--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The single factor most responsible for…" description: "\"The single factor most responsible for the disruption of the family is the automobile. Its full effect cannot be assessed. Modern life, as we know, wou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/alexander-lowen-11650_automobile_the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-t_2192666.jpg" --- # The single factor most responsible for the disruption of… ![“The single factor most responsible for the disruption of the family is the automobile. Its full effect cannot be assessed. Modern life, as we know, would be impossible without the ubiquitous motorcar. It broke up the old family and community.” quote by Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/alexander-lowen-11650_automobile_the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-t_2192666.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/alexander-lowen-11650_automobile_the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-t_2192666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/alexander-lowen-11650_automobile_the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-t_2192666.jpg) > “The single factor most responsible for the disruption of the family is the automobile. Its full effect cannot be assessed. Modern life, as we know, would be impossible without the ubiquitous motorcar. It broke up the old family and community.” [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The automobile reshaped daily life, weakening traditional family and community bonds while enabling modern mobility. **In simple terms:** Cars changed families and made modern life possible. Key Takeaway Recognize how technology reshapes social ties. Themes technology family society change mobility Mood reflective analytical Type sociological observational When to use this quote - commuting - urban planning - family dynamics - policy making Key Concepts urbanization social disruption dependence Questions to Reflect On - How does personal transport affect your family relationships? - Can alternatives preserve community while offering mobility? A Different Perspective The benefits of mobility may outweigh the loss of close‑knit communities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Automobile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobile/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Disruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disruption/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Modern life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-life/) ## Related quotes > [Have I always agreed with my Southern, military, Mormon family? Absolutely not. Have we always figured out how to get along? Yes! At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-lance-black/have-i-always-agreed-with-my-southern-military-mormon-family/) [Dustin Lance Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-lance-black/) > [To this day, at my relatively advanced age, I still don't have a place I can really call home. I've never bought property. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/to-this-day-at-my-relatively-advanced-age-i-still-don-t-have-a-place/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [“Maintaining connections with family and community across class boundaries demands more than just summary recall of where one’s roots are, where one comes from.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/maintaining-connections-with-family-and-community-across-class/) [bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [Children are the seed for peace or violence in the future, depending on how they are cared for and stimulated. Thus, their family and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zilda-arns/children-are-the-seed-for-peace-or-violence-in-the-future-depending/) Zilda Arns > [First there must be order and harmony within your own mind. Then this order will spread to your family, then to the community, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/first-there-must-be-order-and-harmony-within-your-own-mind-then-this/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [We all have a gift; we all have a passion - it's just about finding it and going into it. Being an asset to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bassett/we-all-have-a-gift-we-all-have-a-passion-it-s-just-about-finding-it/) [Angela Bassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bassett/) > [I think your values are always influenced by your family and your community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-think-your-values-are-always-influenced-by-your-family-and-your/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [When one person's livelihood changes, it can impact an entire family, then a whole community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tae-yoo/when-one-person-s-livelihood-changes-it-can-impact-an-entire-family/) [Tae Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tae-yoo/) > [The notion of 'we' is very important. I think, for any family, any community to be able to say 'we' in this family, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-gahr-store/the-notion-of-we-is-very-important-i-think-for-any-family-any/) [Jonas Gahr Store](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-gahr-store/) > [Freedom does not mean doing what you can get away with, doing what you please. It means, instead, having the opportunity to do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/freedom-does-not-mean-doing-what-you-can-get-away-with-doing-what-you/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [“Family and community seem to have more impact on our happiness than money and health. People with strong families who live in tight-knit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/family-and-community-seem-to-have-more-impact-on-our-happiness-than/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Modern problems proliferate and remain unsolved because we spend so much time trying to deal with societal and world problems without first dealing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-borsodi/modern-problems-proliferate-and-remain-unsolved-because-we-spend-so/) Ralph Borsodi > [Some duties exist simply because we are part of a larger family or community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-anders/some-duties-exist-simply-because-we-are-part-of-a-larger-family-or/) [Max Anders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-anders/) > [Family, community, and the realm of the private self - your mind, body, and spirit - are all important sources of the inspiration, support,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-d-friedman/family-community-and-the-realm-of-the-private-self-your-mind-body-and/) [Stewart D. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-d-friedman/) > [The strength of the nation ultimately depends upon the strength of family and community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-fortenberry/the-strength-of-the-nation-ultimately-depends-upon-the-strength-of/) [Jeff Fortenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-fortenberry/) ## More by Alexander Lowen > [Not to fear a person with power--to profess, instead, one's love--is to deny that that person has power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/not-to-fear-a-person-with-power-to-profess-instead-one-s-love-is-to/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [“You will stay in therapy as long as you feel it is worth the time, effort and money you invest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/you-will-stay-in-therapy-as-long-as-you-feel-it-is-worth-the-time/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [It is only by making the past alive again for a person that a true growth in the present is facilitated. If the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/it-is-only-by-making-the-past-alive-again-for-a-person-that-a-true/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [Despair is the only cure for illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/despair-is-the-only-cure-for-illusion/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [Faith is a quality of being: of being in touch with oneself, with life, and with the universe. It is a sense of belonging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/faith-is-a-quality-of-being-of-being-in-touch-with-oneself-with-life/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [“As adults, we have many inhibitions against crying. We feel it is an expression of weakness, or femininity or of childishness. The person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/as-adults-we-have-many-inhibitions-against-crying-we-feel-it-is-an/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [A person who doesn't breathe deeply reduces the life of his body. If he doesn't move freely, he restricts the life of his body.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/a-person-who-doesn-t-breathe-deeply-reduces-the-life-of-his-body-if/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [Above all, faith is grounded in one's body, in one's humanity, and in one's animal nature. It is an biological phenomenon and not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/above-all-faith-is-grounded-in-one-s-body-in-one-s-humanity-and-in/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [Sexuality is not a leisure or part-time activity. It is a way of being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/sexuality-is-not-a-leisure-or-part-time-activity-it-is-a-way-of-being/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [The ego exists as a powerful force in Western man that cannot be dismissed or denied. The therapeutic goal is to integrate the ego…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/the-ego-exists-as-a-powerful-force-in-western-man-that-cannot-be/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [Are we not witnessing a situation where children are conciously rejecting their parents' value despite love and devotion given to them? The present situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/are-we-not-witnessing-a-situation-where-children-are-conciously/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [ “Happiness is the consciousness of growth. \[...\] If my definition has validity, it suggests that most people come to therapy because they sense their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/happiness-is-the-consciousness-of-growth-if-my-definition-has/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [The person senses what it feels like to be free from inhibitions. At the same time he feels connected and integrated – with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/the-person-senses-what-it-feels-like-to-be-free-from-inhibitions-at/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [The feeling of love is a rich feeling, but the expression of love in word or deed is a joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/the-feeling-of-love-is-a-rich-feeling-but-the-expression-of-love-in/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [Everyone who becomes a psychotherapist eventually adopts a theory that suits his needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/everyone-who-becomes-a-psychotherapist-eventually-adopts-a-theory/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) [Explore all 58 Alexander Lowen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) ## More Automobile quotes > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [So the poet, who wants to be something that he cannot be, and is a failure in plain life, makes up fictitious versions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-tate/so-the-poet-who-wants-to-be-something-that-he-cannot-be-and-is-a/) [Allen Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-tate/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There comes a day of public ceremonial, and a chance to make a speech… A million voters with IQs below 60 have their ears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/there-comes-a-day-of-public-ceremonial-and-a-chance-to-make-a-speech/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The power of branding, particularly when it comes to automobiles, is overwhelming. You go back to the seventies and eighties with the General Motor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-power-of-branding-particularly-when-it-comes-to-automobiles-is/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Democrats are going to proudly run on the fact that we turned the economy around. It was our policies under President Obama's leadership through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-wasserman-schultz/democrats-are-going-to-proudly-run-on-the-fact-that-we-turned-the/) [Debbie Wasserman Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-wasserman-schultz/) > [... in spite of being happier than I ever dreamed I could be, I'm also soberer. The fear that something may happen to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/in-spite-of-being-happier-than-i-ever-dreamed-i-could-be-i-m-also/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [But it is my total conviction that all the trappings of good leadership are generic and widely applicable whether you are standing in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cosgrove/but-it-is-my-total-conviction-that-all-the-trappings-of-good/) [Peter Cosgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cosgrove/) > [You can see what man made from the seat of an automobile, but the best way to see what God made is from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-marion-russell/you-can-see-what-man-made-from-the-seat-of-an-automobile-but-the-best/) [Charles Marion Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-marion-russell/) > [The electronics industry expanded rapidly and the seeds for the semiconductor and software revolution were planted. The postwar period also saw the suburbanization of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/the-electronics-industry-expanded-rapidly-and-the-seeds-for-the/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [I'm a huge fan of John Hughes and can say that 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' is easily a top 3 favorite. I'm also a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mcpartlin/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-john-hughes-and-can-say-that-planes-trains-and/) [Ryan McPartlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mcpartlin/) > [“Most people do not realize that they are one car crash away from death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/most-people-do-not-realize-that-they-are-one-car-crash-away-from-death/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [This country has achieved its commercial and financial supremacy under a regime of private ownership. It conquered the wilderness, built our railroads, our factories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-b-cortelyou/this-country-has-achieved-its-commercial-and-financial-supremacy/) George B. Cortelyou > [“The first decade of driving is the most hazardous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-first-decade-of-driving-is-the-most-hazardous/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) [Browse all 424 Automobile quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobile/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The single factor most responsible for the disruption of the family is the automobile. Its full effect cannot be assessed. Modern life, as we know, would be impossible without the ubiquitous motorcar. It broke up the old family and community.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alexander Lowen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-the-disruption-of-the-family/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Automobile" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-the-disruption-of-the-family/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/alexander-lowen-11650_automobile_the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-t_2192666.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/alexander-lowen-11650_automobile_the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-t_2192666.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/925/alexander-lowen-11650_automobile_the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-t_2192666.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The single factor most responsible for the disruption of the family is the automobile. Its full effect…” — Alexander Lowen", "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": "Alexander Lowen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The single factor most responsible for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-the-disruption-of-the-family/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/the-single-factor-most-responsible-for-the-disruption-of-the-family/#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 } } ] } ```