--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In those days, this was years for the…" description: "\"“In those days, this was years for the sputnik thing, it was customary to downgrade the Russians' science. People who know something about those things..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/e-l-doctorow-2-10582_failure_in-those-days-this-was-years-for-the-spu_865709.jpg" --- # In those days, this was years for the sputnik thing, it… ![“In those days, this was years for the sputnik thing, it was customary to downgrade the Russians' science. People who know something about those things didn't make that mistake. But at the level of Time magazine the joke was how they copied everything and claimed it for their own. Well, of course…” quote by E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/e-l-doctorow-2-10582_failure_in-those-days-this-was-years-for-the-spu_865709.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/e-l-doctorow-2-10582_failure_in-those-days-this-was-years-for-the-spu_865709.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/e-l-doctorow-2-10582_failure_in-those-days-this-was-years-for-the-spu_865709.jpg) > ““In those days, this was years for the sputnik thing, it was customary to downgrade the Russians' science. People who know something about those things didn't make that mistake. But at the level of Time magazine the joke was how they copied everything and claimed it for their own. Well, of course the corollary of that is that it's our bomb they have and that means we were betrayed. After the war our whole foreign policy depended on our having the bomb and the Soviets not having it. It was a terrible miscalculation. It militarized the world. And when they got it the only alternative to admitting our bankruptcy of leadership and national vision was to find conspiracies. It was one or the other.”” [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) ## 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 warns that over‑confidence in nuclear superiority and dismissing foreign science led to dangerous miscalculations and a militarized world. **In simple terms:** Overconfidence in nuclear power caused global tension. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of power and avoid paranoia. Themes cold war nuclear deterrence miscalculation propaganda Mood anxious reflective Type historical political When to use this quote - policy making - defense planning - international diplomacy - public discourse Key Concepts geopolitics strategic insecurity technological rivalry Questions to Reflect On - How might balanced intelligence assessments change policy? - What safeguards prevent escalation? A Different Perspective It ignores the role of diplomatic engagement and scientific cooperation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Sputnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sputnik/) ## Related quotes > [My platitudes don't hold their interest and I can hardly blame them for that. My real stories are all out of date. 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Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/sometimes-i-feel-so-i-don-t-know-lonely-the-kind-of-helpless-feeling/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, my parents, like the rest of America, were terrified. The Soviets had nuclear weapons and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/when-the-soviet-union-launched-sputnik-in-1957-my-parents-like-the/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [A little righteous anger really brings out the best in the American personality. Our nation was born when 56 patriots got mad enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/a-little-righteous-anger-really-brings-out-the-best-in-the-american/) [Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/) > [Do you know what ‘Sputnik’ means in Russian? ‘Travelling companion’. I looked it up in a dictionary not long ago. Kind of a strange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/do-you-know-what-sputnik-means-in-russian-travelling-companion-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [More than fifty years ago Sputnik dramatically raised the nation's awareness of what was lacking in science and math education in America. What we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/more-than-fifty-years-ago-sputnik-dramatically-raised-the-nation-s/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [The Sputnik is just to me like a firework, a rocket, a new invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/the-sputnik-is-just-to-me-like-a-firework-a-rocket-a-new-invention/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [In order for the United States to do the right things for the long term, it appears to be helpful for us to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/in-order-for-the-united-states-to-do-the-right-things-for-the-long/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Sputnik quickly became one of the three great shocks to hit America - historians say the equal of Pearl Harbor or 9/11.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hoffman/sputnik-quickly-became-one-of-the-three-great-shocks-to-hit-america/) [David Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hoffman/) > [The time will come when a spacecraft carrying human beings will leave the earth and set out on a voyage to distant planets -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-korolev/the-time-will-come-when-a-spacecraft-carrying-human-beings-will-leave/) [Sergei Korolev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-korolev/) > [I know that some knowledgeable people fear that although we might be willing to spend a couple of billion dollars in 1958, because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-that-some-knowledgeable-people-fear-that-although-we-might-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [MEN WALK ON THE MOON. To me, this speaks of a time when America wasn't just about the almighty buck. The Russians had put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/men-walk-on-the-moon-to-me-this-speaks-of-a-time-when-america-wasn-t/) [Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/) > [“Alan shrugged. “I love the CBC, really, but being voted its president—” “Co-president,” Sputnik corrected. “—is kind of like being declared King of Nerds.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-richards/alan-shrugged-i-love-the-cbc-really-but-being-voted-its-president-co/) [J.M. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-richards/) ## More by E.L. Doctorow > [“I cite too the ordinary fears of mortality the inspection of a fast-growing mole on the side of the nose blood in the stool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/i-cite-too-the-ordinary-fears-of-mortality-the-inspection-of-a-fast/) [E.L. 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Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“I remember holding her in my arms and absolving God of meaninglessness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/i-remember-holding-her-in-my-arms-and-absolving-god-of-meaninglessness/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“Somehow he had catapulted himself beyond the world's value system. But this very fact lay upon him an awesome responsibility to maintain the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/somehow-he-had-catapulted-himself-beyond-the-world-s-value-system-but/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“Emily supposed the modern world was fortunate in the progress of science. But she could not help but feel at this moment the impropriety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/emily-supposed-the-modern-world-was-fortunate-in-the-progress-of/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“Father looked at her and she was beautiful in the way she had been as a girl. He did not realize the pleasure he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/father-looked-at-her-and-she-was-beautiful-in-the-way-she-had-been-as/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“Happiness consists of living in the dailiness of life and not knowing how happy you are. True happiness comes of not knowing you're happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/happiness-consists-of-living-in-the-dailiness-of-life-and-not-knowing/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“Grandmamma had been the last connection to our past. I had understood her as some referent moral authority to whom we paid no heed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/grandmamma-had-been-the-last-connection-to-our-past-i-had-understood/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“I asked this question: How can I think about my brain when it’s my brain doing the thinking? So is this brain pretending to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/i-asked-this-question-how-can-i-think-about-my-brain-when-it-s-my/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“She's some kind of Socialist-anarchist-anarcho-syndicalist-Communist. Unless you're one of them you can't tell exactly what any of them are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/she-s-some-kind-of-socialist-anarchist-anarcho-syndicalist-communist/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“I didn’t actually have to write a thing because the act of reading was my writing. I thought of myself as a writer for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/i-didn-t-actually-have-to-write-a-thing-because-the-act-of-reading/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“You're nothing more than a clever prostitute. You accepted the conditions in which you found yourself and you triumphed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/you-re-nothing-more-than-a-clever-prostitute-you-accepted-the/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) > [“Writing teachers invariably tell students, write about what you know. That's, of course, what you have to do, but on the other hand, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/writing-teachers-invariably-tell-students-write-about-what-you-know/) [E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) [Explore all 64 E.L. Doctorow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In those days, this was years for the sputnik thing, it was customary to downgrade the Russians' science. People who know something about those things didn't make that mistake. But at the level of Time magazine the joke was how they copied everything and claimed it for their own. Well, of course the corollary of that is that it's our bomb they have and that means we were betrayed. After the war our whole foreign policy depended on our having the bomb and the Soviets not having it. It was a terrible miscalculation. It militarized the world. And when they got it the only alternative to admitting our bankruptcy of leadership and national vision was to find conspiracies. It was one or the other.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "E.L. 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