--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People think I watch TV too much, but…" description: "\"People think I watch TV too much, but they are wrong. There is a huge difference between merely \"watching\" TV and learning to respond aggressively to i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/hunter-s-thompson-278_brain_people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-the_2117028.jpg" --- # People think I watch TV too much, but they are wrong… ![“People think I watch TV too much, but they are wrong. There is a huge difference between merely "watching" TV and learning to respond aggressively to it. The difference, for most people, is the difference between the living and dying of their own brains.” quote by Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/hunter-s-thompson-278_brain_people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-the_2117028.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/hunter-s-thompson-278_brain_people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-the_2117028.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/hunter-s-thompson-278_brain_people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-the_2117028.jpg) > “People think I watch TV too much, but they are wrong. There is a huge difference between merely "watching" TV and learning to respond aggressively to it. The difference, for most people, is the difference between the living and dying of their own brains.” [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Distinguishes passive TV watching from actively engaging with media, arguing that true engagement sharpens the mind. **In simple terms:** Active media consumption sharpens the mind. Key Takeaway Engage critically with what you watch. Themes media mind learning Mood critical thoughtful Type advice observational When to use this quote - education - entertainment - news - social media Key Concepts critical consumption cognitive health Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate passive and active viewing? - What habits improve media literacy? A Different Perspective Active engagement can be mentally exhausting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Free speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-speech/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Watching tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching-tv/) ## Related quotes > [You never know in TV - sometimes you're on at the wrong time at the wrong place. Sometimes you don't get a chance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/you-never-know-in-tv-sometimes-you-re-on-at-the-wrong-time-at-the/) [Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/) > [I remember a conversation with my parents about who the people on the TV were, and learning they were actors and they acted out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-tennant/i-remember-a-conversation-with-my-parents-about-who-the-people-on-the-2/) [David Tennant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-tennant/) > [TV is all about learning to write in someone else's voice, so if you do it long enough without selling your own project, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/tv-is-all-about-learning-to-write-in-someone-else-s-voice-so-if-you/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [“Okay, it's like this. You wake up, you watch TV, and you get in the car and you listen to the radio. You go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/okay-it-s-like-this-you-wake-up-you-watch-tv-and-you-get-in-the-car/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [Most people just half-watch TV. They watch TV while they are doing many other things in the environment of their home. So, what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-cuaron/most-people-just-half-watch-tv-they-watch-tv-while-they-are-doing/) [Alfonso Cuaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfonso-cuaron/) > [I watch like, Steve Jobs interviews, I don't really watch TV. I stopped watching TV when I turned like ten because my parents were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-smith/i-watch-like-steve-jobs-interviews-i-don-t-really-watch-tv-i-stopped/) [Jaden Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-smith/) > [“an adult who spends an average of six hours a day watching TV over the course of a lifetime can expect to live 4.8…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-k-glei/an-adult-who-spends-an-average-of-six-hours-a-day-watching-tv-over/) [Jocelyn K. Glei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-k-glei/) > [One night I couldn't sleep. It was like 2:00 in the morning. I was thinking, 'What can I do?' I'm watching TV. I'm like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/one-night-i-couldn-t-sleep-it-was-like-2-00-in-the-morning-i-was/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [“I’m exercising my right to free speech, because it used to be obese. For years all it did was sit on the sofa watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-exercising-my-right-to-free-speech-because-it-used-to-be-obese/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Free speech is not just free speech for people you admire. It's also for people who you think of as reprehensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/free-speech-is-not-just-free-speech-for-people-you-admire-it-s-also/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I always find time to hang with friends at least once a week or just watch TV and play video games. The combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keiynan-lonsdale/i-always-find-time-to-hang-with-friends-at-least-once-a-week-or-just/) [Keiynan Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keiynan-lonsdale/) > [I like to relax and watch TV and play with my little boy. I like to play some tennis as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-van-der-vaart/i-like-to-relax-and-watch-tv-and-play-with-my-little-boy-i-like-to/) [Rafael van der Vaart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-van-der-vaart/) > [I'm on the Internet a lot more than I watch TV and most everybody I know is, and yet if you watch most late-night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-milonakis/i-m-on-the-internet-a-lot-more-than-i-watch-tv-and-most-everybody-i/) [Andy Milonakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-milonakis/) > [Why do you do what you do? Why do you dress the way you dress?Why do you do what you do with your time?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-conway/why-do-you-do-what-you-do-why-do-you-dress-the-way-you-dress-why-do/) [Tim Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-conway/) > [I have two or three shows that I follow, and even those are few and far, when I can see them on Netflix. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ritchson/i-have-two-or-three-shows-that-i-follow-and-even-those-are-few-and/) [Alan Ritchson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ritchson/) ## More by Hunter S. Thompson > [“There was also the fact that sending a penniless writer to get $135 worth of beer was — as Khrushchev said of Nixon —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-was-also-the-fact-that-sending-a-penniless-writer-to-get-135/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Cases of champagne and scotch lay broken in the street, and everyone I saw had a bottle. They were screaming and dancing, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/cases-of-champagne-and-scotch-lay-broken-in-the-street-and-everyone-i/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [No music + Bad TV = Bad mood & no pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-music-bad-tv-bad-mood-no-pages/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [No one holds command over me. No man. No god. No Prince. What is a claim of age for ones who are immortal? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-one-holds-command-over-me-no-man-no-god-no-prince-what-is-a-claim/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“The person who doesn't scatter the morning dew will not comb grey hairs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-person-who-doesn-t-scatter-the-morning-dew-will-not-comb-grey/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Hope rises and dreams flicker and die. Love plans for tomorrow and loneliness thinks of yesterday. Life is beautiful and living is pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/hope-rises-and-dreams-flicker-and-die-love-plans-for-tomorrow-and/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [If we get chased out of Iraq with our tail between our legs, that will be the fifth consecutive Third-world country with no hint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/if-we-get-chased-out-of-iraq-with-our-tail-between-our-legs-that-will/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [At age 22 I set what I insist is an all-time record for distance hitchhiking in Bermuda shorts: 3,700 miles in three weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/at-age-22-i-set-what-i-insist-is-an-all-time-record-for-distance/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Paranoia is just another mask for ignorance. The truth, when you finally chase it down is almost always far worse than your darkest visions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/paranoia-is-just-another-mask-for-ignorance-the-truth-when-you/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“No doubt they all Got What Was Coming To Them. All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-doubt-they-all-got-what-was-coming-to-them-all-those-pathetically/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“For several months they'd been drifting toward political involvement, but the picture was hazy and one of the most confusing elements was their geographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/for-several-months-they-d-been-drifting-toward-political-involvement/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [He wandered into the Newsroom and asked for a job the same way he’d walk into a barbershop and ask for a haircut, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/he-wandered-into-the-newsroom-and-asked-for-a-job-the-same-way-he-d/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [There's no point in getting into politics at all unless you plan to lash things around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-no-point-in-getting-into-politics-at-all-unless-you-plan-to/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [There’s a lot of things wrong with this country, but one of the few things still right with it is that a man can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/there-s-a-lot-of-things-wrong-with-this-country-but-one-of-the-few/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) [Explore all 765 Hunter S. Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) ## More Brain quotes > [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/) [Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/) > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' I don't know if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-prefer-the-word-musician-i-m-a-musician-and-a-composer-i-have-a/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [Thinking of sex provides enough mental stimulation to reduce risk of diseases that damage the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-of-sex-provides-enough-mental-stimulation-to-reduce-risk-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [Without illusions. I love you because you are fallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheels trying not to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/without-illusions-i-love-you-because-you-are-fallible-and-because/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/) [Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/) > [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/) > [The act of learning to read added an entirely new circuit to our hominid brain's repertoire. The long developmental process of learning to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-wolf/the-act-of-learning-to-read-added-an-entirely-new-circuit-to-our/) [Maryanne Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-wolf/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [I am the way I am. If you like me because I'm glamorous, so be it. If you like me, because I speak well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malaika-arora-khan/i-am-the-way-i-am-if-you-like-me-because-i-m-glamorous-so-be-it-if/) [Malaika Arora Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malaika-arora-khan/) [Browse all 8,465 Brain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People think I watch TV too much, but they are wrong. There is a huge difference between merely \"watching\" TV and learning to respond aggressively to it. The difference, for most people, is the difference between the living and dying of their own brains.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hunter S. Thompson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-they-are-wrong-there-is-a-huge/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-they-are-wrong-there-is-a-huge/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/hunter-s-thompson-278_brain_people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-the_2117028.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/hunter-s-thompson-278_brain_people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-the_2117028.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/hunter-s-thompson-278_brain_people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-the_2117028.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People think I watch TV too much, but they are wrong. There is a huge difference between merely \"watching\"…” — Hunter S. Thompson", "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": "Hunter S. Thompson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People think I watch TV too...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-they-are-wrong-there-is-a-huge/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/people-think-i-watch-tv-too-much-but-they-are-wrong-there-is-a-huge/#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 } } ] } ```