--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Herbert Simon, the Nobel-winning…" description: "\"“Herbert Simon, the Nobel-winning economist, took these inchoate sentiments and explained them rigorously: “What information consumes is rather obvious..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/franklin-foer-3604_data_herbert-simon-the-nobel-winning-economis_1263989.png" --- # Herbert Simon, the Nobel-winning economist, took these… ![“Herbert Simon, the Nobel-winning economist, took these inchoate sentiments and explained them rigorously: “What information consumes is rather obvious. It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” quote by Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/franklin-foer-3604_data_herbert-simon-the-nobel-winning-economis_1263989.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/franklin-foer-3604_data_herbert-simon-the-nobel-winning-economis_1263989.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/franklin-foer-3604_data_herbert-simon-the-nobel-winning-economis_1263989.png) > ““Herbert Simon, the Nobel-winning economist, took these inchoate sentiments and explained them rigorously: “What information consumes is rather obvious. It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”” [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Information overload diverts focus, making it hard to concentrate on any single thing. **In simple terms:** Too much info reduces attention. Key Takeaway Limit information intake. Themes attention information overload focus Mood concerned analytical Type observational insightful When to use this quote - workplace - social media - learning environments - decision making Key Concepts cognitive load media consumption Questions to Reflect On - How can you protect your focus? - What filters help you prioritize? A Different Perspective Attention is still required for deep work despite abundance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Economist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economist/) [Economist Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economist-took-4028846/) [Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/herbert-simon-4028843/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Consumes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-consumes-2369299/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-attention-2539121/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [“Back in the seventies, Herbert Simon, the Nobel-winning economist, took these inchoate sentiments and explained them rigorously: “What information consumes is rather obvious. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/back-in-the-seventies-herbert-simon-the-nobel-winning-economist-took/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-a-simon/in-an-information-rich-world-the-wealth-of-information-means-a-dearth/) [Herbert A. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-a-simon/) > [“What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-k-glei/what-information-consumes-is-rather-obvious-it-consumes-the-attention-3/) [Jocelyn K. Glei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-k-glei/) > [What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/what-information-consumes-is-rather-obvious-it-consumes-the-attention/) [Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/) > [“In an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/in-an-information-rich-world-the-wealth-of-information-means-a-dearth-2/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“A wealth of information means a poverty of attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/a-wealth-of-information-means-a-poverty-of-attention/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-k-glei/hence-a-wealth-of-information-creates-a-poverty-of-attention/) [Jocelyn K. Glei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-k-glei/) > [I think that the use of copyright is going to change dramatically. Part of it is economics. 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Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-a-simon/) > [A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-wealth-of-information-creates-a-poverty-of-attention/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [It is often sadly remarked that the bad economists present their errors to the public better than the good economists present their truths. 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