Afar Quote by Ben Elton
“The internet was supposed to liberate knowledge, but in fact it buried it, first under a vast sewer of ignorance, laziness, bigotry, superstition and filth and then beneath the cloak of political surveillance. Now...cyberspace exists exclusively to promote commerce, gossip and pornography. And of course to hunt down sedition. Only paper is safe. Books are the key. A book cannot be accessed from afar, you have to hold it, you have to read it.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Future of Knowledge, 2016
The internet promised open access but now overwhelms with misinformation and surveillance, making physical books the only reliable source.
In simple terms: Internet failed to free knowledge; books remain safe.
Key Takeaway
Trust printed books over digital sources.
Themes
knowledge
media
surveillance
trust
books
Mood
cautious
critical
Type
analytical
reflective
When to use this quote
- research
- reading
- education
- privacy protection
Key Concepts
information overload
digital decay
privacy erosion
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we safeguard knowledge online?
- What role should libraries play today?
A Different Perspective
Digital platforms can still be curated responsibly.
![“[H]e was damned if he was going to water down his arguments simply to satisfy the preference of the mob for dogma and ignorance.” quote by Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/998/ben-elton-12329_dogma_h-e-was-damned-if-he-was-going-to-water_19083.jpg)
