--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the population of literate people has…" description: "\"“the population of literate people has been declining steadily since Gutenberg’s day. By the twentieth century, less than two percent of the people in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c0/dan-simmons-968_books_the-population-of-literate-people-has-be_1879165.jpg" --- # the population of literate people has been declining… ![“the population of literate people has been declining steadily since Gutenberg’s day. By the twentieth century, less than two percent of the people in the so-called industrialized democracies read even one book a year. And that was before the smart machines, dataspheres, and user-friendly…” quote by Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c0/dan-simmons-968_books_the-population-of-literate-people-has-be_1879165.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c0/dan-simmons-968_books_the-population-of-literate-people-has-be_1879165.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c0/dan-simmons-968_books_the-population-of-literate-people-has-be_1879165.jpg) > ““the population of literate people has been declining steadily since Gutenberg’s day. By the twentieth century, less than two percent of the people in the so-called industrialized democracies read even one book a year. And that was before the smart machines, dataspheres, and user-friendly environments.”” [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading rates have fallen dramatically since the printing press, and modern tech may worsen it. **In simple terms:** Fewer people read books today. Key Takeaway Promote reading and critical thinking. Themes literacy technology culture history Mood concerned reflective Type analytical observational When to use this quote - education policy - media consumption - library services Key Concepts information overload digital distraction Questions to Reflect On - What incentives could revive book reading? - How can technology support literacy? A Different Perspective Digital tools can also boost reading if used wisely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Democracies Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracies-read-2643337/) [Gutenberg Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gutenberg-day-2643338/) [Literate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literate/) [Literate People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literate-people-380939/) [Population Literate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/population-literate-2643336/) ## Related quotes > [“I once learned that only three behaviors set literate people apart. The first two are obvious: reading and writing; but the third surprised me:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-peter-clark/i-once-learned-that-only-three-behaviors-set-literate-people-apart/) [Roy Peter Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-peter-clark/) > [The Romans had been able to post their laws on boards in public places, confidant that enough literate people existed to read them; far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-romans-had-been-able-to-post-their-laws-on-boards-in-public/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The general education of the population also gave cause for optimism. 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And there are people who are screenwriters and television writers and novelists who are writing for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/comic-books-themselves-are-getting-more-literate-and-there-are-people/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [ “\[But\] just as unseen worlds unfold to those who read a book, so worlds hidden to hurried sight unfold to those who choose to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-stuckey/but-just-as-unseen-worlds-unfold-to-those-who-read-a-book-so-worlds/) [Priscilla Stuckey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-stuckey/) > [The Intelligentsia (scientists apart) are losing all touch with, and all influence over, nearly the whole human race. Our most esteemed poets and critics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-intelligentsia-scientists-apart-are-losing-all-touch-with-and-all/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [ “{President\] Kayibanda's government \[in Rwanda\] continued the persecution against the Tutsis and began to make use of the media it controlled to launch a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rucyahana/president-kayibanda-s-government-in-rwanda-continued-the-persecution/) [John Rucyahana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rucyahana/) > [I think it's important for all culturally literate people to understand the technological substrate of new developments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/i-think-it-s-important-for-all-culturally-literate-people-to/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [We need a lot more technically literate people. 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And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [Whatever the reasons may be, I was very much affected by events of the 1930s - the Spanish Civil War, for example, though I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/whatever-the-reasons-may-be-i-was-very-much-affected-by-events-of-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I am not at all computer literate in real life. I haven't yet found a reason to be. Once I find a reason why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-travolta/i-am-not-at-all-computer-literate-in-real-life-i-haven-t-yet-found-a/) [John Travolta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-travolta/) ## More by Dan Simmons > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“The Song of Kali is with us. It has been with us for a very long time. 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YOU ARE DISTURBING OTHERS WHO ARE USING IT TO SERIOUS PURPOSE. ACCESS WILL BE RESTORED…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/there-will-be-no-further-misuse-of-this-channel-you-are-disturbing/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“I know the fucking Bible, and there ain't no fucking Book of Leviathan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/i-know-the-fucking-bible-and-there-ain-t-no-fucking-book-of-leviathan/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [I loved you backward and forward in time. I loved you beyond boundaries of time and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/i-loved-you-backward-and-forward-in-time-i-loved-you-beyond/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [ “Men who read a lot have a more sensitive disposition, added Fowler. \[...\] I did not know what to say to this. 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People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“the population of literate people has been declining steadily since Gutenberg’s day. By the twentieth century, less than two percent of the people in the so-called industrialized democracies read even one book a year. 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