---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: E-mail is a modern Penny Post: the world…"
description: "\"E-mail is a modern Penny Post: the world is a single city with a single postal rate.\" — Anne Fadiman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-fadiman-7855_cities_e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world_1862443.jpg"
---

#  E-mail is a modern Penny Post: the world is a single city…

![“E-mail is a modern Penny Post: the world is a single city with a single postal rate.” quote by Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-fadiman-7855_cities_e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world_1862443.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-fadiman-7855_cities_e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world_1862443.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-fadiman-7855_cities_e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world_1862443.jpg)

> “E-mail is a modern Penny Post: the world is a single city with a single postal rate.”

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

## About This Quote

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

Email compresses global communication into a single, inexpensive system, making the world feel like one city.

**In simple terms:** Email makes worldwide communication cheap and fast.

Key Takeaway

Use email wisely to connect globally.

Themes

technology globalization communication efficiency

Mood

practical analytical

Type

informative thought‑provoking

When to use this quote

- business correspondence
- personal networking
- remote collaboration

Key Concepts

information theory network society digital culture

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance email with richer communication?
- What are the limits of email for complex ideas?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on email can reduce depth of interaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [The United States Postal Service is overworked and under-funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-drew/the-united-states-postal-service-is-overworked-and-under-funded/)

[Jeff Van Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-drew/)

> [Megaupload was a dual-use technology. You can use it for good things, and you can use it for bad things. If someone sends something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dotcom/megaupload-was-a-dual-use-technology-you-can-use-it-for-good-things/)

[Kim Dotcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dotcom/)

> [My old man works in the postal service, my mum in a hospital and my brother in a factory. They're my family and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-thomas/my-old-man-works-in-the-postal-service-my-mum-in-a-hospital-and-my/)

[Gareth Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-thomas/)

> [“I always thought he looked like a postal worker who’s about one write-up away from losing it completely.” “Personally,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-laurenston/i-always-thought-he-looked-like-a-postal-worker-who-s-about-one-write/)

[Shelly Laurenston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-laurenston/)

> [Prior to email, our private correspondence was secured by a government institution called the postal service. Today, we trust AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/prior-to-email-our-private-correspondence-was-secured-by-a-government/)

[John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/)

> [“Yes. Edie Banister has gone postal. A very British sort of postal which does not involve shouting, but rather a sudden and total reverse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-harkaway/yes-edie-banister-has-gone-postal-a-very-british-sort-of-postal-which/)

[Nick Harkaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-harkaway/)

> [Just take ease of interchange between people. Your email is of course faster than letter - on the other hand the transition from sailing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/just-take-ease-of-interchange-between-people-your-email-is-of-course/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Postal will be so politically incorrect and harsh, it's like a mirror to American society, and I don't think the movie will be well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uwe-boll/postal-will-be-so-politically-incorrect-and-harsh-it-s-like-a-mirror/)

[Uwe Boll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uwe-boll/)

> [The Postal Service is a vitally important institution for the American people. It must be saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-postal-service-is-a-vitally-important-institution-for-the/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [The Postal is a ruthless, Mad TV-type thing. We sent out a DVD to the South Park producers, and they liked the movie so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uwe-boll/the-postal-is-a-ruthless-mad-tv-type-thing-we-sent-out-a-dvd-to-the/)

[Uwe Boll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uwe-boll/)

> [I think the Postal Service has missed an opportunity to position itself to get a bigger share of the package market and has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-dejoy/i-think-the-postal-service-has-missed-an-opportunity-to-position/)

[Louis DeJoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-dejoy/)

> [The Postal Service is huge - employing more than a half million people - and its history is long and complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-postal-service-is-huge-employing-more-than-a-half-million-people/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [With post offices and postal workers already on the ground, USPS could partner with banks to make a critical difference for millions of Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/with-post-offices-and-postal-workers-already-on-the-ground-usps-could/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [Postal service of today is far removed from that of 30 years ago when reform was last enacted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-mchugh/postal-service-of-today-is-far-removed-from-that-of-30-years-ago-when/)

[John M. McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-mchugh/)

> [It is time for Congress to save the Postal Service, not dismantle it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/it-is-time-for-congress-to-save-the-postal-service-not-dismantle-it/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

## More by Anne Fadiman

> [“...in the midst of the tumult, part ecstasy and part panic, into which all first-time mothers are thrown by sleep deprivation and headlong identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/in-the-midst-of-the-tumult-part-ecstasy-and-part-panic-into-which-all/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [“He simply could not imagine a time when being a Jew, or even a half Jew, was not a disability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/he-simply-could-not-imagine-a-time-when-being-a-jew-or-even-a-half/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [“When he looked back at the menu as an old man, it brought back everything; the food, the wine, the private dining room, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/when-he-looked-back-at-the-menu-as-an-old-man-it-brought-back/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [“His books commingled democratically, united under the all-inclusive flag of Literature. Some were vertical, some horizontal, and some actually placed behind others. Mine were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/his-books-commingled-democratically-united-under-the-all-inclusive/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [“her father had built from ax-hewn planks thatched with bamboo and grass. The floor was dirt, but it was clean. Her mother, Foua, sprinkled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/her-father-had-built-from-ax-hewn-planks-thatched-with-bamboo-and/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [Some day, as soon as a book is printed it will be simultaneously put into digital form. That will be a wonderful research tool,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/some-day-as-soon-as-a-book-is-printed-it-will-be-simultaneously-put/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [The most important thing when starting out with essay writing is to find a voice with which you're comfortable. You need to find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/the-most-important-thing-when-starting-out-with-essay-writing-is-to/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [“we expect a wine of quality to demand something from us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/we-expect-a-wine-of-quality-to-demand-something-from-us/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [“Going through a dead parent's memorabilia is a hazardous undertaking; there is a fine line between pleasure and pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/going-through-a-dead-parent-s-memorabilia-is-a-hazardous-undertaking/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [“He was constantly, pathologically, insanely busy. That’s how he afforded the wine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/he-was-constantly-pathologically-insanely-busy-that-s-how-he-afforded/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [...the reader who plucks a book from her shelf only once is as deprived as the listener who, after attending a single performance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/the-reader-who-plucks-a-book-from-her-shelf-only-once-is-as-deprived/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [“Benjamin Franklin wrote that he would like to be embalmed in a cask of Madeira”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/benjamin-franklin-wrote-that-he-would-like-to-be-embalmed-in-a-cask/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [“It has long been my belief that everyone's library contains an Odd Shelf. On this shelf rests a small, mysterious corpus of volumes whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/it-has-long-been-my-belief-that-everyone-s-library-contains-an-odd/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [If you truly love a book, you should sleep with it, write in it, read aloud from it, and fill its pages with muffin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/if-you-truly-love-a-book-you-should-sleep-with-it-write-in-it-read/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

> [Something amazing happens when the rest of the world is sleeping. I am glued to my chair. I forget that I ever wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/something-amazing-happens-when-the-rest-of-the-world-is-sleeping-i-am/)

[Anne Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

[Explore all 85 Anne Fadiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/)

## More Cities quotes

> [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/)

[Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/)

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/)

James Cross Giblin

> [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/)

[Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/)

> [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/)

[Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/)

[Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/)

> [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/)

[Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/)

> [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/)

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

[Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "E-mail is a modern Penny Post: the world is a single city with a single postal rate.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anne Fadiman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world-is-a-single-city-with-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cities"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world-is-a-single-city-with-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-fadiman-7855_cities_e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world_1862443.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-fadiman-7855_cities_e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world_1862443.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-fadiman-7855_cities_e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world_1862443.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“E-mail is a modern Penny Post: the world is a single city with a single postal rate.” — Anne Fadiman",
                "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": "Anne Fadiman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fadiman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "E-mail is a modern Penny Post:...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world-is-a-single-city-with-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fadiman/e-mail-is-a-modern-penny-post-the-world-is-a-single-city-with-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
