---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The same big TV antenna dwarfed each…"
description: "\"The same big TV antenna dwarfed each roof, as though life here could only be bearable if lived elsewhere in the imagination.\" — Gloria Steinem"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/gloria-steinem-277_antenna_the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roo_1785730.jpg"
---

#  The same big TV antenna dwarfed each roof, as though life…

![“The same big TV antenna dwarfed each roof, as though life here could only be bearable if lived elsewhere in the imagination.” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/gloria-steinem-277_antenna_the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roo_1785730.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/gloria-steinem-277_antenna_the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roo_1785730.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/gloria-steinem-277_antenna_the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roo_1785730.jpg)

> “The same big TV antenna dwarfed each roof, as though life here could only be bearable if lived elsewhere in the imagination.”

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

## About This Quote

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

The towering TV antenna symbolizes how modern life can feel oppressive, suggesting true comfort exists only in imagination or elsewhere.

**In simple terms:** Modern life can feel oppressive, urging escape into imagination.

Key Takeaway

Seek mental freedom beyond material constraints.

Themes

media urban life imagination

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- city living
- media saturation
- creative writing
- mental health

Key Concepts

alienation technology impact

Questions to Reflect On

- What aspects of modern life feel oppressive to you?
- How can imagination improve daily life?

A Different Perspective

Imagination cannot replace tangible change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Antenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antenna/) [Antenna Dwarfed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antenna-dwarfed-1900635/) [Bearable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bearable/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Dwarfed Roof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dwarfed-roof-1900634/) [Elsewhere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elsewhere/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Roof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roof/) [Roof Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roof-life-1900637/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Tv Antenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv-antenna-1900636/) [Tvs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tvs/)

## Related quotes

> [You know what I never get with the limo? The tinted windows. Is that so people don't see you? Yeah, what a better way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/you-know-what-i-never-get-with-the-limo-the-tinted-windows-is-that-so/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [“I think of radio frequency (RF) radiation antennas in that same way that I think of water evaporators. Large volumes of water vapor can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-think-of-radio-frequency-rf-radiation-antennas-in-that-same-way/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [Radio astronomers study radio waves from space using sensitive antennas and receivers, which give them precise information about what an astronomical object is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-harger/radio-astronomers-study-radio-waves-from-space-using-sensitive/)

[Honor Harger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-harger/)

> [My life's experiences, I've always had, my uncle used to call it antenna. I know what's going to happen oftentimes before it happened when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-howard/my-life-s-experiences-i-ve-always-had-my-uncle-used-to-call-it/)

[Terrence Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-howard/)

> [You know those balls that they put on car antennas so you can find them in the parking lot? Those should be on every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-those-balls-that-they-put-on-car-antennas-so-you-can-find/)

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

> [Apparently, there's something hinky about the new iPhones. They're not hooked up right. ... There's a problem with the antenna. They don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/apparently-there-s-something-hinky-about-the-new-iphones-they-re-not/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [Wherever we are, God's in that moment, God's speaking to us, and if we've just got our ears open and our antennas up, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-curtis-chapman/wherever-we-are-god-s-in-that-moment-god-s-speaking-to-us-and-if-we/)

[Steven Curtis Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-curtis-chapman/)

> [“The electrical grounding system is the largest radio frequency (RF) radiation antenna system ever constructed in the history of mankind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-electrical-grounding-system-is-the-largest-radio-frequency-rf/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [People in every direction No words exchanged No time to exchange And all the little ants are marching Red and black antennas waving They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/people-in-every-direction-no-words-exchanged-no-time-to-exchange-and/)

[Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/)

> [I think when you practice photography or observation, you're on high alert. You polish up your antenna and stick up your head, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-granik/i-think-when-you-practice-photography-or-observation-you-re-on-high/)

[Debra Granik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-granik/)

> [The issues which mattered to me as an activist, mainly things like prison reform and AIDS, have less of a chance of getting covered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-issues-which-mattered-to-me-as-an-activist-mainly-things-like/)

[Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/)

> [Painting is a fine art: not merely because it gives us trees and faces and lovely things to see, but because paint is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/painting-is-a-fine-art-not-merely-because-it-gives-us-trees-and-faces/)

[James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/)

> [The artist is the antenna of the race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-artist-is-the-antenna-of-the-race/)

[Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/)

> [“Spiritual sensitivity is not a form of sickness. It is a state where one‘ s spiritual antenna becomes so hyperactive that it malfunctions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/spiritual-sensitivity-is-not-a-form-of-sickness-it-is-a-state-where/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [“these ripples we’re grabbing with the antenna, are they just bouncing around down here?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/these-ripples-we-re-grabbing-with-the-antenna-are-they-just-bouncing/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

## More by Gloria Steinem

> [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

[Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

## More Antenna quotes

> [You know what I never get with the limo? The tinted windows. Is that so people don't see you? Yeah, what a better way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/you-know-what-i-never-get-with-the-limo-the-tinted-windows-is-that-so/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [“Spiritual sensitivity is not a form of sickness. It is a state where one‘ s spiritual antenna becomes so hyperactive that it malfunctions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/spiritual-sensitivity-is-not-a-form-of-sickness-it-is-a-state-where/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [The artist is the antenna of the race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-artist-is-the-antenna-of-the-race/)

[Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/)

> [Painting is a fine art: not merely because it gives us trees and faces and lovely things to see, but because paint is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/painting-is-a-fine-art-not-merely-because-it-gives-us-trees-and-faces/)

[James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/)

> [The issues which mattered to me as an activist, mainly things like prison reform and AIDS, have less of a chance of getting covered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-issues-which-mattered-to-me-as-an-activist-mainly-things-like/)

[Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/)

> [I think when you practice photography or observation, you're on high alert. You polish up your antenna and stick up your head, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-granik/i-think-when-you-practice-photography-or-observation-you-re-on-high/)

[Debra Granik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-granik/)

> [People in every direction No words exchanged No time to exchange And all the little ants are marching Red and black antennas waving They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-matthews/people-in-every-direction-no-words-exchanged-no-time-to-exchange-and/)

[Dave Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-matthews/)

> [“The electrical grounding system is the largest radio frequency (RF) radiation antenna system ever constructed in the history of mankind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-electrical-grounding-system-is-the-largest-radio-frequency-rf/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [Wherever we are, God's in that moment, God's speaking to us, and if we've just got our ears open and our antennas up, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-curtis-chapman/wherever-we-are-god-s-in-that-moment-god-s-speaking-to-us-and-if-we/)

[Steven Curtis Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-curtis-chapman/)

> [Apparently, there's something hinky about the new iPhones. They're not hooked up right. ... There's a problem with the antenna. They don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/apparently-there-s-something-hinky-about-the-new-iphones-they-re-not/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [You know those balls that they put on car antennas so you can find them in the parking lot? Those should be on every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-those-balls-that-they-put-on-car-antennas-so-you-can-find/)

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

> [My life's experiences, I've always had, my uncle used to call it antenna. I know what's going to happen oftentimes before it happened when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-howard/my-life-s-experiences-i-ve-always-had-my-uncle-used-to-call-it/)

[Terrence Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-howard/)

> [Radio astronomers study radio waves from space using sensitive antennas and receivers, which give them precise information about what an astronomical object is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-harger/radio-astronomers-study-radio-waves-from-space-using-sensitive/)

[Honor Harger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-harger/)

> [“I think of radio frequency (RF) radiation antennas in that same way that I think of water evaporators. Large volumes of water vapor can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-think-of-radio-frequency-rf-radiation-antennas-in-that-same-way/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [“these ripples we’re grabbing with the antenna, are they just bouncing around down here?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/these-ripples-we-re-grabbing-with-the-antenna-are-they-just-bouncing/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

[Browse all 40 Antenna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antenna/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The same big TV antenna dwarfed each roof, as though life here could only be bearable if lived elsewhere in the imagination.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gloria Steinem"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roof-as-though-life-here-could/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Antenna"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roof-as-though-life-here-could/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/gloria-steinem-277_antenna_the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roo_1785730.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/gloria-steinem-277_antenna_the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roo_1785730.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/gloria-steinem-277_antenna_the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roo_1785730.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The same big TV antenna dwarfed each roof, as though life here could only be bearable if lived elsewhere in…” — Gloria Steinem",
                "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": "Gloria Steinem",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The same big TV antenna dwarfed...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roof-as-though-life-here-could/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-same-big-tv-antenna-dwarfed-each-roof-as-though-life-here-could/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
