--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the hunt for new sources of energy…" description: "\"“When the hunt for new sources of energy had at one point got particularly frantic, one bright young chap suddenly spotted that one place which had nev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/douglas-adams-122_energy_when-the-hunt-for-new-sources-of-energy_3059814.jpg" --- # When the hunt for new sources of energy had at one point… ![“When the hunt for new sources of energy had at one point got particularly frantic, one bright young chap suddenly spotted that one place which had never used up all its available energy was - the past. And with the sudden rush of blood to the head that such insights tend to induce, he invented a…” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/douglas-adams-122_energy_when-the-hunt-for-new-sources-of-energy_3059814.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/douglas-adams-122_energy_when-the-hunt-for-new-sources-of-energy_3059814.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/douglas-adams-122_energy_when-the-hunt-for-new-sources-of-energy_3059814.jpg) > ““When the hunt for new sources of energy had at one point got particularly frantic, one bright young chap suddenly spotted that one place which had never used up all its available energy was - the past. And with the sudden rush of blood to the head that such insights tend to induce, he invented a way of mining it that very same night, and within a year huge tracts of the past were being drained of all their energy and simply wasting away. Those who claimed that the past should be left unspoilt were accused of indulgingin an extremely expensive form of sentimentality.”” [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote satizes the reckless exploitation of history for profit, treating the past as an endless energy source while dismissing preservation as sentimental waste. **In simple terms:** People exploit history for gain, ignoring its value. Key Takeaway Respect the past, avoid wasteful exploitation. Themes exploitation history sentimentality technology progress Mood critical reflective cautious Type philosophical satirical cautionary When to use this quote - academic research - heritage conservation - policy making - corporate strategy - personal reflection Key Concepts resource extraction historical commodification short‑term gain cultural loss Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance innovation with preservation? - What costs are hidden when we treat history as a resource? A Different Perspective The past holds intrinsic value beyond material energy; its loss can’t be measured financially. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Claimed Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claimed-past-5127188/) [Drained Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drained-energy-5127187/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-past-4394874/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Drained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-drained-5127186/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Our whole energy remains blocked either in the past or in the future. When you withdraw all your energy from past and future a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/our-whole-energy-remains-blocked-either-in-the-past-or-in-the-future/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“Aorist rods were devices used in a now happily abandoned form of energy production. 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It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Douglas Adams > [2,000 years ago one man got nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if everyone was nice to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/2-000-years-ago-one-man-got-nailed-to-a-tree-for-saying-how-great-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' 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The infinite suns, the infinite distances between them, and yourself an invisible dot on an invisible dot, infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-universe-the-whole-infinite-universe-the-infinite-suns-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [People always make this totally artificial distinction between what is commercial and what is good. They quote that maxim "Nobody ever lost money underestimating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/people-always-make-this-totally-artificial-distinction-between-what/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/any-man-who-can-hitch-the-length-and-breadth-of-the-galaxy-rough-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [ Does God know he \[exists\]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When we told our guide that we didn't want to go to all the tourist places he took us instead to the places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-we-told-our-guide-that-we-didn-t-want-to-go-to-all-the-tourist/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. Hmmm. 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