up whose job is to constantly record and monitor the present - and then compare that to the recorded past. The aim is to discover patterns, coincidences and correlations, and from that, find ways of stopping change. Keeping things the same.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adam Curtis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/throughout-the-western-world-new-systems-have-risen-up-whose-job-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aim" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/throughout-the-western-world-new-systems-have-risen-up-whose-job-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df4/adam-curtis-13463_aim_throughout-the-western-world-new-systems_2748387.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df4/adam-curtis-13463_aim_throughout-the-western-world-new-systems_2748387.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df4/adam-curtis-13463_aim_throughout-the-western-world-new-systems_2748387.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Throughout the western world, new systems have risen up whose job is to constantly record and monitor the…” — Adam Curtis", "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": "Adam Curtis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Throughout the western world, new systems...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/throughout-the-western-world-new-systems-have-risen-up-whose-job-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/throughout-the-western-world-new-systems-have-risen-up-whose-job-is/#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 } } ] } ```