--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's easier than ever to hear…" description: "\"I think it's easier than ever to hear only what you want to hear. That doesn't make a good citizen.\" — Eli Pariser" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/eli-pariser-16638_citizen_i-think-it-s-easier-than-ever-to-hear-on_979283.png" --- # I think it's easier than ever to hear only what you want… ![“I think it's easier than ever to hear only what you want to hear. That doesn't make a good citizen.” quote by Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/eli-pariser-16638_citizen_i-think-it-s-easier-than-ever-to-hear-on_979283.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/eli-pariser-16638_citizen_i-think-it-s-easier-than-ever-to-hear-on_979283.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/eli-pariser-16638_citizen_i-think-it-s-easier-than-ever-to-hear-on_979283.png) > “I think it's easier than ever to hear only what you want to hear. That doesn't make a good citizen.” [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Selective listening limits civic responsibility and informed participation. **In simple terms:** Only hearing what you want harms citizenship. Key Takeaway Seek diverse viewpoints. Themes media literacy citizenship bias Mood critical concerned Type political educational When to use this quote - political discourse - social media use - education - community meetings Key Concepts information ecology echo chambers Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify information? - What sources challenge your views? A Different Perspective Changing habits is hard when algorithms reinforce preferences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen/) [Citizens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Easier Hear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier-hear-1932956/) [Good citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-citizen/) [Think Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-easier-303128/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) ## Related quotes > [To be a good citizen, it's important to be able to put yourself in other people's shoes and see the big picture. If everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/to-be-a-good-citizen-it-s-important-to-be-able-to-put-yourself-in/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [God help anyone who disobeys my recycling system. I have all the separated bins. I'm very adamant about it because I try to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-evangelista/god-help-anyone-who-disobeys-my-recycling-system-i-have-all-the/) [Linda Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-evangelista/) > [“The longer one is alone, the easier to hear the song of the earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-longer-one-is-alone-the-easier-to-hear-the-song-of-the-earth/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [Being active every day makes it easier to hear that inner voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/being-active-every-day-makes-it-easier-to-hear-that-inner-voice/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I think it is easier to hear my voice than see myself onscreen, particularly as the years progress. Watching myself onscreen becomes less and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjelica-huston/i-think-it-is-easier-to-hear-my-voice-than-see-myself-onscreen/) [Anjelica Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjelica-huston/) > [The longer one is alone, the easier it is to hear the song of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-longer-one-is-alone-the-easier-it-is-to-hear-the-song-of-the-earth/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [It was fear that was then making you a good citizen, which is never a lasting teacher of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/it-was-fear-that-was-then-making-you-a-good-citizen-which-is-never-a/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [You must completely dedicate yourselves to it. To do less will be to let down your country, your state, your parents, your teachers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/you-must-completely-dedicate-yourselves-to-it-to-do-less-will-be-to/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [Britain has always been a good citizen in the world. We rightly provide a safe haven for people fleeing political persecution by brutal regimes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-grayling/britain-has-always-been-a-good-citizen-in-the-world-we-rightly/) [Chris Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-grayling/) > [I am a legal immigrant whose parents went from Russia to China to Chile to finally reach the United States and thereby give me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-medavoy/i-am-a-legal-immigrant-whose-parents-went-from-russia-to-china-to/) [Mike Medavoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-medavoy/) > [And what is a good citizen? Simply one who never says, does or thinks anything that is unusual. Schools are maintained in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/and-what-is-a-good-citizen-simply-one-who-never-says-does-or-thinks/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I had a simple goal in life: to be true to my parents and our country as an honorable son, a caring brother, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benigno-aquino-iii/i-had-a-simple-goal-in-life-to-be-true-to-my-parents-and-our-country/) [Benigno Aquino III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benigno-aquino-iii/) > [The reason that a good citizen does not use such destructive means to become wealthier is that, if everyone did so, we would all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/the-reason-that-a-good-citizen-does-not-use-such-destructive-means-to/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [A poet is a good citizen turned inside out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/a-poet-is-a-good-citizen-turned-inside-out/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I am here, a citizen of this country, and I'm saying, 'Hey, the system failed me. I am a good citizen. I contribute to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-guerrero/i-am-here-a-citizen-of-this-country-and-i-m-saying-hey-the-system/) [Diane Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-guerrero/) ## More by Eli Pariser > [To be a good citizen, it's important to be able to put yourself in other people's shoes and see the big picture. If everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/to-be-a-good-citizen-it-s-important-to-be-able-to-put-yourself-in/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [By constantly moving the flashlight of your attention to the perimeter of your understanding, you enlarge your sense of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/by-constantly-moving-the-flashlight-of-your-attention-to-the/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [Rather than saying people aren't interested when things don't take off, you should take it on yourself to say, 'I'm not doing a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/rather-than-saying-people-aren-t-interested-when-things-don-t-take/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [Facebook was looking at which links I clicked on, and it was noticing that I was clicking more on my liberal friends' links than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/facebook-was-looking-at-which-links-i-clicked-on-and-it-was-noticing/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [“Personalization filters serve a kind of invisible autopropaganda, indoctrinating us with our own ideas, amplifying our desire for things that are familiar in leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/personalization-filters-serve-a-kind-of-invisible-autopropaganda/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [Democracy actually requires that the whole public be able to see common problems and address them and step outside of their own sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/democracy-actually-requires-that-the-whole-public-be-able-to-see/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [We thought that the Internet was going to connect us all together. As a young geek in rural Maine, I got excited about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/we-thought-that-the-internet-was-going-to-connect-us-all-together-as/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [If you only have one shot at writing a headline, there's a lot of pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/if-you-only-have-one-shot-at-writing-a-headline-there-s-a-lot-of/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [If you look at the history of how information flows, there was a time that newspapers were kind of in the place that Google…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/if-you-look-at-the-history-of-how-information-flows-there-was-a-time/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [“Our brains tread a tightrope between learning too much from the past and incorporating too much new information from the present. The ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/our-brains-tread-a-tightrope-between-learning-too-much-from-the-past/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [In the last year, grassroots contributors like us gave more than $300 million to the Kerry campaign and the DNC, and proved that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/in-the-last-year-grassroots-contributors-like-us-gave-more-than-300/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [“Because of the economies of scale in data, the cloud giants are increasingly powerful. And because they’re so susceptible to regulation, these companies have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/because-of-the-economies-of-scale-in-data-the-cloud-giants-are/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [“As soon as the hijackers’ names had been publicly released, Acxiom had searched its massive data banks, which take up five acres in tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/as-soon-as-the-hijackers-names-had-been-publicly-released-acxiom-had/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [If you Google some sites about the link between vaccines and autism, you can very quickly find that Google is repeating back to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/if-you-google-some-sites-about-the-link-between-vaccines-and-autism/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [It feels great to have your own views reflected back to you, and you feel so right, but actually it's very dangerous. Because to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/it-feels-great-to-have-your-own-views-reflected-back-to-you-and-you/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) [Explore all 39 Eli Pariser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) ## More Citizen quotes > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [I will be a model prisoner, as I have been a model citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-edwards/i-will-be-a-model-prisoner-as-i-have-been-a-model-citizen/) [Edwin Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-edwards/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [I'm less concerned about whether being a good corporate citizen burnishes a company's reputation. That's just an added benefit. I believe it's a responsibility,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-burns/i-m-less-concerned-about-whether-being-a-good-corporate-citizen/) [Ursula Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-burns/) > [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [The typical American citizen is the business man. The typical business man is a bad citizen; he is busy. If he is a 'big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-typical-american-citizen-is-the-business-man-the-typical-business/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [I am here, a citizen of this country, and I'm saying, 'Hey, the system failed me. I am a good citizen. I contribute to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-guerrero/i-am-here-a-citizen-of-this-country-and-i-m-saying-hey-the-system/) [Diane Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-guerrero/) > [“An anarchist government somehow creates an impression in the hearts of citizens that no one cares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-anarchist-government-somehow-creates-an-impression-in-the-hearts/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [If the many allegations made to this date are true, then the burglars who broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ervin/if-the-many-allegations-made-to-this-date-are-true-then-the-burglars/) [Sam Ervin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ervin/) > [Individuality is the aim of political liberty. By leaving to the citizen as much freedom of action and of being as comports with order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-cooper/individuality-is-the-aim-of-political-liberty-by-leaving-to-the/) [James F. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-cooper/) > [Up until the point that you're a citizen, we wanna continue to make sure we understand who you are and why you're here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstjen-nielsen/up-until-the-point-that-you-re-a-citizen-we-wanna-continue-to-make/) [Kirstjen Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstjen-nielsen/) > [To be a good citizen, it's important to be able to put yourself in other people's shoes and see the big picture. If everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-pariser/to-be-a-good-citizen-it-s-important-to-be-able-to-put-yourself-in/) [Eli Pariser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-pariser/) > [“I am a citizen of this country,” I declare, “and Mr. Mayor, tonight I will be a citizen of this city when I put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/i-am-a-citizen-of-this-country-i-declare-and-mr-mayor-tonight-i-will/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [“In a country of ideas, consciousness is its' citizen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/in-a-country-of-ideas-consciousness-is-its-citizen/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth; I am a citizen of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/i-have-no-country-to-fight-for-my-country-is-the-earth-i-am-a-citizen/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) [Browse all 464 Citizen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it's easier than ever to hear only what you want to hear. 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