--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I discovered, to my amazement, that all…" description: "\"I discovered, to my amazement, that all through history there had been resistance ... and bitter, exaggerated, last-stitch resistance ... to every sign..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/isaac-asimov-309_amazement_i-discovered-to-my-amazement-that-all-th_1391532.jpg" --- # I discovered, to my amazement, that all through history… ![“I discovered, to my amazement, that all through history there had been resistance ... and bitter, exaggerated, last-stitch resistance ... to every significant technological change that had taken place on earth. Usually the resistance came from those groups who stood to lose influence, status…” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/isaac-asimov-309_amazement_i-discovered-to-my-amazement-that-all-th_1391532.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/isaac-asimov-309_amazement_i-discovered-to-my-amazement-that-all-th_1391532.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/isaac-asimov-309_amazement_i-discovered-to-my-amazement-that-all-th_1391532.jpg) > “I discovered, to my amazement, that all through history there had been resistance ... and bitter, exaggerated, last-stitch resistance ... to every significant technological change that had taken place on earth. Usually the resistance came from those groups who stood to lose influence, status, money...as a result of the change. Although they never advanced this as their reason for resisting it. It was always the good of humanity that rested upon their hearts.” [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technological progress often meets resistance from those fearing loss of status, power, or wealth, even when they claim altruistic motives. **In simple terms:** People resist change to protect their own interests, not always for humanity. Key Takeaway Recognize and address hidden self‑interest in opposition. Themes innovation resistance power economics human nature Mood cautious analytical Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - introducing new tools at work - policy reforms - digital transformation - environmental tech - medical advances Key Concepts sociology change management psychology history of technology Questions to Reflect On - What incentives could reduce fear of loss? - How can transparent dialogue mitigate resistance? A Different Perspective Resistance can also stem from genuine ethical concerns, not just self‑interest. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Resistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resistance/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Stitches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stitches/) [Technological change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technological-change/) ## Related quotes > [ By the end of the documentary \[ '13th'\], you really understand what prison is, what the prison industrial complex is, where this whole Black… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/by-the-end-of-the-documentary-13th-you-really-understand-what-prison/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [The history of liberty is a history of resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-history-of-liberty-is-a-history-of-resistance/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [The whole history of the 20th century is a history of resistance groups which are either nationalist or, in large parts of the Muslim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/the-whole-history-of-the-20th-century-is-a-history-of-resistance/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [“there's a long history of resistance movements igniting in the soccer stadium. In the Red Star Revolution, Draza, Krle, and the other Belgrade soccer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/there-s-a-long-history-of-resistance-movements-igniting-in-the-soccer/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [It is precisely through the indeterminate nature of history that resistance becomes possible and politics refuses any guarantees and remains open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/it-is-precisely-through-the-indeterminate-nature-of-history-that/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [I believe that Silicon Valley is truly a place of excellence and the impact of this tiny community on the world is completely disproportionate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-skoll/i-believe-that-silicon-valley-is-truly-a-place-of-excellence-and-the/) [Jeffrey Skoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-skoll/) > [People tend to overestimate the short-term impact of technological change. In the short-term, it's not going to make that much of a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-butterfield/people-tend-to-overestimate-the-short-term-impact-of-technological/) [Stewart Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-butterfield/) > [Technological change is essential, but to a natural historian it often feels cold and distancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/technological-change-is-essential-but-to-a-natural-historian-it-often/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [Within a few decades, machine intelligence will surpass human intelligence, leading to The Singularity -- technological change so rapid and profound it represents a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/within-a-few-decades-machine-intelligence-will-surpass-human/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [“Economic growth and technological change are accompanied by what the great economist Joseph Schumpeter called creative destruction. They replace the old with the new.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/economic-growth-and-technological-change-are-accompanied-by-what-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We live in an extraordinary time. We are caught up in a pace of social and technological change that makes our work, our business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-flores/we-live-in-an-extraordinary-time-we-are-caught-up-in-a-pace-of-social/) [Fernando Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-flores/) > [Anyone who has studied the history of technology knows that technological change is always a Faustian bargain: Technology giveth and technology taketh away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/anyone-who-has-studied-the-history-of-technology-knows-that/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [We live in a world defined by the rapid pace of technological change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/we-live-in-a-world-defined-by-the-rapid-pace-of-technological-change/) [Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/) > [“The history of social, political and technological change is inextricably bound to the history of thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-stokes/the-history-of-social-political-and-technological-change-is/) Philip Stokes > [Engineering is not merely knowing and being knowledgeable, like a walking encyclopedia; engineering is not merely analysis; engineering is not merely the possession of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/engineering-is-not-merely-knowing-and-being-knowledgeable-like-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Isaac Asimov > [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Uncertainty that comes from knowledge (knowing what you don't know) is different from uncertainty coming from ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/uncertainty-that-comes-from-knowledge-knowing-what-you-don-t-know-is/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Don't you see? It's Galaxy-wide. It's a worship of the past. It's a deterioration - a stagnation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/don-t-you-see-it-s-galaxy-wide-it-s-a-worship-of-the-past-it-s-a/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-the-universe-is-not-quite-as-you-thought-it-was-you-d-better/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“It might seem to you, Peter, that a truck driver, one step above an ape in your view, can't remember. But truck drivers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-might-seem-to-you-peter-that-a-truck-driver-one-step-above-an-ape/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [When life is so harsh that a man loses all hope in himself, then he raises his eyes to a shining rock, worshipping it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/when-life-is-so-harsh-that-a-man-loses-all-hope-in-himself-then-he/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“You are a military man and should know better. If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“temperatura constante de mais ou menos 21 graus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/temperatura-constante-de-mais-ou-menos-21-graus/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/human-beings-can-tolerate-an-immortal-robot-for-it-doesn-t-matter-how/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“if people believe this, they would act on that belief. Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance implies only ignorance that may someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-many-aspects-of-the-universe-that-still-cannot-be-explained/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. \[The Second Law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-robot-must-obey-the-orders-given-it-by-human-beings-except-where/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) [Explore all 671 Isaac Asimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More Amazement quotes > [We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you're in." "Yes!" Leo pumped his fist. \*…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/we-started-this-together-leo-seems-only-right-you-come-along-you-find/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [When I got on the set of 'Saving Private Ryan,' I discovered, to my amazement, that Steven Spielberg is a gamer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-diesel/when-i-got-on-the-set-of-saving-private-ryan-i-discovered-to-my/) [Vin Diesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-diesel/) > [With education symmetrical and true we will take the dead mass buried by slavery's hand and touch them to life. This beauteous angel, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-vernon/with-education-symmetrical-and-true-we-will-take-the-dead-mass-buried/) William Tecumseh Vernon > [The very fact that we make such a to-do over golden weddings indicates our amazement at human endurance. The celebration is more in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilka-chase/the-very-fact-that-we-make-such-a-to-do-over-golden-weddings/) [Ilka Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilka-chase/) > [I think it wasn't so much that the White House altered me in any essential way as that I found the resources with which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-ford/i-think-it-wasn-t-so-much-that-the-white-house-altered-me-in-any/) [Betty Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-ford/) > [He sees with amazement that our defeats are but the stepping stones to victory and that all his victories are stepping stones to ruin.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/he-sees-with-amazement-that-our-defeats-are-but-the-stepping-stones/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Sometime in the last ten years the best brains of the Occident discovered to their amazement that we live in an Environment. This discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/sometime-in-the-last-ten-years-the-best-brains-of-the-occident/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [When one thinks of the wondrous glory of Christ, how astonishing that He can join with us! But more, when one thinks of His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wigram/when-one-thinks-of-the-wondrous-glory-of-christ-how-astonishing-that/) [George Wigram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wigram/) > [Other people's marriages are a perpetual source of amazement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/other-people-s-marriages-are-a-perpetual-source-of-amazement/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [Adlai Stevenson, himself a notable speaker, often reminisced about his last meeting with Churchill. I asked him on whom or what he had based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bourke-cockran/adlai-stevenson-himself-a-notable-speaker-often-reminisced-about-his/) [William Bourke Cockran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bourke-cockran/) > [I realized a long time ago, with a certain amazement, that no mattter how important something is in your life, no matter how huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/i-realized-a-long-time-ago-with-a-certain-amazement-that-no-mattter/) [Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/) > [Basically, I want to spend my time in retreat, but to my own amazement, I agreed to help with a project to start a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/basically-i-want-to-spend-my-time-in-retreat-but-to-my-own-amazement/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Ten times a day something happens to me like this - some strengthening throb of amazement - some good sweet empathic ping and swell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/ten-times-a-day-something-happens-to-me-like-this-some-strengthening/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [DREAM PREDICTION ELITE is the realization of true amazement in your audiences reactions. This is PURE GOLD - A REAL WINNER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banachek/dream-prediction-elite-is-the-realization-of-true-amazement-in-your/) Banachek > [Poetry is a language in which man explores his own amazement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fry/poetry-is-a-language-in-which-man-explores-his-own-amazement/) [Christopher Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fry/) Browse all 241 Amazement quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I discovered, to my amazement, that all through history there had been resistance ... and bitter, exaggerated, last-stitch resistance ... to every significant technological change that had taken place on earth. Usually the resistance came from those groups who stood to lose influence, status, money...as a result of the change. Although they never advanced this as their reason for resisting it. 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