--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now, you and I both know that if you can…" description: "\"“Now, you and I both know that if you can control the flow of information, you can control everything. You can control most of what anyone sees and kno..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/dave-eggers-638_control_now-you-and-i-both-know-that-if-you-can_566050.jpg" --- # Now, you and I both know that if you can control the flow… ![“Now, you and I both know that if you can control the flow of information, you can control everything. You can control most of what anyone sees and knows. If you want to bury some piece of information, permanently, that's two seconds' work. If you want to ruin anyone, that's five minutes' work.” quote by Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/dave-eggers-638_control_now-you-and-i-both-know-that-if-you-can_566050.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/dave-eggers-638_control_now-you-and-i-both-know-that-if-you-can_566050.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/dave-eggers-638_control_now-you-and-i-both-know-that-if-you-can_566050.jpg) > ““Now, you and I both know that if you can control the flow of information, you can control everything. You can control most of what anyone sees and knows. If you want to bury some piece of information, permanently, that's two seconds' work. If you want to ruin anyone, that's five minutes' work.”” [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. Control over information flow grants power over perception, influence, and outcomes; manipulating visibility can shape reality. **In simple terms:** Controlling information lets you shape what people know and act on. Key Takeaway Use information wisely; beware of its power. Themes power information influence ethics Mood cautious critical reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - political campaigns - corporate PR - personal reputation management - whistleblowing Key Concepts media control propaganda digital surveillance Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide what information to reveal or hide? - What safeguards can prevent abuse of information control? A Different Perspective It assumes technical ability equals ethical control, ignoring moral responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) ## Related quotes > [The notion that we can control the flow of information is obsolete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-notion-that-we-can-control-the-flow-of-information-is-obsolete/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can control the flow of paint: there is no accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/i-can-control-the-flow-of-paint-there-is-no-accident/) [Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/) > [I do know I'm a control freak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/i-do-know-i-m-a-control-freak/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [“You fanfare your 'Information Revolution', your email, your email, your vid cons! As if information itself is thought! You have no idea what you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/you-fanfare-your-information-revolution-your-email-your-email-your/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [If you control the flow of information, you can control the conversation around important issues. If you can control the conversation, you can change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/if-you-control-the-flow-of-information-you-can-control-the/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Information, knowledge, is power. If you can control information, you can control people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/information-knowledge-is-power-if-you-can-control-information-you-can/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Information is control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/information-is-control/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“In time of trouble, I had been trained since childhood, read, learn, work it up, go to the literature. Information was control.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/in-time-of-trouble-i-had-been-trained-since-childhood-read-learn-work/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Information is now a commodity that can be bought and sold, or used as a form of entertainment, or worn like a garment to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/information-is-now-a-commodity-that-can-be-bought-and-sold-or-used-as/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [The control of information is something the elite always does, particularly in a despotic form of government. Information, knowledge, is power. If you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-control-of-information-is-something-the-elite-always-does/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Read, learn, work it up, go to the literature. Information is control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/read-learn-work-it-up-go-to-the-literature-information-is-control/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Information was control.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/information-was-control/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Suspense is achieved by information control: What you know. What the reader knows. What the characters know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/suspense-is-achieved-by-information-control-what-you-know-what-the/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [God I know u in control of the cards and u deal em right!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gates-rapper/god-i-know-u-in-control-of-the-cards-and-u-deal-em-right/) Kevin Gates/Rapper > [I know what we can control, we can control our effort and we can control our approach. We do what we're supposed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-kennedy/i-know-what-we-can-control-we-can-control-our-effort-and-we-can/) [Andy Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-kennedy/) ## 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. TREETOPS, ROUNDED AND ROUGH: That's probably true. LOW-FLYING, QUICK-MOVING CLOUDS: I won't even make it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/low-flying-quick-moving-clouds-i-haven-t-long-to-live-treetops/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [But the grind has begun. The windows don’t open, and even the availability of near-constant jokes about Jews and Mormons fails to stem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/but-the-grind-has-begun-the-windows-don-t-open-and-even-the/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“One button for the rest of your life online.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/one-button-for-the-rest-of-your-life-online/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [We feel that to reveal embarrassing or private things, we have given someone something, that, like a primitive person fearing that a photographer will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/we-feel-that-to-reveal-embarrassing-or-private-things-we-have-given/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [I think I'm far too hopeful and trusting. 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. The goal was to have a one-to-one ratio with every one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/and-what-we-were-trying-to-offer-every-day-was-one-on-one-attention/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Suffering is only suffering if it’s done in silence, in solitude. Pain experienced in public, in view of loving millions, was no longer pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/suffering-is-only-suffering-if-it-s-done-in-silence-in-solitude-pain/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) [Explore all 428 Dave Eggers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) ## More Control quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“You can't control who loves you...you can't let someone love you anymore than you can make someone love you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/you-can-t-control-who-loves-you-you-can-t-let-someone-love-you/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) > [Don't think you can...know you can! You human body is the most impressive tool you'll ever own. Even if you can't control everything, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/don-t-think-you-can-know-you-can-you-human-body-is-the-most/) [Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/) > [If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-have-everything-under-control-you-re-not-moving-fast-enough/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [“Without time management, you lose control of your life and do what other people tell you to do. You lose control and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-miller/without-time-management-you-lose-control-of-your-life-and-do-what/) Thomas Miller > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Many of us rely on our own illusion of control. But when God makes it known to you that you're not the one steering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/many-of-us-rely-on-our-own-illusion-of-control-but-when-god-makes-it/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [Some nights I'm funny with the between-song commentary, some nights I'm not. I have no control over this. I pace the stage a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berman/some-nights-i-m-funny-with-the-between-song-commentary-some-nights-i/) [David Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berman/) > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 6,032 Control quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Now, you and I both know that if you can control the flow of information, you can control everything. You can control most of what anyone sees and knows. If you want to bury some piece of information, permanently, that's two seconds' work. 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