---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Civilization advances by extending the…"
description: "\"Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them.\" — Alfred North Whitehead"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/alfred-north-whitehead-836_advances_civilization-advances-by-extending-the-n_2967906.png"
---

#  Civilization advances by extending the number of important…

![“Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them.” quote by Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/alfred-north-whitehead-836_advances_civilization-advances-by-extending-the-n_2967906.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/alfred-north-whitehead-836_advances_civilization-advances-by-extending-the-n_2967906.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/alfred-north-whitehead-836_advances_civilization-advances-by-extending-the-n_2967906.png)

> “Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them.”

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Civilization progresses by automating important tasks, freeing mental capacity.

**In simple terms:** Automation advances civilization.

Key Takeaway

Embrace automation for progress.

Themes

technology automation progress

Mood

analytical optimistic

Type

academic philosophical

When to use this quote

- workplace efficiency
- education
- innovation

Key Concepts

philosophy of mind economics

Questions to Reflect On

- How to mitigate automation impact?
- What tasks should remain manual?

A Different Perspective

Automation can cause job loss.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Advances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advances/) [Advances Extending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advances-extending-1467401/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Advances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-advances-1395229/) [Important Operations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-operations-4554224/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [“Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them. —Alfred North Whitehead, An Introduction to Mathematics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wachter/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations-2/)

[Robert Wachter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wachter/)

> [“In the words of the English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, “Civilization advances by extending the number of operations which we can perform without thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerd-gigerenzer/in-the-words-of-the-english-philosopher-alfred-north-whitehead/)

[Gerd Gigerenzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerd-gigerenzer/)

> [Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them. Operations of thought are cavalry charges in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [“It is a profoundly erroneous truism that we should cultivate the habit of thinking of what we are doing. The precise opposite is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/it-is-a-profoundly-erroneous-truism-that-we-should-cultivate-the/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Do you think that civilization advances because of things written in books? Not a bit of what is written in books ever got there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell/do-you-think-that-civilization-advances-because-of-things-written-in/)

[Walter Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell/)

> [The further our civilization advances upon its present lines so much the cheaper sort of thing does "fame" become, especially of the literary sort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/the-further-our-civilization-advances-upon-its-present-lines-so-much/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [As civilization advances, man grows unconscious of the primitive elements of life; he is separated from them by his perfection of material techniques.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/as-civilization-advances-man-grows-unconscious-of-the-primitive/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [As civilization advances, poetry almost necessarily declines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-civilization-advances-poetry-almost-necessarily-declines/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [As civilization advances, the sense of wonder declines. Such decline is an alarming symptom of our state of mind. Mankind will not perish for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/as-civilization-advances-the-sense-of-wonder-declines-such-decline-is/)

[Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/)

> [Advances in technology neither impede nor augment literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/advances-in-technology-neither-impede-nor-augment-literature/)

[Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/)

> [Without adventure all civilization is full of decay. Adventure rarely reaches its predetermined end. Columbus never reached China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/without-adventure-all-civilization-is-full-of-decay-adventure-rarely/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [It is a profoundly erroneous truism, repeated by all copy books and by eminent people when they are making speeches, that we should cultivate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/it-is-a-profoundly-erroneous-truism-repeated-by-all-copy-books-and-by/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [“Even as technology advances, we don't”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-morgan/even-as-technology-advances-we-don-t/)

[Elliot Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-morgan/)

> [What I imagined doesn't require anti-gravity beams or anything too spectacular, just advances in analysing different genes, finding out what they can do and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-trigell/what-i-imagined-doesn-t-require-anti-gravity-beams-or-anything-too/)

[Jonathan Trigell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-trigell/)

> [I have done this before but I'll do it again, Please comment :) Thanks in advances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/i-have-done-this-before-but-i-ll-do-it-again-please-comment-thanks-in/)

[Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/)

## More by Alfred North Whitehead

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Philosophy begins in wonder. And, at the end, when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/philosophy-begins-in-wonder-and-at-the-end-when-philosophic-thought/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The pursuit of mathematics is a divine madness of the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-pursuit-of-mathematics-is-a-divine-madness-of-the-human-spirit/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Without adventure all civilization is full of decay. Adventure rarely reaches its predetermined end. Columbus never reached China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/without-adventure-all-civilization-is-full-of-decay-adventure-rarely/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Aristotle discovered all the half-truths which were necessary to the creation of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/aristotle-discovered-all-the-half-truths-which-were-necessary-to-the/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [On the ostensible exactitude of certain branches of human knowledge, including mathematics. The exactness is a fake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/on-the-ostensible-exactitude-of-certain-branches-of-human-knowledge/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [It is this union of passionate interest in the detailed facts with equal devotion to abstract generalisation which forms the novelty in our present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/it-is-this-union-of-passionate-interest-in-the-detailed-facts-with/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Our minds are finite, and yet even in these circumstances of infinitude we are surrounded by possibilities that are infinite, and the purpose of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/our-minds-are-finite-and-yet-even-in-these-circumstances-of/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The many become one and are increased by one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-many-become-one-and-are-increased-by-one/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/art-is-the-imposing-of-a-pattern-on-experience-and-our-aesthetic/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The future belongs to those who can rise above the confines of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-future-belongs-to-those-who-can-rise-above-the-confines-of-the/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Common sense is genius in homespun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/common-sense-is-genius-in-homespun/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Everyone is a philosopher. Not everyone is good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/everyone-is-a-philosopher-not-everyone-is-good-at-it/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Do not teach too many subjects and what you teach, teach thoroughly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/do-not-teach-too-many-subjects-and-what-you-teach-teach-thoroughly/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them. Operations of thought are cavalry charges in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

[Explore all 356 Alfred North Whitehead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

## More Advances quotes

> [Advances in technology neither impede nor augment literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/advances-in-technology-neither-impede-nor-augment-literature/)

[Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/)

> [I have done this before but I'll do it again, Please comment :) Thanks in advances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/i-have-done-this-before-but-i-ll-do-it-again-please-comment-thanks-in/)

[Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/)

> [What I imagined doesn't require anti-gravity beams or anything too spectacular, just advances in analysing different genes, finding out what they can do and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-trigell/what-i-imagined-doesn-t-require-anti-gravity-beams-or-anything-too/)

[Jonathan Trigell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-trigell/)

> [“Even as technology advances, we don't”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-morgan/even-as-technology-advances-we-don-t/)

[Elliot Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-morgan/)

> [I'm not sure the least educated members of the population are missing out on the advances in medical technology as much as they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/i-m-not-sure-the-least-educated-members-of-the-population-are-missing/)

[S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/)

> [The idea would be in my mind - and I know it sounds strange - is that the most important advances in medicine would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-soon-shiong/the-idea-would-be-in-my-mind-and-i-know-it-sounds-strange-is-that-the/)

[Patrick Soon-Shiong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-soon-shiong/)

> [We live increasingly in a world of haves and have-nots, of gated communities next to ghettos, of extreme poverty and unbelievable riches. Some enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/we-live-increasingly-in-a-world-of-haves-and-have-nots-of-gated/)

[Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/)

> [“Advances in technology can be empowering, progressive and enriching. History has shown this across civilisations and societies. But it has also shown, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/advances-in-technology-can-be-empowering-progressive-and-enriching/)

[Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/)

> [“Advances are made by answering questions. Discoveries are made by questioning answers. —Bernard Haisch”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-houston/advances-are-made-by-answering-questions-discoveries-are-made-by/)

[Philip Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-houston/)

> [My mother often mailed me articles from 'Reader's Digest' about advances in DNA chemistry. No matter how I tried to explain it to her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/my-mother-often-mailed-me-articles-from-reader-s-digest-about/)

[Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/)

> [Evolution advances, not by a priori design, but by the selection of what works best out of whatever choices offer. We are the products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/evolution-advances-not-by-a-priori-design-but-by-the-selection-of/)

[George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/)

> [For the concept of a circuit of the blood does not destroy, but rather advances traditional medicine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-harvey/for-the-concept-of-a-circuit-of-the-blood-does-not-destroy-but-rather/)

[William Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-harvey/)

> [Advances are Made by Answering Questions. Discoveries are Made by Questioning Answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-haisch/advances-are-made-by-answering-questions-discoveries-are-made-by-2/)

[Bernard Haisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-haisch/)

> [From stoplights to skyscrapers, turn anywhere in civilization and you will see imagination at work. It's in our inventions, advances and remedies and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-s-fletcher/from-stoplights-to-skyscrapers-turn-anywhere-in-civilization-and-you/)

[Geoffrey S. Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-s-fletcher/)

> [The most important advances, the qualitative leaps, are the least predictable. Not even the best scientists predicted the impact of nuclear physics, and everyday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-most-important-advances-the-qualitative-leaps-are-the-least/)

[Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/)

[Browse all 109 Advances quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advances/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alfred North Whitehead"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations-3/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Advances"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations-3/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/alfred-north-whitehead-836_advances_civilization-advances-by-extending-the-n_2967906.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/alfred-north-whitehead-836_advances_civilization-advances-by-extending-the-n_2967906.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/alfred-north-whitehead-836_advances_civilization-advances-by-extending-the-n_2967906.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking…” — Alfred North Whitehead",
                "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": "Alfred North Whitehead",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Civilization advances by extending the number...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations-3/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/civilization-advances-by-extending-the-number-of-important-operations-3/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```