---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Chain letters are the postal equivalent…"
description: "\"Chain letters are the postal equivalent of intestinal flu: you get it and pass it along to your friends.\" — Bob Garfield"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/bob-garfield-61148_chain_chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent_1102914.png"
---

#  Chain letters are the postal equivalent of intestinal flu…

![“Chain letters are the postal equivalent of intestinal flu: you get it and pass it along to your friends.” quote by Bob Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/bob-garfield-61148_chain_chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent_1102914.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/bob-garfield-61148_chain_chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent_1102914.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/bob-garfield-61148_chain_chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent_1102914.png)

> “Chain letters are the postal equivalent of intestinal flu: you get it and pass it along to your friends.”

[Bob Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-garfield/)

## About This Quote

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

Chain letters spread quickly like a contagious illness, moving from person to person, often causing unwanted disruption.

**In simple terms:** Chain letters act like a virus.

Key Takeaway

Avoid spreading harmful messages.

Themes

communication contagion social media responsibility trust

Mood

cautious critical

Type

advisory reflective

When to use this quote

- online forums
- workplace emails
- group chats
- marketing campaigns

Key Concepts

viral spread information hygiene social influence

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify information before sharing?
- What responsibilities do you have online?

A Different Perspective

Not all chain messages are harmful; context matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/)

## Related quotes

> [God loves me even when I don't forward those chain letters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-loves-me-even-when-i-don-t-forward-those-chain-letters/)

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

> [“In London we have doubled the postage rate. In Moscow they have abolished it, and you can drop letters into a postal box without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-mccullagh/in-london-we-have-doubled-the-postage-rate-in-moscow-they-have/)

Francis Mccullagh

> [I was a dog on a short chain / and now there's no chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-was-a-dog-on-a-short-chain-and-now-there-s-no-chain/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [Hope doesn't require a massive chain where heavy links of logic hold it together. A thin wire will do...just strong enough to get us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/hope-doesn-t-require-a-massive-chain-where-heavy-links-of-logic-hold/)

[Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/)

> [The only way to make real wealth is to get rid of your salary. In a salary, by definition, you are creating wealth for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/the-only-way-to-make-real-wealth-is-to-get-rid-of-your-salary-in-a/)

[James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/)

> [You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat ya with until you realize who's in ruttin'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-baldwin/you-know-what-the-chain-of-command-is-it-s-the-chain-i-go-get-and/)

[Adam Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-baldwin/)

> [An iron chain is less difficult to break than a chain of flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/an-iron-chain-is-less-difficult-to-break-than-a-chain-of-flowers/)

[Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/)

> [I'm afraid you will have to fly holding the rock with its heavy chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/i-m-afraid-you-will-have-to-fly-holding-the-rock-with-its-heavy-chain/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

> [From Nature's chain whatever link you strike, Tenth or ten thousandth, breaks the chain alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/from-nature-s-chain-whatever-link-you-strike-tenth-or-ten-thousandth/)

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

> [A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and if one of the team cannot handle the forces, everybody is going to suffer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dion-fortune/a-chain-is-no-stronger-than-its-weakest-link-and-if-one-of-the-team/)

[Dion Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dion-fortune/)

> [Content not thyself that thou art virtuous in the general; for one link being wanting, the chain is defective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/content-not-thyself-that-thou-art-virtuous-in-the-general-for-one/)

[William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/)

> [One link in a chain explains the infinite chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/one-link-in-a-chain-explains-the-infinite-chain/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Without sharks, you take away the apex predator of the ocean, and you destroy the entire food chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/without-sharks-you-take-away-the-apex-predator-of-the-ocean-and-you/)

[Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/)

> [“Where are the links of the chain ... joining us to the past?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-dunnett/where-are-the-links-of-the-chain-joining-us-to-the-past/)

[Dorothy Dunnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-dunnett/)

> [I'm the top of the food chain and well...you're the food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-the-top-of-the-food-chain-and-well-you-re-the-food/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

## More by Bob Garfield

> [Advertising is not a rifle; it is a shotgun, and any campaign featuring outdoor boards of a cartoon animal inevitably will catch children in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-garfield/advertising-is-not-a-rifle-it-is-a-shotgun-and-any-campaign-featuring/)

[Bob Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-garfield/)

> [ “\[A TV commercial\] crossed my desk in 1986. It came with a press release boasting about an enormous production budget employed in service of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-garfield/a-tv-commercial-crossed-my-desk-in-1986-it-came-with-a-press-release/)

[Bob Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-garfield/)

> [I can hardly believe that I even know this, but I am aware that Noah Webster's original dictionary, apart from being the first truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-garfield/i-can-hardly-believe-that-i-even-know-this-but-i-am-aware-that-noah/)

[Bob Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-garfield/)

> [What happens when you combine blogs, Google and millions of dissatisfied customers? An e-mob.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-garfield/what-happens-when-you-combine-blogs-google-and-millions-of/)

[Bob Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-garfield/)

[Explore all 5 Bob Garfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-garfield/)

## More Chain quotes

> [If you take away the predators in the prairies and the national parks, you suddenly have an explosion of elk, and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/if-you-take-away-the-predators-in-the-prairies-and-the-national-parks/)

[Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/)

> [With the very rapid expansion of distribution platforms, we want to be in the supply chain with as many types of programs as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-saban/with-the-very-rapid-expansion-of-distribution-platforms-we-want-to-be/)

[Haim Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-saban/)

> [A film is a chain of very difficult decisions, and I think one of them is to choose an accurate cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-camara/a-film-is-a-chain-of-very-difficult-decisions-and-i-think-one-of-them/)

[Javier Camara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-camara/)

> [I'm the top of the food chain and well...you're the food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-the-top-of-the-food-chain-and-well-you-re-the-food/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed critical vulnerabilities in our pharmaceutical supply chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-spanberger/the-covid-19-pandemic-has-exposed-critical-vulnerabilities-in-our/)

[Abigail Spanberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-spanberger/)

> [What I've been developing is a vegan fast food chain and vegan food markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mills/what-i-ve-been-developing-is-a-vegan-fast-food-chain-and-vegan-food/)

[Heather Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mills/)

> [“Where are the links of the chain ... joining us to the past?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-dunnett/where-are-the-links-of-the-chain-joining-us-to-the-past/)

[Dorothy Dunnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-dunnett/)

> [By 2023, we will be the world's largest hotel chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritesh-agarwal/by-2023-we-will-be-the-world-s-largest-hotel-chain/)

[Ritesh Agarwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritesh-agarwal/)

> [Without sharks, you take away the apex predator of the ocean, and you destroy the entire food chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/without-sharks-you-take-away-the-apex-predator-of-the-ocean-and-you/)

[Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/)

> [One link in a chain explains the infinite chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/one-link-in-a-chain-explains-the-infinite-chain/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Content not thyself that thou art virtuous in the general; for one link being wanting, the chain is defective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/content-not-thyself-that-thou-art-virtuous-in-the-general-for-one/)

[William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/)

> [There's a weak link in every chain. And it's just a matter of time before this one snaps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gossip-girl/there-s-a-weak-link-in-every-chain-and-it-s-just-a-matter-of-time/)

[Gossip Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gossip-girl/)

> [I'm telling the story, and if I can't tell the story, I'm not going to sing it. And if I don't agree with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-jones/i-m-telling-the-story-and-if-i-can-t-tell-the-story-i-m-not-going-to/)

[Sharon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-jones/)

> [A chain is no stronger than its weakest link, and if one of the team cannot handle the forces, everybody is going to suffer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dion-fortune/a-chain-is-no-stronger-than-its-weakest-link-and-if-one-of-the-team/)

[Dion Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dion-fortune/)

> [“The chain of command, I wear it around my neck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-chain-of-command-i-wear-it-around-my-neck/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

Browse all 236 Chain quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Chain letters are the postal equivalent of intestinal flu: you get it and pass it along to your friends.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bob Garfield"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-garfield/chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent-of-intestinal-flu-you-get-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-garfield/chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent-of-intestinal-flu-you-get-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/bob-garfield-61148_chain_chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent_1102914.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/bob-garfield-61148_chain_chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent_1102914.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/bob-garfield-61148_chain_chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent_1102914.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Chain letters are the postal equivalent of intestinal flu: you get it and pass it along to your friends.” — Bob Garfield",
                "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": "Bob Garfield",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-garfield/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Chain letters are the postal equivalent...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-garfield/chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent-of-intestinal-flu-you-get-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-garfield/chain-letters-are-the-postal-equivalent-of-intestinal-flu-you-get-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
