--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have a time machine and you use it…" description: "\"“You have a time machine and you use it for... watching television?\" \"Well, I wouldn't use it at all if I could get the hang of the video recorder.”\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/douglas-adams-122_computers_you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-f_1127736.png" --- # You have a time machine and you use it for... watching… ![“You have a time machine and you use it for... watching television?" "Well, I wouldn't use it at all if I could get the hang of the video recorder.” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/douglas-adams-122_computers_you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-f_1127736.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/douglas-adams-122_computers_you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-f_1127736.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/douglas-adams-122_computers_you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-f_1127736.png) > ““You have a time machine and you use it for... watching television?" "Well, I wouldn't use it at all if I could get the hang of the video recorder.”” [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. A humorous exchange highlights the absurdity of using a time‑travel device for trivial purposes, emphasizing the need for meaningful use of extraordinary tools. **In simple terms:** Don’t waste powerful tools on trivial things. Key Takeaway Use extraordinary abilities for meaningful purposes. Themes humor technology meaningful action absurdity Mood playful ironic Type humorous philosophical When to use this quote - daily decisions - creative projects - technology use Key Concepts time travel technology ethics purpose Questions to Reflect On - What would you truly do with a time machine? - How do you decide what’s worth your effort? A Different Perspective The joke may downplay serious considerations of power and responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time machine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-machine/) ## Related quotes > [What's the use of watching? A watched pot never boils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/what-s-the-use-of-watching-a-watched-pot-never-boils/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [I thought, 'If I'm going to die, I'm going to videotape it.' So I got out my little video recorder and was taping goodbyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estella-warren/i-thought-if-i-m-going-to-die-i-m-going-to-videotape-it-so-i-got-out/) [Estella Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estella-warren/) > [Roughly 65% of American households owned a video recorder by 1989, when 'The Simpsons' was launched. This meant that fans could watch episodes several…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/roughly-65-of-american-households-owned-a-video-recorder-by-1989-when/) [Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/) > [I have done good work in television and wouldn't want to mess it with a wrong move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudha-chandran/i-have-done-good-work-in-television-and-wouldn-t-want-to-mess-it-with/) [Sudha Chandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudha-chandran/) > [I wouldn't have the life I have without television. I wouldn't be looking out my apartment window onto the East River; I wouldn't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sullivan/i-wouldn-t-have-the-life-i-have-without-television-i-wouldn-t-be/) [Susan Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sullivan/) > [Rather than lose the public because television is here, wouldn't it be smart to adopt television as our instrument?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-zukor/rather-than-lose-the-public-because-television-is-here-wouldn-t-it-be/) Adolph Zukor > [For example, it's only about 20 years ago the people in that community would have got telephone lines, and it would be only about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcgahern/for-example-it-s-only-about-20-years-ago-the-people-in-that-community/) [John McGahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcgahern/) > [If you had ever told me that the finest film work was going to be done on television, I wouldn't have believed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-banks/if-you-had-ever-told-me-that-the-finest-film-work-was-going-to-be/) [Jonathan Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-banks/) > [I think that probably the - I don't give quotes to studios. They have to get those out of the paper or from television.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/i-think-that-probably-the-i-don-t-give-quotes-to-studios-they-have-to/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I went on television and I wouldn't say a word; I feel so stupid when I watch them again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-gainsbourg/i-went-on-television-and-i-wouldn-t-say-a-word-i-feel-so-stupid-when/) [Charlotte Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-gainsbourg/) > [There's definitely a wave of Brits doing great work on American television, and I wouldn't mind being one of them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-james-collier/there-s-definitely-a-wave-of-brits-doing-great-work-on-american/) [Rob James-Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-james-collier/) > [I hope to keep working with television. I wouldn't mind doing more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-shelton/i-hope-to-keep-working-with-television-i-wouldn-t-mind-doing-more/) [Lynn Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-shelton/) > [My first synthesizer was the VCS3. I got it in Bristol in the late Sixties, long before Pink Floyd used them. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-michel-jarre/my-first-synthesizer-was-the-vcs3-i-got-it-in-bristol-in-the-late/) [Jean-Michel Jarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-michel-jarre/) > [“There was an accident with a contraceptive and a time machine. Now concentrate!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-was-an-accident-with-a-contraceptive-and-a-time-machine-now/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. Had a one night stand with something cute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/probably-it-goes-without-saying-but-time-machine-guys-don-t-get-a-lot/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) ## 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?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The technology involved in making anything invisible is so infinitely complex that nine hundred and ninety-nine billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-technology-involved-in-making-anything-invisible-is-so-infinitely/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [One is never alone with a rubber duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/one-is-never-alone-with-a-rubber-duck/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/this-must-be-thursday-i-never-could-get-the-hang-of-thursdays/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [There are some oddities in the perspective with which we see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-are-some-oddities-in-the-perspective-with-which-we-see-the-world/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Eight hours West sat a man alone on a beach mourning an inexplicable loss. He could only think of his loss in little packets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/eight-hours-west-sat-a-man-alone-on-a-beach-mourning-an-inexplicable/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The Universe, the whole infinite Universe. 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. So we'll have to tell you something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-come-to-me-for-advice-but-you-can-t-cope-with-anything-you-don-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Explore all 1,168 Douglas Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More Computers quotes > [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. Had a one night stand with something cute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/probably-it-goes-without-saying-but-time-machine-guys-don-t-get-a-lot/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/) [Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/) > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) Jen-Hsun Huang > [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/) William Henry Pickering > [“Alan Turing proposed the Turing Test: a computer is intelligent if you can't tell it from a human when you talk with it. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cjs-hayward/alan-turing-proposed-the-turing-test-a-computer-is-intelligent-if-you/) [CJS Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cjs-hayward/) > [Computers can be taught that certain tune or certain chords changes will sound pleasant together, but I don't think it's going to reach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonobo/computers-can-be-taught-that-certain-tune-or-certain-chords-changes/) [Bonobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonobo/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/) Cruce Stark > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) [Browse all 9,389 Computers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You have a time machine and you use it for... watching television?\" \"Well, I wouldn't use it at all if I could get the hang of the video recorder.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-for-watching-television-well-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Computers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-for-watching-television-well-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/douglas-adams-122_computers_you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-f_1127736.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/douglas-adams-122_computers_you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-f_1127736.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f63/douglas-adams-122_computers_you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-f_1127736.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You have a time machine and you use it for... watching television?\" \"Well, I wouldn't use it at all if I…” — Douglas Adams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Douglas Adams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You have a time machine and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-for-watching-television-well-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-have-a-time-machine-and-you-use-it-for-watching-television-well-i/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```