--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They couldn't close out the whole world…" description: "\"“They couldn't close out the whole world, maybe, but they could sure find something on their TV or radio to put scientists or foreigners or whatever th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/barbara-kingsolver-200_channelling_they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world_1188224.png" --- # They couldn't close out the whole world, maybe, but they… ![“They couldn't close out the whole world, maybe, but they could sure find something on their TV or radio to put scientists or foreigners or whatever they thought he was in a bad light. Truly, they were no better than the city people always looking down on southerners ... If people played their…” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/barbara-kingsolver-200_channelling_they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world_1188224.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/barbara-kingsolver-200_channelling_they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world_1188224.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/barbara-kingsolver-200_channelling_they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world_1188224.png) > ““They couldn't close out the whole world, maybe, but they could sure find something on their TV or radio to put scientists or foreigners or whatever they thought he was in a bad light. Truly, they were no better than the city people always looking down on southerners ... If people played their channels right, they could be spared from disagreement for the length of their natural lives. Finally she got it. The need for so many channels.”” [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Media fragmentation creates echo chambers, allowing people to avoid dissent by selecting agreeable content. **In simple terms:** Choosing only comfortable media shields from disagreement. Key Takeaway Seek diverse perspectives. Themes media bias echo chambers regional prejudice Mood cautious reflective Type critical observational When to use this quote - political discussions - media consumption - personal relationships - community building Key Concepts information overload social division identity politics Questions to Reflect On - How does selective media consumption affect your worldview? - What steps can you take to broaden your information sources? A Different Perspective Echo chambers can reinforce misinformation and isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Channelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/channelling/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) ## Related quotes > [“Every culture has its southerners -- people who work as little as they can, preferring to dance, drink, sing brawl, kill their unfaithful spouses;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/every-culture-has-its-southerners-people-who-work-as-little-as-they/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“New York presented a paradox. While foreigners thought of New York has the symbol of America, many Americans viewed the city with some suspicion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-emmerson/new-york-presented-a-paradox-while-foreigners-thought-of-new-york-has/) [Charles Emmerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-emmerson/) > [I'd known that the visit would be highly scripted and that genuine interactions with citizens wouldn't be possible, since it's illegal for them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-johnson/i-d-known-that-the-visit-would-be-highly-scripted-and-that-genuine/) [Adam Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-johnson/) > [“Do not freak out when you lose your friends, partners, lovers, family, job and experience physical challenges. It is a temporary time of recalibration.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/do-not-freak-out-when-you-lose-your-friends-partners-lovers-family/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“When we understand who we are, and how our realities work, we can choose more consciously to shape our lives in an optimal way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/when-we-understand-who-we-are-and-how-our-realities-work-we-can/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“Missing Home Sometimes when we may experience a feeling of nostalgia, and a longing for our Home, it does not really mean that our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/missing-home-sometimes-when-we-may-experience-a-feeling-of-nostalgia/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“We look for our perfect partners, and we wish we can be accepted the way we are. We seek unconditional love. It is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/we-look-for-our-perfect-partners-and-we-wish-we-can-be-accepted-the/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“Humans need to learn the lesson of acceptance when things seem to go awry, know that this is only temporary, your flow of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rajkotwala/humans-need-to-learn-the-lesson-of-acceptance-when-things-seem-to-go/) [Sarah Rajkotwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rajkotwala/) > [“For aeons past, there were many gods who descended to be humans, yet there were not many humans who ascended back to their divinity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/for-aeons-past-there-were-many-gods-who-descended-to-be-humans-yet/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“When we follow our joy and excitement, being focused on what we love and appreciate, the change always unfolds with a great ease. Whenever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/when-we-follow-our-joy-and-excitement-being-focused-on-what-we-love/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“Anyone who has physically incarnated on the Earth is energetically connected to the people they love, and to the Earth, indefinitely...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonni-gray/anyone-who-has-physically-incarnated-on-the-earth-is-energetically/) Jonni Gray > [“We truly help others working on ourselves. When it comes from the knowledge that the only power we have is over our own choices,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/we-truly-help-others-working-on-ourselves-when-it-comes-from-the/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“If we are serious about dreaming our awakening into being and creating a peaceful, loving earth in which the heart, spirit and soul are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-hall/if-we-are-serious-about-dreaming-our-awakening-into-being-and/) Diane Hall > [“My Personal Super Shortcut To Happiness - When you prefer to lighten up your self-awareness, allow yourself to focus on your strongest joy, passion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/my-personal-super-shortcut-to-happiness-when-you-prefer-to-lighten-up/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“Listen to your heart in silence and peace, as through fear you only channel fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/listen-to-your-heart-in-silence-and-peace-as-through-fear-you-only/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) ## More by Barbara Kingsolver > [“Jesus was a more reliable backer, evidently, less likely to drink himself unconscious or get liver cancer. No wonder people chose Him as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/jesus-was-a-more-reliable-backer-evidently-less-likely-to-drink/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“In Bobby Ogle's version of heaven everyone would wind up in one place, criminals and Muslims included.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/in-bobby-ogle-s-version-of-heaven-everyone-would-wind-up-in-one-place/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Weeds are job security for the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/weeds-are-job-security-for-the-gardener/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Lusa turned to Crys, her eyes shining. "That was a luna." Crys shrugged. "So?" "So? So what? You want it should sing, too?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/lusa-turned-to-crys-her-eyes-shining-that-was-a-luna-crys-shrugged-so/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-strength-of-motherhood-is-greater-than-natural-laws/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“An imperfectly remembered life is a useless treachery. Every day, more fragments of the past roll around heavily in the chambers of an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/an-imperfectly-remembered-life-is-a-useless-treachery-every-day-more/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Respecting the dignity of a spectacular food means enjoying it at its best. Europeans celebrate the short season of abundant asparagus as a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/respecting-the-dignity-of-a-spectacular-food-means-enjoying-it-at-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Somehow it had come to pass that this man was her whole world, and she had failed to take his measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/somehow-it-had-come-to-pass-that-this-man-was-her-whole-world-and-she/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [After 'The Poisonwood Bible' was published, several people believed that my parents were missionaries, which could not be further from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/after-the-poisonwood-bible-was-published-several-people-believed-that/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-can-count-all-the-ways-in-which-being-a-mother-has-enriched-my/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [If the Lord hasn't got a boyfriend lined up for me to marry, that's his business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/if-the-lord-hasn-t-got-a-boyfriend-lined-up-for-me-to-marry-that-s/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) [Explore all 939 Barbara Kingsolver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## More Channelling quotes > [“Do not freak out when you lose your friends, partners, lovers, family, job and experience physical challenges. It is a temporary time of recalibration.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/do-not-freak-out-when-you-lose-your-friends-partners-lovers-family/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“My Personal Super Shortcut To Happiness - When you prefer to lighten up your self-awareness, allow yourself to focus on your strongest joy, passion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/my-personal-super-shortcut-to-happiness-when-you-prefer-to-lighten-up/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“If we are serious about dreaming our awakening into being and creating a peaceful, loving earth in which the heart, spirit and soul are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-hall/if-we-are-serious-about-dreaming-our-awakening-into-being-and/) Diane Hall > [“We truly help others working on ourselves. When it comes from the knowledge that the only power we have is over our own choices,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/we-truly-help-others-working-on-ourselves-when-it-comes-from-the/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“Anyone who has physically incarnated on the Earth is energetically connected to the people they love, and to the Earth, indefinitely...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonni-gray/anyone-who-has-physically-incarnated-on-the-earth-is-energetically/) Jonni Gray > [“When we follow our joy and excitement, being focused on what we love and appreciate, the change always unfolds with a great ease. Whenever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/when-we-follow-our-joy-and-excitement-being-focused-on-what-we-love/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“For aeons past, there were many gods who descended to be humans, yet there were not many humans who ascended back to their divinity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/for-aeons-past-there-were-many-gods-who-descended-to-be-humans-yet/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“Humans need to learn the lesson of acceptance when things seem to go awry, know that this is only temporary, your flow of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rajkotwala/humans-need-to-learn-the-lesson-of-acceptance-when-things-seem-to-go/) [Sarah Rajkotwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rajkotwala/) > [“We look for our perfect partners, and we wish we can be accepted the way we are. We seek unconditional love. It is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/we-look-for-our-perfect-partners-and-we-wish-we-can-be-accepted-the/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“Missing Home Sometimes when we may experience a feeling of nostalgia, and a longing for our Home, it does not really mean that our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/missing-home-sometimes-when-we-may-experience-a-feeling-of-nostalgia/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“When we understand who we are, and how our realities work, we can choose more consciously to shape our lives in an optimal way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/when-we-understand-who-we-are-and-how-our-realities-work-we-can/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“Listen to your heart in silence and peace, as through fear you only channel fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/listen-to-your-heart-in-silence-and-peace-as-through-fear-you-only/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [“What you see as not needed Will return until you see that it needs to be. What you accept as needed Needs not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/what-you-see-as-not-needed-will-return-until-you-see-that-it-needs-to/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) [Browse all 14 Channelling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/channelling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They couldn't close out the whole world, maybe, but they could sure find something on their TV or radio to put scientists or foreigners or whatever they thought he was in a bad light. Truly, they were no better than the city people always looking down on southerners ... If people played their channels right, they could be spared from disagreement for the length of their natural lives. Finally she got it. The need for so many channels.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barbara Kingsolver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world-maybe-but-they-could-sure/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Channelling" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world-maybe-but-they-could-sure/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/barbara-kingsolver-200_channelling_they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world_1188224.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/barbara-kingsolver-200_channelling_they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world_1188224.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/barbara-kingsolver-200_channelling_they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world_1188224.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They couldn't close out the whole world, maybe, but they could sure find something on their TV or radio to…” — Barbara Kingsolver", "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": "Barbara Kingsolver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They couldn't close out the whole...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world-maybe-but-they-could-sure/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/they-couldn-t-close-out-the-whole-world-maybe-but-they-could-sure/#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 } } ] } ```