--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fundamental problem of communication…" description: "\"The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately a message selected at another point.\" — Cl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/claude-shannon-41955_communication_the-fundamental-problem-of-communication_1081360.png" --- # The fundamental problem of communication is that of… ![“The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately a message selected at another point.” quote by Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/claude-shannon-41955_communication_the-fundamental-problem-of-communication_1081360.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/claude-shannon-41955_communication_the-fundamental-problem-of-communication_1081360.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/claude-shannon-41955_communication_the-fundamental-problem-of-communication_1081360.png) > “The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately a message selected at another point.” [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Communication involves accurately transmitting a message from sender to receiver, but perfect replication is often impossible, leading to approximations. **In simple terms:** Sending messages perfectly is hard; we settle for close enough. Key Takeaway Design systems that tolerate and correct errors. Themes information theory communication error correction Mood technical analytical Type theoretical educational When to use this quote - Data transmission - telecommunications - digital storage - network design Key Concepts Signal processing entropy noise reduction Questions to Reflect On - What are the limits of reliable communication? - How can redundancy improve fidelity? A Different Perspective Noise and interference can still corrupt messages despite safeguards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approximately Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approximately-message-2746008/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Communication Reproducing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication-reproducing-2746007/) [Fundamental Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamental-problem-350993/) [Fundamentals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentals/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-communication-980142/) [Reproducing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproducing/) [Reproducing Point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproducing-point-2746009/) [Selected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selected/) ## Related quotes > [“The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-biggest-problem-with-communication-is-the-illusion-that-it-has/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [We know there is a problem with communication but we are not going to discuss it in front of the entire staff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/we-know-there-is-a-problem-with-communication-but-we-are-not-going-to/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [The first problem of communication is getting people's attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-first-problem-of-communication-is-getting-people-s-attention/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. —GEORGE BERNARD SHAW”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-single-biggest-problem-in-communication-is-the-illusion-that-it-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The problem with communication…is the illusion that is has been accomplished.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-problem-with-communication-is-the-illusion-that-is-has-been/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-single-biggest-problem-in-communication-is-the-illusion-that-it/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“To reach him you have to back up and back up, and the further back you go, the further back you see you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/to-reach-him-you-have-to-back-up-and-back-up-and-the-further-back-you/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [One of them, for example, which will probably haunt me more than any other is the problem of communication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/one-of-them-for-example-which-will-probably-haunt-me-more-than-any/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [Bilingualism is for me the fundamental problem of linguistics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-jakobson/bilingualism-is-for-me-the-fundamental-problem-of-linguistics/) [Roman Jakobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-jakobson/) > [“So this is a fundamental problem, being out of a loop that I don't even believe in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-othmer/so-this-is-a-fundamental-problem-being-out-of-a-loop-that-i-don-t/) [James P. Othmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-othmer/) > [In a sense Shapley's telling me that space was transparent, which I shouldn't have believed, illustrates a fundamental problem in science, believing what people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-l-greenstein/in-a-sense-shapley-s-telling-me-that-space-was-transparent-which-i/) [Jesse L. Greenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-l-greenstein/) > [“The fundamental problem has nothing to do with your behavior or your attitude. It has everything to do with having a wrong map.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/the-fundamental-problem-has-nothing-to-do-with-your-behavior-or-your/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [The fundamental problem is not that Trump has access to the nuclear launch codes, but that they exist at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-plame/the-fundamental-problem-is-not-that-trump-has-access-to-the-nuclear/) [Valerie Plame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-plame/) > [The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem it will avail us little to solve all others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-conservation-of-natural-resources-is-the-fundamental-problem/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The fact that it wasn't tells me that we've got a much more fundamental problem of understanding what went wrong, and we've got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kay/the-fact-that-it-wasn-t-tells-me-that-we-ve-got-a-much-more/) [David Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kay/) ## More by Claude Shannon > [My greatest concern was what to call it. I thought of calling it ‘information’, but the word was overly used, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/my-greatest-concern-was-what-to-call-it-i-thought-of-calling-it/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [Cousins are part of your life so stick with cuz, not friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/cousins-are-part-of-your-life-so-stick-with-cuz-not-friends/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [Use the word 'cybernetics', Norbert, because nobody knows what it means. This will always put you at an advantage in arguments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/use-the-word-cybernetics-norbert-because-nobody-knows-what-it-means/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [I just wondered how things were put together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/i-just-wondered-how-things-were-put-together/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [I visualize a time when we will be to robots what dogs are to humans. And I am rooting for the machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/i-visualize-a-time-when-we-will-be-to-robots-what-dogs-are-to-humans/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [Information is the #resolution of uncertainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/information-is-the-resolution-of-uncertainty/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [I am very seldom interested in applications. I am more interested in the elegance of a problem. Is it a good problem, an interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/i-am-very-seldom-interested-in-applications-i-am-more-interested-in/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [We know the past but cannot control it. We control the future but cannot know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/we-know-the-past-but-cannot-control-it-we-control-the-future-but/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [Information: the negative reciprocal value of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/information-the-negative-reciprocal-value-of-probability/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) [Explore all 10 Claude Shannon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/) [Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately a message selected at another point.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claude Shannon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/the-fundamental-problem-of-communication-is-that-of-reproducing-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/the-fundamental-problem-of-communication-is-that-of-reproducing-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/claude-shannon-41955_communication_the-fundamental-problem-of-communication_1081360.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/claude-shannon-41955_communication_the-fundamental-problem-of-communication_1081360.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/961/claude-shannon-41955_communication_the-fundamental-problem-of-communication_1081360.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The fundamental problem of communication is that of reproducing at one point either exactly or approximately…” — Claude Shannon", "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": "Claude Shannon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The fundamental problem of communication is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/the-fundamental-problem-of-communication-is-that-of-reproducing-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/the-fundamental-problem-of-communication-is-that-of-reproducing-at/#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 } } ] } ```