--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one’s forcing you to do this. You…" description: "\"No one’s forcing you to do this. You willingly tie yourself to these leashes. And you willingly become utterly socially autistic. You no longer pick up..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/dave-eggers-638_autistic_no-one-s-forcing-you-to-do-this-you-will_3136409.jpg" --- # No one’s forcing you to do this. You willingly tie… ![“No one’s forcing you to do this. You willingly tie yourself to these leashes. And you willingly become utterly socially autistic. You no longer pick up on basic human communication clues. You’re at a table with three humans, all of whom are looking at you and trying to talk to you, and you’re…” quote by Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/dave-eggers-638_autistic_no-one-s-forcing-you-to-do-this-you-will_3136409.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/dave-eggers-638_autistic_no-one-s-forcing-you-to-do-this-you-will_3136409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/dave-eggers-638_autistic_no-one-s-forcing-you-to-do-this-you-will_3136409.jpg) > “No one’s forcing you to do this. You willingly tie yourself to these leashes. And you willingly become utterly socially autistic. You no longer pick up on basic human communication clues. You’re at a table with three humans, all of whom are looking at you and trying to talk to you, and you’re staring at a screen, searching for strangers in Dubai.” [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage critiques people who isolate themselves with devices, missing real human interaction. **In simple terms:** Warns against digital isolation. Key Takeaway Engage more with people around you. Themes social isolation technology communication Mood reflective concerned Type advice social commentary When to use this quote - dinner parties - work meetings - family gatherings - public transport - online forums Key Concepts attention economy social anxiety digital addiction Questions to Reflect On - How often do you choose a screen over a conversation? - What steps can you take to be more present? A Different Perspective Human connection requires effort; screens can replace but not replicate genuine interaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autistic/) [Clue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clue/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Dubai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dubai/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Leashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leashes/) [Picks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picks/) [Screens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screens/) [Searching Strangers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/searching-strangers-5569991/) [Socially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socially/) [Socially Autistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socially-autistic-2656439/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Tables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tables/) [Talk Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-staring-5569992/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Ties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ties/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Utterly Socially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utterly-socially-2656440/) ## Related quotes > [“Here though, there are no oppressors. No one's forcing you to do this. You willingly tie yourself to these leashes. And you willingly become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/here-though-there-are-no-oppressors-no-one-s-forcing-you-to-do-this/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“You willingly tie yourself to these leashes. And you willingly become utterly socially autistic. You no longer pick up on basic human communication clues.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/you-willingly-tie-yourself-to-these-leashes-and-you-willingly-become/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [A dog gets lonesome just like a human. 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His tone truly puts demons on a leash. His gift is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-santana/john-coltrane-is-still-probably-one-of-the-greatest-musicians-of-this/) [Carlos Santana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-santana/) > [And at the UN she took the advice - she had to take the advice - of the State Department and the Assistant Secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/and-at-the-un-she-took-the-advice-she-had-to-take-the-advice-of-the/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [Charter schools are just public schools on a slightly longer leash. A dog on a long leash is still a dog on a leash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-fritz/charter-schools-are-just-public-schools-on-a-slightly-longer-leash-a/) [Marshall Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-fritz/) > [It is so true that in liquid modernity freedom was, so to speak, let off the leash, and for a quite a number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/it-is-so-true-that-in-liquid-modernity-freedom-was-so-to-speak-let/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [What I would like to give my daughter is freedom. And this is something that must be given by example, not exhortation. Freedom is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/what-i-would-like-to-give-my-daughter-is-freedom-and-this-is/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [We live on the leash of our senses. There is no way in which to understand the world without first detecting it through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses-there-is-no-way-in-which-to/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Ever wonder where you'd end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/ever-wonder-where-you-d-end-up-if-you-took-your-dog-for-a-walk-and/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Husband and wife have so many interests in common that when they have jogged through the ups and downs of life a sufficient time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/husband-and-wife-have-so-many-interests-in-common-that-when-they-have/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Pro wrestling was there, and I was good at it, thank God. I started getting a lot of offers, but unfortunately, at WWE I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-angle/pro-wrestling-was-there-and-i-was-good-at-it-thank-god-i-started/) [Kurt Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-angle/) > [Erudition, like a bloodhound, is a charming thing when held firmly in leash, but it is not so attractive when turned loose upon a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/erudition-like-a-bloodhound-is-a-charming-thing-when-held-firmly-in/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) ## More by Dave Eggers > [“4. THE CRUMBLING WALL (Hamburger, prepared medium well, with bacon and barbecue sauce. Courtesy of that place on Solano, where, it should be mentioned,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/4-the-crumbling-wall-hamburger-prepared-medium-well-with-bacon-and/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“LOW-FLYING, QUICK-MOVING CLOUDS: I haven't long to live. 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That's something I got from my mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/i-think-i-m-far-too-hopeful-and-trusting-that-s-something-i-got-from/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“Overnight, all comment boards became civil, all posters held accountable. The trolls, who had more or less overtaken the internet, were driven back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/overnight-all-comment-boards-became-civil-all-posters-held/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“Have we wasted precious space dust on you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/have-we-wasted-precious-space-dust-on-you/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“What can one do with one's hands when the camera is interested in other things?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/what-can-one-do-with-one-s-hands-when-the-camera-is-interested-in/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“The money that could have saved the Shuttle, and the money we send to random countries, that we use to remake unchangeable countries ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-money-that-could-have-saved-the-shuttle-and-the-money-we-send-to/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Write your goddamned book now. The world awaits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/write-your-goddamned-book-now-the-world-awaits/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [The only infallible truth of our lives is that everything we love in life will be taken from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-only-infallible-truth-of-our-lives-is-that-everything-we-love-in/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“First of all: I am tired. I am true of heart! And Also: You are tired. You are true of heart!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/first-of-all-i-am-tired-i-am-true-of-heart-and-also-you-are-tired-you/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [And what we were trying to offer every day was one-on-one attention. 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Wayne, not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-ballis/jack-was-the-kind-of-guy-you-could-take-into-any-situation-and-he/) [Stacey Ballis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-ballis/) > [“The autistic mind is not the wave at the surface of the ocean, but the whole world that exists below.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krissy-bells/the-autistic-mind-is-not-the-wave-at-the-surface-of-the-ocean-but-the/) [Krissy Bells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krissy-bells/) > [A solitary American monk named Thomas Berry writes that in our relationship to nature, we have been autistic for centuries. Wrapped tightly in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/a-solitary-american-monk-named-thomas-berry-writes-that-in-our/) [Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/) > [Autistic people's disabilities are widely known, but one of their best-established strengths is their attention to detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-baron-cohen/autistic-people-s-disabilities-are-widely-known-but-one-of-their-best/) [Simon Baron-Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-baron-cohen/) > [“That’s very trusting.” Iris watches Anke search our backpacks. “We’re saving people’s lives. We thought we could be,”Anke says. I’m more fixated on her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-duyvis/that-s-very-trusting-iris-watches-anke-search-our-backpacks-we-re/) [Corinne Duyvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-duyvis/) > [ I both didn't know Owen \[Suskind\] beforehand and didn't have any connection to the autistic community. 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