--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Or maybe that’s what it’s all about: this…" description: "\"“Or maybe that’s what it’s all about: this religion’s substance is its lack of substance. In McLuhanesque terms, the medium is the message. Some people..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/haruki-murakami-21_happiness_or-maybe-that-s-what-it-s-all-about-this_1104754.jpg" --- # Or maybe that’s what it’s all about: this religion’s… ![“Or maybe that’s what it’s all about: this religion’s substance is its lack of substance. In McLuhanesque terms, the medium is the message. Some people might find that cool.” “McLuhanesque?” “Hey, look, even I read a book now and then,” Ayumi protested. “McLuhan was ahead of his time. He was so…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/haruki-murakami-21_happiness_or-maybe-that-s-what-it-s-all-about-this_1104754.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/haruki-murakami-21_happiness_or-maybe-that-s-what-it-s-all-about-this_1104754.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/haruki-murakami-21_happiness_or-maybe-that-s-what-it-s-all-about-this_1104754.jpg) > ““Or maybe that’s what it’s all about: this religion’s substance is its lack of substance. In McLuhanesque terms, the medium is the message. Some people might find that cool.” “McLuhanesque?” “Hey, look, even I read a book now and then,” Ayumi protested. “McLuhan was ahead of his time. He was so popular for a while that people tend not to take him seriously, but what he had to say was right.” “In other words, the package itself is the contents. Is that it?” “Exactly. The characteristics of the package determine the nature of the contents, not the other way around.”” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote explores the idea that the medium itself defines the message, suggesting substance is defined by its form. **In simple terms:** Form determines meaning, not content alone. Key Takeaway Consider how delivery shapes perception. Themes media philosophy perception Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - marketing - artistic expression - education - media consumption Key Concepts McLuhan theory form versus content communication Questions to Reflect On - How does the medium influence your understanding? - Can content ever be independent of form? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Mcluhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mcluhan-442689/) [Mcluhanesque Terms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mcluhanesque-terms-2913652/) [Medium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium/) [Medium Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium-message-294752/) [Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message/) [Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murakami/) [Read A Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-a-book/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-substance-1911536/) [Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance/) [Substance Mcluhanesque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance-mcluhanesque-2913651/) ## Related quotes > [“(When McLuhan announced that the medium was the message, he was being arch. 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If the Christian principles of love, equality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/organized-religion-is-in-substance-a-mystification-a-means-of-hiding/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Culture (science) is the form of religion; Religion is the substance of culture (science).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/culture-science-is-the-form-of-religion-religion-is-the-substance-of/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [“Mendoj që do të vijë një ditë që edhe hijet do t'i përpijë errësira.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/mendoj-q-do-t-vij-nj-dit-q-edhe-hijet-do-t-i-p-rpij-err-sira/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Once again, life had a lesson to teach me: It takes years to build up, it takes moments to destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/once-again-life-had-a-lesson-to-teach-me-it-takes-years-to-build-up/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“My head is like some ridiculous barn packed full of stuff I want to write about,” she said. “Images, scenes, snatches of words ……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/my-head-is-like-some-ridiculous-barn-packed-full-of-stuff-i-want-to/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Thinking about lunch. Smoked salmon with pedigreed lettuce and razor-sharp slices of onion that have been soaked in ice water, brushed with horseradish and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/thinking-about-lunch-smoked-salmon-with-pedigreed-lettuce-and-razor/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You don't get it" she said ''Don't get what?" ''We are one" ''We are one?" Tengo asked with a shock. ''We wrote the book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-don-t-get-it-she-said-don-t-get-what-we-are-one-we-are-one-tengo/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“From the moment of my birth, I lived with pain at the center of my life. My only purpose in life was to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/from-the-moment-of-my-birth-i-lived-with-pain-at-the-center-of-my/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Neće ti smetati ako slušamo muziku?" pita Ošima. Neće, kažem. On pritisne dugme cd plejera. Počinje klasična klavirska muzika. Neko vreme pomno slušam tu…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/ne-e-ti-smetati-ako-slu-amo-muziku-pita-o-ima-ne-e-ka-em-on-pritisne/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“I never had what it takes to make a first-rate anything.' 'That's wrong,' she declared. 'Everyone must have one thing that they can excel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-never-had-what-it-takes-to-make-a-first-rate-anything-that-s-wrong/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Tengo wasn´t certain that he was doing the right thing. Maybe the time he was spending here, in this room in a sanatorium far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/tengo-wasn-t-certain-that-he-was-doing-the-right-thing-maybe-the-time/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“I made up my mind I was going to find someone who would love me unconditionally three hundred and sixty five days a year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-made-up-my-mind-i-was-going-to-find-someone-who-would-love-me/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“I was living for one thing only, and that was to confirm my own lack of feeling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-living-for-one-thing-only-and-that-was-to-confirm-my-own-lack/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“No me queda más remedio que ser paciente, deshacer los nudos y volver a conectar cada hilo. Recomponer la situación. ¿Por dónde empiezo? No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/no-me-queda-m-s-remedio-que-ser-paciente-deshacer-los-nudos-y-volver/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. 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The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. 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Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Or maybe that’s what it’s all about: this religion’s substance is its lack of substance. In McLuhanesque terms, the medium is the message. Some people might find that cool.” “McLuhanesque?” “Hey, look, even I read a book now and then,” Ayumi protested. “McLuhan was ahead of his time. He was so popular for a while that people tend not to take him seriously, but what he had to say was right.” “In other words, the package itself is the contents. Is that it?” “Exactly. 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