--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was truly a transitional moment: There…" description: "\"“It was truly a transitional moment: There he was, at the cusp of the twentieth century, using the telephone to send a telegram.”\" — Erik Larson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/erik-larson-1710_telegram_it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there_350553.png" --- # It was truly a transitional moment: There he was, at the… ![“It was truly a transitional moment: There he was, at the cusp of the twentieth century, using the telephone to send a telegram.” quote by Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/erik-larson-1710_telegram_it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there_350553.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/erik-larson-1710_telegram_it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there_350553.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/erik-larson-1710_telegram_it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there_350553.png) > ““It was truly a transitional moment: There he was, at the cusp of the twentieth century, using the telephone to send a telegram.”” [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A pivotal era where old and new communication methods overlapped, highlighting rapid change. **In simple terms:** Old and new tech met at a turning point. Key Takeaway Embrace emerging tools while honoring tradition. Themes history technology transition Mood thoughtful analytical Type historical observational When to use this quote - historical analysis - media studies - personal anecdotes Key Concepts communication innovation century shift Questions to Reflect On - What modern shift feels like a “telephone to telegram” moment? - How do we balance nostalgia with progress? A Different Perspective New tech can outpace societal adaptation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Twentieth century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twentieth-century/) ## Related quotes > [How to drive a guy crazy: send him a telegram and on the top put 'page 2.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henny-youngman/how-to-drive-a-guy-crazy-send-him-a-telegram-and-on-the-top-put-page-2/) [Henny Youngman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henny-youngman/) > [“If you've got a message, send a telegram.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/if-you-ve-got-a-message-send-a-telegram/) [Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/) > [Now here's a funky introduction of how nice I am, Tell your mother, tell your father, send a telegram.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-here-s-a-funky-introduction-of-how-nice-i-am-tell-your-mother/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Rache,” he said, trying to get into my line of sight. “What more do you need? God to send a telegram?" (Jenks)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/rache-he-said-trying-to-get-into-my-line-of-sight-what-more-do-you/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [ISIS' key social media-encrypted platform is Telegram, which is engineered by a Berlin-based tech company that can simply ignore the rulings of American federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/isis-key-social-media-encrypted-platform-is-telegram-which-is/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The first thing that we wanted to make clear is that nobody has to trust anybody. We don't take people's trust for Telegram for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/the-first-thing-that-we-wanted-to-make-clear-is-that-nobody-has-to/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) > [“The telegram was sealed – an old-fashioned touch, I thought, but then I’d never had a telegram before. I took my time opening it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wyndham-thomas/the-telegram-was-sealed-an-old-fashioned-touch-i-thought-but-then-i-d/) [Michael Wyndham Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wyndham-thomas/) > [When you're expecting bad news you have to be prepared for it a long time ahead so that when the telegram comes you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinget/when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have-to-be-prepared-for-it-a-long/) Robert Pinget > [In the First World War, people would be receiving letters from loved ones who had been dead for weeks, and they would not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/in-the-first-world-war-people-would-be-receiving-letters-from-loved/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“ten o’clock!” “What does it matter when my things are put up?” the young man said.  “There’s no crowd at this moment; there will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/ten-o-clock-what-does-it-matter-when-my-things-are-put-up-the-young/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [For an Italian peasant a telegram from anywhere is a wondrous thing; and a cable from the terrestrial paradise of America is not lightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-k-smith/for-an-italian-peasant-a-telegram-from-anywhere-is-a-wondrous-thing/) Howard K. Smith > [In America they started to refer to Telegram as 'ISIS's preferred messaging app,' But in reality there are many more legitimate users.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/in-america-they-started-to-refer-to-telegram-as-isis-s-preferred/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) > [“The Long Telegram’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-taylor/the-long-telegram/) [Frederick Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-taylor/) > [The headline is the most important element in most advertisements. It is the telegram which decides the reader whether to read the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/the-headline-is-the-most-important-element-in-most-advertisements-it/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [This telegram is a work of art if I say it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/this-telegram-is-a-work-of-art-if-i-say-it-is/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) ## More by Erik Larson > [I've heard from the movie marketplace that James Cameron did such a killer job with 'Titanic' that it's almost impossible to do anything better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-ve-heard-from-the-movie-marketplace-that-james-cameron-did-such-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [As a rule, I am very skeptical of tying books to anniversaries. I don't think readers care. I also feel that it just about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/as-a-rule-i-am-very-skeptical-of-tying-books-to-anniversaries-i-don-t/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“look as if they had been plucked from the Palace of Versailles or a Jacobean mansion—that you were aboard a ship being propelled far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/look-as-if-they-had-been-plucked-from-the-palace-of-versailles-or-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [That's what I love about history - nuance. I don't believe in unalloyed heroes. Everyone's got warts, and everyone's got a surprise side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/that-s-what-i-love-about-history-nuance-i-don-t-believe-in-unalloyed/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Holmes was charming and gracious, but something about him made Belknap uneasy. He could not have defined it. Indeed, for the next several decades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/holmes-was-charming-and-gracious-but-something-about-him-made-belknap/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [. . . why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible, others in the manufacture of sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/why-some-men-choose-to-fill-their-brief-allotment-of-time-engaging/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“At present," he said, "I am responsible for conveying my associates to a place called Chicago. I understand it is somewhere in the hinterland.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/at-present-he-said-i-am-responsible-for-conveying-my-associates-to-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I knew from an online search that the Wisconsin State Historical Society, on the vast University of Wisconsin campus, held the papers of Sigrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-knew-from-an-online-search-that-the-wisconsin-state-historical/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Dodd continued to hope that the murders would so outrage the German public that the regime would fall, but as the days passed he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/dodd-continued-to-hope-that-the-murders-would-so-outrage-the-german/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I envy other writers who claim to have a backlog of books they'd like to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-envy-other-writers-who-claim-to-have-a-backlog-of-books-they-d-like/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Trying to find ideas is the hardest part of my job. You'd think it would be the most fun. Just sitting around reading whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/trying-to-find-ideas-is-the-hardest-part-of-my-job-you-d-think-it/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Her blind endorsement of Hitler’s regime first faded to a kind of sympathetic skepticism, but as summer approached,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/her-blind-endorsement-of-hitler-s-regime-first-faded-to-a-kind-of/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Perhaps, Herr Ditzen, it is less important where one lives than how one lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/perhaps-herr-ditzen-it-is-less-important-where-one-lives-than-how-one/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I figured, correctly, that Berlin in February was not a destination coveted by tourists. I found good airfares on Lufthansa, an airline I quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-figured-correctly-that-berlin-in-february-was-not-a-destination/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“The Chancellor’s assurances were so satisfying and so unexpected that I think they are on the whole too good to be true,” Messersmith wrote.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/the-chancellor-s-assurances-were-so-satisfying-and-so-unexpected-that/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) [Explore all 214 Erik Larson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) ## More Telegram quotes > [This telegram is a work of art if I say it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/this-telegram-is-a-work-of-art-if-i-say-it-is/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [The first thing that we wanted to make clear is that nobody has to trust anybody. We don't take people's trust for Telegram for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/the-first-thing-that-we-wanted-to-make-clear-is-that-nobody-has-to/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) > [Rache,” he said, trying to get into my line of sight. “What more do you need? God to send a telegram?" (Jenks)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/rache-he-said-trying-to-get-into-my-line-of-sight-what-more-do-you/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [ISIS' key social media-encrypted platform is Telegram, which is engineered by a Berlin-based tech company that can simply ignore the rulings of American federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/isis-key-social-media-encrypted-platform-is-telegram-which-is/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The headline is the most important element in most advertisements. It is the telegram which decides the reader whether to read the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/the-headline-is-the-most-important-element-in-most-advertisements-it/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [“The Long Telegram’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-taylor/the-long-telegram/) [Frederick Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-taylor/) > [In America they started to refer to Telegram as 'ISIS's preferred messaging app,' But in reality there are many more legitimate users.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/in-america-they-started-to-refer-to-telegram-as-isis-s-preferred/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) > [Now here's a funky introduction of how nice I am, Tell your mother, tell your father, send a telegram.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-here-s-a-funky-introduction-of-how-nice-i-am-tell-your-mother/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For an Italian peasant a telegram from anywhere is a wondrous thing; and a cable from the terrestrial paradise of America is not lightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-k-smith/for-an-italian-peasant-a-telegram-from-anywhere-is-a-wondrous-thing/) Howard K. Smith > [“ten o’clock!” “What does it matter when my things are put up?” the young man said.  “There’s no crowd at this moment; there will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/ten-o-clock-what-does-it-matter-when-my-things-are-put-up-the-young/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [In the First World War, people would be receiving letters from loved ones who had been dead for weeks, and they would not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/in-the-first-world-war-people-would-be-receiving-letters-from-loved/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [When you're expecting bad news you have to be prepared for it a long time ahead so that when the telegram comes you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinget/when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have-to-be-prepared-for-it-a-long/) Robert Pinget > [“The telegram was sealed – an old-fashioned touch, I thought, but then I’d never had a telegram before. I took my time opening it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wyndham-thomas/the-telegram-was-sealed-an-old-fashioned-touch-i-thought-but-then-i-d/) [Michael Wyndham Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wyndham-thomas/) > [“They'd spent their lives not breaking laws, and till now they'd thought the rest of the world had been doing the same. But someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-stewart/they-d-spent-their-lives-not-breaking-laws-and-till-now-they-d/) Edward Stewart > [Few people outside the Telegram fan community realize that most of the new features in messaging appear on Telegram first, and are then carbon-copied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/few-people-outside-the-telegram-fan-community-realize-that-most-of/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) Browse all 46 Telegram quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was truly a transitional moment: There he was, at the cusp of the twentieth century, using the telephone to send a telegram.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erik Larson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there-he-was-at-the-cusp-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Telegram" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there-he-was-at-the-cusp-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/erik-larson-1710_telegram_it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there_350553.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/erik-larson-1710_telegram_it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there_350553.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/erik-larson-1710_telegram_it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there_350553.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was truly a transitional moment: There he was, at the cusp of the twentieth century, using the telephone…” — Erik Larson", "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": "Erik Larson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was truly a transitional moment:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there-he-was-at-the-cusp-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there-he-was-at-the-cusp-of-the/#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 } } ] } ```