--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Soon, nobody was leaving their cubicles…" description: "\"“Soon, nobody was leaving their cubicles to talk anymore, and we were either e-mailing each other random thoughts or scheduling meetings, or speaking o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/christopher-herz-46062_21st-century_soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-t_797649.jpg" --- # Soon, nobody was leaving their cubicles to talk anymore… ![“Soon, nobody was leaving their cubicles to talk anymore, and we were either e-mailing each other random thoughts or scheduling meetings, or speaking over an instant message chat.” quote by Christopher Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/christopher-herz-46062_21st-century_soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-t_797649.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/christopher-herz-46062_21st-century_soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-t_797649.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/christopher-herz-46062_21st-century_soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-t_797649.jpg) > ““Soon, nobody was leaving their cubicles to talk anymore, and we were either e-mailing each other random thoughts or scheduling meetings, or speaking over an instant message chat.”” [Christopher Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-herz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Remote work shifted interaction to digital channels, reducing face‑to‑face conversation and increasing reliance on email, meetings, and chat. **In simple terms:** People stopped talking in person, using tech instead. Key Takeaway Embrace intentional in‑person moments. Themes communication technology remote work Mood reflective concerned Type observational analytical When to use this quote - team meetings - virtual coffee breaks - collaboration tools - office design Key Concepts digital transformation social isolation Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance digital efficiency with human connection? - What rituals can restore spontaneous conversation? A Different Perspective Digital tools can’t fully replace the nuance of in‑person dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Random thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/random-thoughts/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [If you wanted to create an education environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you probably would design…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-medina/if-you-wanted-to-create-an-education-environment-that-was-directly/) [John Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-medina/) > [In fact, most people are being squeezed in their little cubicle, and their creativity is forced out elsewhere, because the company can't use it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/in-fact-most-people-are-being-squeezed-in-their-little-cubicle-and/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“We’re building our own fucking cubicles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-benson/we-re-building-our-own-fucking-cubicles/) [Thor Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-benson/) > [Nobody actually talks to anybody anymore. People in cubicles next to each other, they e-mail each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/nobody-actually-talks-to-anybody-anymore-people-in-cubicles-next-to/) [Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/) > [Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-livingston/human-beings-were-not-meant-to-sit-in-little-cubicles-staring-at/) [Ron Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-livingston/) > [The place that I worked I used to joke about it. There was a, every morning at 10:30 I'd come into work and I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/the-place-that-i-worked-i-used-to-joke-about-it-there-was-a-every/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [The workplace revolution that transformed the lives of blue-collar workers in the 1970s and 1980s is finally reaching the offices and cubicles of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-workplace-revolution-that-transformed-the-lives-of-blue-collar/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [If you have nothing to hide, if you're actually working for eight hours, or 10 or 12 hours, however long people decide to work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcelo-claure/if-you-have-nothing-to-hide-if-you-re-actually-working-for-eight/) [Marcelo Claure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcelo-claure/) > [Hewlett Packard at one point had only three private offices. One belonged to Hewlett, one to Packard, and the third to a guy named…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-x-cringely/hewlett-packard-at-one-point-had-only-three-private-offices-one/) [Robert X. Cringely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-x-cringely/) > [Think it's so unfair when people think that you're not a "real artist" unless you're getting paid for it…I personally know so many poets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-that-you-re-not-a-real-artist/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [If you wanted to create an education environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you would probably design…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-medina/if-you-wanted-to-create-an-education-environment-that-was-directly-2/) [John Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-medina/) > [We should stop looking to law to provide the final answer… Law cannot save us from ourselves… We have to go out and try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/we-should-stop-looking-to-law-to-provide-the-final-answer-law-cannot/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [I have so many books to write now. So I'll write from home. Sometimes I'm writing in the office too, in my cubicle. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/i-have-so-many-books-to-write-now-so-i-ll-write-from-home-sometimes-i/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [If we all dress alike, we might as well all work in cubicles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-cassette/if-we-all-dress-alike-we-might-as-well-all-work-in-cubicles/) [Benny Cassette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-cassette/) > [For people on my side of the cubicle, the goal is always creativity. Spending your time overcoming corporate resistance to creativity - I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/for-people-on-my-side-of-the-cubicle-the-goal-is-always-creativity/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) ## More by Christopher Herz > [“Books are alive and, just like people, sometimes are welcome and sometimes shown the door and asked to come back later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/books-are-alive-and-just-like-people-sometimes-are-welcome-and/) [Christopher Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-herz/) > [“On the woman's arm, walking her proudly down the street, was a tall man who, although old in physical age, walked with the pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/on-the-woman-s-arm-walking-her-proudly-down-the-street-was-a-tall-man/) [Christopher Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-herz/) > [“All your mistakes, all your scars, everything you've done wrong, that's what makes us who we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/all-your-mistakes-all-your-scars-everything-you-ve-done-wrong-that-s/) [Christopher Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-herz/) > [“Be wary of people who go out of their way in charity. They're usually compensating for some evil they're trying to erase.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/be-wary-of-people-who-go-out-of-their-way-in-charity-they-re-usually/) [Christopher Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-herz/) > [“You need to be careful of people who tell you that adventure exists at the next turn--because it turns out that they are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/you-need-to-be-careful-of-people-who-tell-you-that-adventure-exists/) [Christopher Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-herz/) > [“Each time you give in like that, each time you back away from something you believe in, a piece of you dies that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/each-time-you-give-in-like-that-each-time-you-back-away-from/) [Christopher Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-herz/) > [“You know, we all have the same time in one day. What you do with it is the only thing different about us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/you-know-we-all-have-the-same-time-in-one-day-what-you-do-with-it-is/) [Christopher Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-herz/) [Explore all 8 Christopher Herz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-herz/) ## More 21st century quotes > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“You know it’s the 21st Century when someone TEXTS you from the washroom to ask you to bring them a roll of toilet paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/comic-strip-mama/you-know-it-s-the-21st-century-when-someone-texts-you-from-the/) Comic Strip Mama > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Maybe we need a tax credit for the poorest Americans to buy a laptop. Now, maybe that's wrong, maybe that's expensive, maybe we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/maybe-we-need-a-tax-credit-for-the-poorest-americans-to-buy-a-laptop/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/i-firmly-believe-that-the-mission-of-religion-in-the-21st-century/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Facebook, Twitter...Welcome to The 21st Century...Where Someone can stalk you without leaving the couch!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/facebook-twitter-welcome-to-the-21st-century-where-someone-can-stalk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human Race is all over universe! And I am the first person to inform you. I am the most influential person of this decade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwani-kumar-ojha/human-race-is-all-over-universe-and-i-am-the-first-person-to-inform/) [Ashwani Kumar Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwani-kumar-ojha/) > [Like the railroads that brought us together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th and 21st centuries. (at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/like-the-railroads-that-brought-us-together-in-the-19th-century-these/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [What I love about making albums in the 21st century is that so few people buy albums! I can make an album without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/what-i-love-about-making-albums-in-the-21st-century-is-that-so-few/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/) [Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/) > [The computer provides the only way to give students a real foundation in 21st-century skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-computer-provides-the-only-way-to-give-students-a-real-foundation/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) Browse all 771 21st century quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Soon, nobody was leaving their cubicles to talk anymore, and we were either e-mailing each other random thoughts or scheduling meetings, or speaking over an instant message chat.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Herz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-to-talk-anymore-and-we-were/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "21st century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-to-talk-anymore-and-we-were/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/christopher-herz-46062_21st-century_soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-t_797649.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/christopher-herz-46062_21st-century_soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-t_797649.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/christopher-herz-46062_21st-century_soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-t_797649.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Soon, nobody was leaving their cubicles to talk anymore, and we were either e-mailing each other random…” — Christopher Herz", "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": "Christopher Herz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-herz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Soon, nobody was leaving their cubicles...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-to-talk-anymore-and-we-were/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-herz/soon-nobody-was-leaving-their-cubicles-to-talk-anymore-and-we-were/#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 } } ] } ```