---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe the alphabet is no longer…"
description: "\"I believe the alphabet is no longer considered an essential piece of equipment for traveling through life. In my day it was the keystone to knowledge. ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/eudora-welty-1564_addresses_i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-cons_440927.jpg"
---

#  I believe the alphabet is no longer considered an…

![“I believe the alphabet is no longer considered an essential piece of equipment for traveling through life. In my day it was the keystone to knowledge. You learned the alphabet as you learned to count to ten, as you learned &quot;Now I lay me&quot; and the Lord's Prayer and your father's and mother's name…” quote by Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/eudora-welty-1564_addresses_i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-cons_440927.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/eudora-welty-1564_addresses_i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-cons_440927.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/eudora-welty-1564_addresses_i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-cons_440927.jpg)

> “I believe the alphabet is no longer considered an essential piece of equipment for traveling through life. In my day it was the keystone to knowledge. You learned the alphabet as you learned to count to ten, as you learned "Now I lay me" and the Lord's Prayer and your father's and mother's name and address and telephone number, all in case you were lost.”

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The alphabet once served as a foundational tool for navigating life, but its perceived importance has diminished in modern times.

**In simple terms:** Alphabet used to be essential, now less so.

Key Takeaway

Recognize evolving learning tools.

Themes

education change technology memory

Mood

nostalgic thoughtful

Type

reflective inspirational

When to use this quote

- schooling
- digital literacy
- communication
- self‑education

Key Concepts

cognitive development information theory cultural shift

Questions to Reflect On

- What new skills replace the alphabet’s role today?
- How do you stay adaptable?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on old tools can hinder adaptation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alphabet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alphabet/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/)

## Related quotes

> [What I've started to realize is that social media is not just technology - it's become its own entity, full of energy waves. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-somerhalder/what-i-ve-started-to-realize-is-that-social-media-is-not-just/)

[Ian Somerhalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-somerhalder/)

> [Work is the keystone of a perfect life. Work and trust in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/work-is-the-keystone-of-a-perfect-life-work-and-trust-in-god/)

[Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/)

> [Our Keystone legislation received strong bipartisan support in the Senate. Although it didn't receive the 60 votes necessary for passage, 56 senators - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hoeven/our-keystone-legislation-received-strong-bipartisan-support-in-the/)

[John Hoeven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hoeven/)

> [Winning control of the Senate would allow Republicans to pass a whole range of measures now being held up by Reid, often at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/winning-control-of-the-senate-would-allow-republicans-to-pass-a-whole/)

[Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/)

> [I believe, along with Pope Francis and almost all scientists, that climate change is threatening this planet in horrendous ways, and that we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-believe-along-with-pope-francis-and-almost-all-scientists-that/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [The cell, this elementary keystone of living nature, is far from being a peculiar chemical giant molecule or even a living protein and as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hertwig/the-cell-this-elementary-keystone-of-living-nature-is-far-from-being/)

Oscar Hertwig

> [Churchill decides from very early on that he will create a political position that is somehow above left and right, embodying the best points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/churchill-decides-from-very-early-on-that-he-will-create-a-political/)

[Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/)

> [We certainly ... hope that the Congress will act in an appropriate fashion and not waste its time with ineffectual, sham legislation on Keystone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-carney/we-certainly-hope-that-the-congress-will-act-in-an-appropriate/)

[Jay Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-carney/)

> [I heard Joby Talbot's Hovercraft piece for orchestra and felt its immediate physical impact - visceral, unsettling, hungry and direct. These short five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-mcgregor/i-heard-joby-talbot-s-hovercraft-piece-for-orchestra-and-felt-its/)

[Wayne McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-mcgregor/)

> [Owning a home is a keystone of wealth - both financial affluence and emotional security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/owning-a-home-is-a-keystone-of-wealth-both-financial-affluence-and/)

[Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/)

> [Medicine is the keystone of the arch of socialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/medicine-is-the-keystone-of-the-arch-of-socialism/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I think a lot of the reason people are attracted to the Keystone pipeline is because at least we're doing something. There's a fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zephyr-teachout/i-think-a-lot-of-the-reason-people-are-attracted-to-the-keystone/)

[Zephyr Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zephyr-teachout/)

> [Many of the medicines we use today, to fight everything from AIDS to cancer, originate as a toxin in an amphibian skin. When we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-corwin/many-of-the-medicines-we-use-today-to-fight-everything-from-aids-to/)

[Jeff Corwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-corwin/)

> [I am passionate about making sure that we collectively and proactively preserve all of the world's most iconic coastal and oceanic wild places -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-dedina/i-am-passionate-about-making-sure-that-we-collectively-and/)

Serge Dedina

> [There must be some other possibility than death or lifelong penance ... some meeting, some intersection of lines; and some cowardly, hopeful geometer in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/there-must-be-some-other-possibility-than-death-or-lifelong-penance/)

[Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/)

## More by Eudora Welty

> [“She (my mother) could still recite them (the poems) in full when she was lying helpless and nearly blind, in her bed, an old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/she-my-mother-could-still-recite-them-the-poems-in-full-when-she-was/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them. I suppose it’s an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/long-before-i-wrote-stories-i-listened-for-stories-listening-for-them/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [Once you're into a story everything seems to apply-what you overhear on a city bus is exactly what your character would say on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/once-you-re-into-a-story-everything-seems-to-apply-what-you-overhear/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“Two by two, I read library books as fast as I could go, rushing them home in the basket of my bicycle. From the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/two-by-two-i-read-library-books-as-fast-as-i-could-go-rushing-them/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“When somebody, no matter who, gives everything, it makes people feel ashamed for him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/when-somebody-no-matter-who-gives-everything-it-makes-people-feel/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“Daydreaming had started me on the way; but story writing, once I was truly in its grip, took me and shook me awake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/daydreaming-had-started-me-on-the-way-but-story-writing-once-i-was/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“All children in those small-town, unhurried days had a vast inner life going on in the movies. Children were allowed to go without chaperone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/all-children-in-those-small-town-unhurried-days-had-a-vast-inner-life/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“At the sting in her eyes, she remembered for him that there must be no tears in his.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/at-the-sting-in-her-eyes-she-remembered-for-him-that-there-must-be-no/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“We do need to bring to our writing, over and over again, all the abundance we possess. To be able, to be ready, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/we-do-need-to-bring-to-our-writing-over-and-over-again-all-the/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“Could she ever be, would she be, where she was going?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/could-she-ever-be-would-she-be-where-she-was-going/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“When one of us (children) caught measles or whooping cough and we were isolated in bad upstairs, we wrote notes to each other perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/when-one-of-us-children-caught-measles-or-whooping-cough-and-we-were/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“She (my mother) stood always prepared in herself to challenge the world in our place. She did indeed tend to make the world look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/she-my-mother-stood-always-prepared-in-herself-to-challenge-the-world/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“For there is hate as well as love, she supposed, in the coming together and continuing of our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/for-there-is-hate-as-well-as-love-she-supposed-in-the-coming-together/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [“In children's art class we sat in a ring of kindergarten chairs and drew three daffodils that had just been picked out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/in-children-s-art-class-we-sat-in-a-ring-of-kindergarten-chairs-and/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

> [People are mostly layers of violence and tenderness wrapped like bulbs, and it is difficult to say what makes them onions or hyacinths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/people-are-mostly-layers-of-violence-and-tenderness-wrapped-like/)

[Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

[Explore all 227 Eudora Welty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/)

## More Addresses quotes

> [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/)

[Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/)

> [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-propitious-smiles-of-heaven-can-never-be-expected-on-a-nation/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/)

[Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/)

> [The pleasures and the cares of the luckiest ambition, even of limitless power, are nothing next to the intimate happiness that tenderness and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-pleasures-and-the-cares-of-the-luckiest-ambition-even-of/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [You will find a spring by the dwelling of the dead, to the left. Next to it stands a white cypress. Do not approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/you-will-find-a-spring-by-the-dwelling-of-the-dead-to-the-left-next/)

[Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/)

> [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [Like a versatile baller, George Dohrmann swings seamlessly from position to position: investigative journalist, social critic, gifted storyteller. The result is a gem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jon-wertheim/like-a-versatile-baller-george-dohrmann-swings-seamlessly-from/)

[L. Jon Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-jon-wertheim/)

> [Each email contains an unsubscribe link. We will NEVER sell, rent, loan, or abuse your email address in ANY way. Writing has been so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccaffrey/each-email-contains-an-unsubscribe-link-we-will-never-sell-rent-loan/)

[Anne McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mccaffrey/)

> [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [In science, address the few, in literature the many. In science, the few must dictate opinion to the many; in literature, the many, sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/in-science-address-the-few-in-literature-the-many-in-science-the-few/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [Pedestrian's rights - because we live in California, I've got to address this issue. I don't know where on the fence I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/pedestrian-s-rights-because-we-live-in-california-i-ve-got-to-address/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Senator Obama will be taking office at a critical juncture. There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark/senator-obama-will-be-taking-office-at-a-critical-juncture-there-are/)

[Helen Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark/)

Browse all 1,100 Addresses quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I believe the alphabet is no longer considered an essential piece of equipment for traveling through life. In my day it was the keystone to knowledge. You learned the alphabet as you learned to count to ten, as you learned \"Now I lay me\" and the Lord's Prayer and your father's and mother's name and address and telephone number, all in case you were lost.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eudora Welty"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-considered-an-essential-piece-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Addresses"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-considered-an-essential-piece-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/eudora-welty-1564_addresses_i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-cons_440927.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/eudora-welty-1564_addresses_i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-cons_440927.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/027/eudora-welty-1564_addresses_i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-cons_440927.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I believe the alphabet is no longer considered an essential piece of equipment for traveling through life…” — Eudora Welty",
                "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": "Eudora Welty",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I believe the alphabet is no...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-considered-an-essential-piece-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/i-believe-the-alphabet-is-no-longer-considered-an-essential-piece-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
