--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nowadays, anyone who cannot speak English…" description: "\"Nowadays, anyone who cannot speak English and is incapable of using the Internet is regarded as backward.\" — Al-Waleed bin Talal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/al-waleed-bin-talal-16044_backward_nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english_352352.jpg" --- # Nowadays, anyone who cannot speak English and is incapable… ![“Nowadays, anyone who cannot speak English and is incapable of using the Internet is regarded as backward.” quote by Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/al-waleed-bin-talal-16044_backward_nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english_352352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/al-waleed-bin-talal-16044_backward_nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english_352352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/al-waleed-bin-talal-16044_backward_nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english_352352.jpg) > “Nowadays, anyone who cannot speak English and is incapable of using the Internet is regarded as backward.” [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language and internet access are seen as markers of modernity, marginalizing those without them. **In simple terms:** Being online and speaking English is viewed as modern. Key Takeaway Recognize diverse ways of being modern. Themes technology language social inclusion Mood critical reflective Type sociological observational When to use this quote - education policy - international business - community development Key Concepts digital divide cultural bias Questions to Reflect On - How can societies value non‑English cultures? - What alternatives to digital connectivity exist? A Different Perspective Assumes English is the only valuable language. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) ## Related quotes > [I hate looking backward, but every once in a while it sneaks up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-lancaster/i-hate-looking-backward-but-every-once-in-a-while-it-sneaks-up-on-you/) [Burt Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-lancaster/) > [Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead; that is where your future lies. Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/nobody-gets-to-live-life-backward-look-ahead-that-is-where-your/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [I loved you backward and forward in time. I loved you beyond boundaries of time and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/i-loved-you-backward-and-forward-in-time-i-loved-you-beyond/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Backward, flow backward, O tide of the years!I am so weary of toil and of tears,-Toil without recompense, tears all in vain!Take them, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chase-allen/backward-flow-backward-o-tide-of-the-years-i-am-so-weary-of-toil-and/) [Elizabeth Chase Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chase-allen/) > [This was the Darker Life, where every truth was written backward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/this-was-the-darker-life-where-every-truth-was-written-backward/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Us ballplayers do things backward. First we play, then we retire and go to work. —CHARLIE GEHRINGER”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-wilde/us-ballplayers-do-things-backward-first-we-play-then-we-retire-and-go-2/) [Lori Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-wilde/) > [“Dreaming her way backward in time, resurrecting images, the young girl realized, with wonder, that the absent are always present, that you don't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-shields/dreaming-her-way-backward-in-time-resurrecting-images-the-young-girl/) [Carol Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-shields/) > [The thing I love most about my job is watching people age backward, becoming more lively and energetic as they free themselves from situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-thing-i-love-most-about-my-job-is-watching-people-age-backward/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“Our habit of wishing backward from what is to what might have been is the soft but persistent tapping that cracks the crystal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/our-habit-of-wishing-backward-from-what-is-to-what-might-have-been-is/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [“It took us a while to discover that we do effectively think, but that we more readily narrate backward in order to give ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-took-us-a-while-to-discover-that-we-do-effectively-think-but-that/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [I learn things in a backward way. I learn all those limitations, and slowly my brain soaks them up, and if things go right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-odenkirk/i-learn-things-in-a-backward-way-i-learn-all-those-limitations-and/) [Bob Odenkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-odenkirk/) > [Honestly, if you were any slower, you’d be going backward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honestly-if-you-were-any-slower-you-d-be-going-backward/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Whoever said that the past isn’t dead had it backward. It’s the future that’s already dead, already played out. This whole night has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/whoever-said-that-the-past-isn-t-dead-had-it-backward-it-s-the-future/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Thus the thoughtless drift backward toward slavery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/thus-the-thoughtless-drift-backward-toward-slavery/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) > [“Life, too, is like that. You live it forward, but understand it backward." from CUTTING FOR STONE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/life-too-is-like-that-you-live-it-forward-but-understand-it-backward/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) ## More by Al-Waleed bin Talal > [I definitely believe that the so-called American decline is greatly exaggerated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/i-definitely-believe-that-the-so-called-american-decline-is-greatly/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [King Abdullah is a reformer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/king-abdullah-is-a-reformer/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [I would love to be a corporate leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/i-would-love-to-be-a-corporate-leader/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [The issue of Palestine has been there since more than 60 years. But more important since 1967 when the war was, ended in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/the-issue-of-palestine-has-been-there-since-more-than-60-years-but/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [You know, in Saudi Arabia, there is a body of 40 people - 34 people exactly, that once the succession comes, they will meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/you-know-in-saudi-arabia-there-is-a-body-of-40-people-34-people/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [Clearly, as a CEO, you have other functions that are managed by other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/clearly-as-a-ceo-you-have-other-functions-that-are-managed-by-other/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [If I'm going to do something, I do it spectacularly or I don't do it at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/if-i-m-going-to-do-something-i-do-it-spectacularly-or-i-don-t-do-it/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [Our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered at the hands of Israelis while the world turns the other cheek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/our-palestinian-brethren-continue-to-be-slaughtered-at-the-hands-of/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [It is my responsibility to take advantage of my position to make the world a better place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/it-is-my-responsibility-to-take-advantage-of-my-position-to-make-the/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [If the United States has to accept the U.N. resolutions, we have to generalize it across the board. We can't just pick and choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/if-the-united-states-has-to-accept-the-u-n-resolutions-we-have-to/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [Well, you know, News Corp is the only real media global - that has a global presence that's involved in TV production, in movies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/well-you-know-news-corp-is-the-only-real-media-global-that-has-a/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [One of my biggest personal holdings is Rotana. That company has a very dominant force in the Middle East. It has around 45% of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/one-of-my-biggest-personal-holdings-is-rotana-that-company-has-a-very/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [Ethics to me is very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/ethics-to-me-is-very-important/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [We're getting hurt, but I'm a long-term investor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/we-re-getting-hurt-but-i-m-a-long-term-investor/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) > [Kingdom Holding will continue to achieve strong results and to distribute dividends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/kingdom-holding-will-continue-to-achieve-strong-results-and-to/) [Al-Waleed bin Talal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) [Explore all 41 Al-Waleed bin Talal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/) ## More Backward quotes > [I hate looking backward, but every once in a while it sneaks up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-lancaster/i-hate-looking-backward-but-every-once-in-a-while-it-sneaks-up-on-you/) [Burt Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-lancaster/) > [“Thus the thoughtless drift backward toward slavery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/thus-the-thoughtless-drift-backward-toward-slavery/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) > [“Whoever said that the past isn’t dead had it backward. It’s the future that’s already dead, already played out. This whole night has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/whoever-said-that-the-past-isn-t-dead-had-it-backward-it-s-the-future/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [Honestly, if you were any slower, you’d be going backward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honestly-if-you-were-any-slower-you-d-be-going-backward/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I learn things in a backward way. I learn all those limitations, and slowly my brain soaks them up, and if things go right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-odenkirk/i-learn-things-in-a-backward-way-i-learn-all-those-limitations-and/) [Bob Odenkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-odenkirk/) > [“It took us a while to discover that we do effectively think, but that we more readily narrate backward in order to give ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-took-us-a-while-to-discover-that-we-do-effectively-think-but-that/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Our habit of wishing backward from what is to what might have been is the soft but persistent tapping that cracks the crystal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/our-habit-of-wishing-backward-from-what-is-to-what-might-have-been-is/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [The thing I love most about my job is watching people age backward, becoming more lively and energetic as they free themselves from situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-thing-i-love-most-about-my-job-is-watching-people-age-backward/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“Dreaming her way backward in time, resurrecting images, the young girl realized, with wonder, that the absent are always present, that you don't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-shields/dreaming-her-way-backward-in-time-resurrecting-images-the-young-girl/) [Carol Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-shields/) > [“Us ballplayers do things backward. First we play, then we retire and go to work. —CHARLIE GEHRINGER”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-wilde/us-ballplayers-do-things-backward-first-we-play-then-we-retire-and-go-2/) [Lori Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-wilde/) > [This was the Darker Life, where every truth was written backward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/this-was-the-darker-life-where-every-truth-was-written-backward/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Backward, flow backward, O tide of the years!I am so weary of toil and of tears,-Toil without recompense, tears all in vain!Take them, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chase-allen/backward-flow-backward-o-tide-of-the-years-i-am-so-weary-of-toil-and/) [Elizabeth Chase Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chase-allen/) > [I loved you backward and forward in time. I loved you beyond boundaries of time and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/i-loved-you-backward-and-forward-in-time-i-loved-you-beyond/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead; that is where your future lies. Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/nobody-gets-to-live-life-backward-look-ahead-that-is-where-your/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [“Life, too, is like that. You live it forward, but understand it backward." from CUTTING FOR STONE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/life-too-is-like-that-you-live-it-forward-but-understand-it-backward/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) Browse all 340 Backward quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nowadays, anyone who cannot speak English and is incapable of using the Internet is regarded as backward.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al-Waleed bin Talal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english-and-is-incapable-of-using/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Backward" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english-and-is-incapable-of-using/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/al-waleed-bin-talal-16044_backward_nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english_352352.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/al-waleed-bin-talal-16044_backward_nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english_352352.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/al-waleed-bin-talal-16044_backward_nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english_352352.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nowadays, anyone who cannot speak English and is incapable of using the Internet is regarded as backward.” — Al-Waleed bin Talal", "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": "Al-Waleed bin Talal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-waleed-bin-talal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nowadays, anyone who cannot speak English...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english-and-is-incapable-of-using/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-waleed-bin-talal/nowadays-anyone-who-cannot-speak-english-and-is-incapable-of-using/#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 } } ] } ```