---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The machine is impersonal, it takes the…"
description: "\"The machine is impersonal, it takes the pride away from a piece of work, the individual merits and defects that go along with allwork that is not done ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_bits_the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-p_2304412.jpg"
---

#  The machine is impersonal, it takes the pride away from a…

![“The machine is impersonal, it takes the pride away from a piece of work, the individual merits and defects that go along with allwork that is not done by a machine--which is to say, its little bit of humanity.” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_bits_the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-p_2304412.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_bits_the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-p_2304412.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_bits_the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-p_2304412.jpg)

> “The machine is impersonal, it takes the pride away from a piece of work, the individual merits and defects that go along with allwork that is not done by a machine--which is to say, its little bit of humanity.”

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## About This Quote

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

Machines remove personal pride, reducing work to impersonal output and eroding humanity.

**In simple terms:** Machines strip personal pride from work.

Key Takeaway

Balance automation with human touch.

Themes

technology humanity pride work automation

Mood

concerned thoughtful

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- manufacturing
- software development
- creative professions

Key Concepts

existentialism alienation craftsmanship

Questions to Reflect On

- What aspects of work need human nuance?
- How can we retain dignity in automated tasks?

A Different Perspective

Automation can improve efficiency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Defects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defects/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Impersonal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impersonal/) [Impersonal Takes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impersonal-takes-5455335/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individual Merits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-merits-1467119/) [Little bit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-bit/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Machine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machine/) [Machine Impersonal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machine-impersonal-1025771/) [Machinery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machinery/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Merit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merit/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Takes Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/takes-pride-2203027/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [“To what extent the machine abases us. - The machine is impersonal, it deprives the piece of work of its pride, of the individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the-machine-is-impersonal-it/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [I judge each person on individual merits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-gannon/i-judge-each-person-on-individual-merits/)

[Jeff Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-gannon/)

> [“In the philosopher, conversely, there is nothing whatever that is impersonal;7”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-philosopher-conversely-there-is-nothing-whatever-that-is-2/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [If one takes pride in one's craft, you won't let a good thing die. Risking it through not pushing hard enough is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-keating/if-one-takes-pride-in-one-s-craft-you-won-t-let-a-good-thing-die/)

[Paul Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-keating/)

> [It takes pride to be anxious – I am not wise enough to know how my life should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/it-takes-pride-to-be-anxious-i-am-not-wise-enough-to-know-how-my-life/)

[Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/)

> [“I figure a kid who takes that much pride in doing the small jobs the right way won’t fail when it comes to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raeanne-thayne/i-figure-a-kid-who-takes-that-much-pride-in-doing-the-small-jobs-the/)

[RaeAnne Thayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raeanne-thayne/)

> [When teams win and play well, everyone benefits from a financial standpoint. But everyone takes pride in people being able to achieve at that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-daly/when-teams-win-and-play-well-everyone-benefits-from-a-financial/)

[Brendan Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-daly/)

> [A race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-race-of-people-is-like-an-individual-man-until-it-uses-its-own/)

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

> [I'm a guy that takes more pride in my defense than my hitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xander-bogaerts/i-m-a-guy-that-takes-more-pride-in-my-defense-than-my-hitting/)

[Xander Bogaerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xander-bogaerts/)

> [“The man who takes more pride in the steps to attain the result than the result itself cannot be stopped. The work truly instills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-watson/the-man-who-takes-more-pride-in-the-steps-to-attain-the-result-than/)

[Wes Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-watson/)

> [Beijing has a history of ignoring the rules. It takes pride in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-toole/beijing-has-a-history-of-ignoring-the-rules-it-takes-pride-in-it/)

[Erin O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-toole/)

> [The soldier takes pride in saluting his Captain, The devotee proffers a knee to his Lord, Some back a mare thrown from a thoroughbred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/the-soldier-takes-pride-in-saluting-his-captain-the-devotee-proffers/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [“the impersonal and the personal are always connected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-impersonal-and-the-personal-are-always-connected/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [“Many people take it personally when we're impersonal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-goldstein/many-people-take-it-personally-when-we-re-impersonal/)

[Emmanuel Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-goldstein/)

> [An 'impersonal God'-well and good. A subjective God of beauty, truth and goodness, inside our own heads-better still. A formless life-force surging through us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-impersonal-god-well-and-good-a-subjective-god-of-beauty-truth-and/)

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

## More by Friedrich Nietzsche

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

[Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## More Bits quotes

> [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-was-not-intentionally-trying/)

[David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/)

> [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/)

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

> [I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-became-a-bit-of-a-teacher-s-pet-and-it-became-known-in-the-school/)

[Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/)

> [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/)

[Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/)

> [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [He referred to me as an 'insufferable puffed-up prat'. This is a bit rich coming from a man who actually married his own mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/he-referred-to-me-as-an-insufferable-puffed-up-prat-this-is-a-bit/)

[Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/)

> [It won't do you a bit of good to know everything if you don't do anything with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-fitzhugh/it-won-t-do-you-a-bit-of-good-to-know-everything-if-you-don-t-do/)

[Louise Fitzhugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-fitzhugh/)

> [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/)

[Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/)

> [I think that's the beauty of the current setup, is that Legends is meant to be a bit of a revolving door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-the-current-setup-is-that-legends-is/)

[Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/)

> [We, as pop stars, are people not androids. We’ve got views. I’ve got opinions and I don’t see why I shouldn’t use a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-meddows-taylor/we-as-pop-stars-are-people-not-androids-we-ve-got-views-i-ve-got/)

[Roger Meddows Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-meddows-taylor/)

> [In terms of style, too, I think I've been working with a somewhat limited -- although intentionally limited -- set of tools. So I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/in-terms-of-style-too-i-think-i-ve-been-working-with-a-somewhat/)

[Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/)

> [ Donald Trump has opened \[ politically correct enforcement\] up wide. He's made a very bold statement and he's backed it back just a little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/donald-trump-has-opened-politically-correct-enforcement-up-wide-he-s/)

[Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/)

> [When my name started popping up I was quite irritated and a little bit in shock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-snow/when-my-name-started-popping-up-i-was-quite-irritated-and-a-little/)

[Michael Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-snow/)

> [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/)

[Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/)

[Browse all 5,709 Bits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The machine is impersonal, it takes the pride away from a piece of work, the individual merits and defects that go along with allwork that is not done by a machine--which is to say, its little bit of humanity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-pride-away-from-a-piece-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bits"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-pride-away-from-a-piece-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_bits_the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-p_2304412.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_bits_the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-p_2304412.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/friedrich-nietzsche-15_bits_the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-p_2304412.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The machine is impersonal, it takes the pride away from a piece of work, the individual merits and defects…” — Friedrich Nietzsche",
                "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": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The machine is impersonal, it takes...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-pride-away-from-a-piece-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-pride-away-from-a-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
