--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To what extent the machine abases us…" description: "\"“To what extent the machine abases us. - The machine is impersonal, it deprives the piece of work of its pride, of the individual goodness and faultine..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alleviation-of-work_to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the_878208.jpg" --- # To what extent the machine abases us. - The machine is… ![“To what extent the machine abases us. - The machine is impersonal, it deprives the piece of work of its pride, of the individual goodness and faultiness that adheres to all work done by a machine - that is to say, of its little bit of humanity. In earlier times all purchasing from artisans was a…” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alleviation-of-work_to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the_878208.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alleviation-of-work_to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the_878208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alleviation-of-work_to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the_878208.jpg) > ““To what extent the machine abases us. - The machine is impersonal, it deprives the piece of work of its pride, of the individual goodness and faultiness that adheres to all work done by a machine - that is to say, of its little bit of humanity. In earlier times all purchasing from artisans was a bestowing of a distinction on individuals, and the things with which we surrounded ourselves were the insignia of these distinctions: household furniture and clothing thus became symbols of mutual esteem and personal solidarity, whereas we now seem to live in the midst of nothing but anonymous and impersonal slavery. - We must not purchase the alleviation of work at too high price.”” [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 and humanity from work, turning labor into impersonal slavery and devaluing individual craftsmanship. **In simple terms:** Machines strip humanity from work, making it impersonal. Key Takeaway Preserve human dignity in labor. Themes humanity work technology individualism social values Mood reflective critical philosophical Type maxim observation When to use this quote - artisan markets - modern manufacturing - consumer choices - labor policy Key Concepts alienation craftsmanship material culture economic exchange Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance technological efficiency with human dignity? - What practices keep craftsmanship alive today? A Different Perspective Machines can increase efficiency, but may also diminish personal fulfillment and social bonds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Impersonal Deprives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impersonal-deprives-1025772/) [Impersonal Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impersonal-slavery-1025770/) [Machine Abases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machine-abases-1025773/) [Machine Impersonal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machine-impersonal-1025771/) [Machine Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machine-say-361426/) [Work done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-done/) ## Related quotes > [The machine is impersonal, it takes the pride away from a piece of work, the individual merits and defects that go along with allwork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-machine-is-impersonal-it-takes-the-pride-away-from-a-piece-of/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [There's this huge industry, this machine, pushing us to hurry up and put our kids on drugs. 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In earlier times all purchasing from artisans was a bestowing of a distinction on individuals, and the things with which we surrounded ourselves were the insignia of these distinctions: household furniture and clothing thus became symbols of mutual esteem and personal solidarity, whereas we now seem to live in the midst of nothing but anonymous and impersonal slavery. - We must not purchase the alleviation of work at too high price.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the-machine-is-impersonal-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Computers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the-machine-is-impersonal-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alleviation-of-work_to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the_878208.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alleviation-of-work_to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the_878208.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alleviation-of-work_to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the_878208.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To what extent the machine abases us. - The machine is impersonal, it deprives the piece of work of its…” — 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": "“To what extent the machine abases...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the-machine-is-impersonal-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-what-extent-the-machine-abases-us-the-machine-is-impersonal-it/#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 } } ] } ```