--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans have become passive and lazy…" description: "\"“Americans have become passive and lazy. We are like ancient Romans who live to be entertained. And in our lust for entertainment, we are actually retr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/doug-philips-233650_family-life_americans-have-become-passive-and-lazy-w_3060142.jpg" --- # Americans have become passive and lazy. We are like… ![“Americans have become passive and lazy. We are like ancient Romans who live to be entertained. And in our lust for entertainment, we are actually retraining the way our brains process information. And the result of our entertainment gluttony is that we are cultivating our appetites in a manner…” quote by Doug Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/doug-philips-233650_family-life_americans-have-become-passive-and-lazy-w_3060142.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/doug-philips-233650_family-life_americans-have-become-passive-and-lazy-w_3060142.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/doug-philips-233650_family-life_americans-have-become-passive-and-lazy-w_3060142.jpg) > ““Americans have become passive and lazy. We are like ancient Romans who live to be entertained. And in our lust for entertainment, we are actually retraining the way our brains process information. And the result of our entertainment gluttony is that we are cultivating our appetites in a manner which is making us incapable of appreciating a meaningful sense of family life, community and hospitality. Consider A.C.Nielson Corporation reports that Americans on average watch more than 4 hours of TV each day. This equals 28 hours a week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year. If you maintain this average and live to the age of 65, nine years of your life will have been spent worshipping at the little black box of vacuity.”” [Doug Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-philips/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Americans’ excessive TV watching creates passive, entertainment‑driven lives, eroding family, community, and meaningful values. **In simple terms:** Too much TV dulls life and relationships. Key Takeaway Limit screen time, foster real connections. Themes media consumption passivity family values Mood concerned analytical Type Family life:1 Television:1 Ancient Roman:0 Hours Tv:1 Entertainment Gluttony:1 Americans Passive:1 Americans Average:1 Gluttony Cultivating:1 When to use this quote - family dinners - community events - media literacy workshops Key Concepts cultural critique psychology of entertainment social health Questions to Reflect On - How does media shape our priorities? - What alternatives can replace passive viewing? A Different Perspective Data may be outdated or cherry‑picked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans Average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-average-5128882/) [Americans Passive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-passive-5128881/) [Ancient Roman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-roman/) [Entertainment Gluttony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment-gluttony-5128880/) [Family life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-life/) [Gluttony Cultivating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gluttony-cultivating-5128883/) [Hours Tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours-tv-424356/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [It's not prowess if you watch 5 hours of TV a day. It's just how you choose to spend your time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-not-prowess-if-you-watch-5-hours-of-tv-a-day-it-s-just-how-you/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [After being on the court for six hours, being on TV is very glamorous and fun for me. But tennis is always going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/after-being-on-the-court-for-six-hours-being-on-tv-is-very-glamorous/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [One can watch hours and hours of TV without actually losing interest, but, as with Chinese food, one is rarely left with much residue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/one-can-watch-hours-and-hours-of-tv-without-actually-losing-interest/) [Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/) > [I think it's terribly important to watch TV. I think there's a sort of minimum number of hours of TV a day you ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-think-it-s-terribly-important-to-watch-tv-i-think-there-s-a-sort-of/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [I don't think there is 70 good hours of TV in a week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-brennan/i-don-t-think-there-is-70-good-hours-of-tv-in-a-week/) [Neal Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-brennan/) > [I was a great one as a kid for standing and just looking out a window for hours and hours and hours. Now the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-was-a-great-one-as-a-kid-for-standing-and-just-looking-out-a-window/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [My superpower is watching five hours of TV I'm not interested in because I can't reach the remote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/my-superpower-is-watching-five-hours-of-tv-i-m-not-interested-in/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I love the 'So You Think You Can Dance' show. I love it. I think it's some of the best hours on TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-patrick-harris/i-love-the-so-you-think-you-can-dance-show-i-love-it-i-think-it-s/) [Neil Patrick Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-patrick-harris/) > [The average kindergartner has seen more than 5,000 hours of TV-more time than it takes to earn a bachelor's degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shook/the-average-kindergartner-has-seen-more-than-5-000-hours-of-tv-more/) [Shook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shook/) > [I teach that people should watch less TV. I don't care what else they're doing! The average American's watching anywhere from three to six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/i-teach-that-people-should-watch-less-tv-i-don-t-care-what-else-they/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [Well, do I think watching 35 hours of TV a week is a terrific thing to do? Not particularly. But do I think you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/well-do-i-think-watching-35-hours-of-tv-a-week-is-a-terrific-thing-to/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [“In fact, it should matter to you more than it currently does. If you knew how small you are and how short a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-b-truant/in-fact-it-should-matter-to-you-more-than-it-currently-does-if-you/) [Johnny B. Truant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-b-truant/) > [It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to fit in eight hours of TV a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-not-easy-to-juggle-a-pregnant-wife-and-a-troubled-child-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The first thing I do on a Sunday is five hours in front of the TV watching football, football, football. I watch my games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romelu-lukaku/the-first-thing-i-do-on-a-sunday-is-five-hours-in-front-of-the-tv/) [Romelu Lukaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romelu-lukaku/) > [“When the ancient Romans would conquer a new place or a new people, they would leave the language and the customs in tact –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/when-the-ancient-romans-would-conquer-a-new-place-or-a-new-people/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) ## More Family life quotes > [I mean family is more important than anything in life. Family is important than my crew, D-Block, my rap career anything... 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