---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The robot had no feelings, only…"
description: "\"“The robot had no feelings, only positronic surges that mimicked those feelings. (And perhaps human beings had no feelings, only neuronic surges that w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/isaac-asimov-309_quote_the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positroni_1072267.jpg"
---

#  The robot had no feelings, only positronic surges that…

![“The robot had no feelings, only positronic surges that mimicked those feelings. (And perhaps human beings had no feelings, only neuronic surges that were interpreted as feelings.)” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/isaac-asimov-309_quote_the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positroni_1072267.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/isaac-asimov-309_quote_the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positroni_1072267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/isaac-asimov-309_quote_the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positroni_1072267.jpg)

> ““The robot had no feelings, only positronic surges that mimicked those feelings. (And perhaps human beings had no feelings, only neuronic surges that were interpreted as feelings.)””

[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.

Robots and humans may both experience feelings as emergent patterns of electrical activity, questioning the nature of consciousness.

**In simple terms:** Feelings could be just brain or circuit signals.

Key Takeaway

Consider consciousness as a process, not a substance.

Themes

philosophy technology consciousness identity

Mood

speculative thought‑provoking

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- debating AI rights
- exploring human emotions
- science fiction writing
- ethical AI design

Key Concepts

emergentism philosophy of mind artificial intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

- Can a machine truly experience qualia?
- What distinguishes human feeling from simulated response?

A Different Perspective

The analogy may oversimplify complex subjective experiences and ignore phenomenological aspects.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/)

## Related quotes

> [I wanna be a robot. No feelings, no nothing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wanna-be-a-robot-no-feelings-no-nothing/)

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

> [I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to be loved, for myself and for my talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/i-have-feelings-too-i-am-still-human-all-i-want-is-to-be-loved-for-3/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [I guess I'm interested in the behind-the-surface feelings of the human condition, in my own way. I was always struck by the gap -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/signe-baumane/i-guess-i-m-interested-in-the-behind-the-surface-feelings-of-the/)

[Signe Baumane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/signe-baumane/)

> [Showing your feelings is how you show how strong you realy are... never showing them just shows how weak you really are... having no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-fonner/showing-your-feelings-is-how-you-show-how-strong-you-realy-are-never/)

[Drew Fonner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-fonner/)

> [Rather than numbing or drowning out the difficult-to-describe but urgently sensed feelings that are part of being human, poetry invites us to tease them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-k-smith/rather-than-numbing-or-drowning-out-the-difficult-to-describe-but/)

[Tracy K. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-k-smith/)

> [I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to be loved, for myself and for my talent. I see myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asher-cruise/i-have-feelings-too-i-am-still-human-all-i-want-is-to-be-loved-for-2/)

[Asher Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asher-cruise/)

> [“You know what? This isn't about your feelings. A human life, with all its joys and all its pains, adding up over the course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/you-know-what-this-isn-t-about-your-feelings-a-human-life-with-all/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-different-accidents-of-life-are-not-so-changeable-as-the-feelings/)

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

> [I have feelings too. I am still human. All I want is to be loved, for myself and for my talent. Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/i-have-feelings-too-i-am-still-human-all-i-want-is-to-be-loved-for/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [I'm just interested in love as a universal theme, and I believe that human feelings and human connections are worthy of cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-song/i-m-just-interested-in-love-as-a-universal-theme-and-i-believe-that/)

[Celine Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-song/)

> [Just because a man cry's doesn't mean he is not a man. If you don't have feelings how can you be human ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-hamilton/just-because-a-man-cry-s-doesn-t-mean-he-is-not-a-man-if-you-don-t/)

[Nadia Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-hamilton/)

> [A poem might be defined as thinking about feelings - about human feelings and frailties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/a-poem-might-be-defined-as-thinking-about-feelings-about-human/)

[Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/)

> [Becoming an actor has really helped me as a human being. The joys in my life I feel are more joyful, and the sorrows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-preston-rogers/becoming-an-actor-has-really-helped-me-as-a-human-being-the-joys-in/)

[James Preston Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-preston-rogers/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

## 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 Technology quotes

> [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/)

[Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/)

> [“This story is not at all an uncommon one in tech circles, including gaming. The popular notion is that women who get ahead must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-poland/this-story-is-not-at-all-an-uncommon-one-in-tech-circles-including/)

[Bailey Poland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-poland/)

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“The metaprogrammer who uses one, or especially several, applications as components in a larger system. This is the user whose needs are poorly met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-p-brooks-jr/the-metaprogrammer-who-uses-one-or-especially-several-applications-as/)

[Frederick P. Brooks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-p-brooks-jr/)

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [“Economic growth continued by means of a succession of new products which found growing and ultimately massive demand. Some of the new products were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-a-hudson/economic-growth-continued-by-means-of-a-succession-of-new-products/)

[Edward A. Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-a-hudson/)

> [I had an idea for a technologically advanced luxury watch. I got involved in digital art and neon painting and put on shows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-moroder/i-had-an-idea-for-a-technologically-advanced-luxury-watch-i-got/)

[Giorgio Moroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-moroder/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/)

Jen-Hsun Huang

> [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/)

[Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [I just feel like everybody stays on their phone nowadays. People will go to a party and everybody is on their phone, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snow-tha-product/i-just-feel-like-everybody-stays-on-their-phone-nowadays-people-will/)

[Snow Tha Product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snow-tha-product/)

> [“If Amazon’s dream of a world without gatekeepers becomes reality, then the company itself will become a powerful gatekeeper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/if-amazon-s-dream-of-a-world-without-gatekeepers-becomes-reality-then/)

[Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/)

> [Real breakthroughs are not found because you want to develop some new technology, but because you are curious and want to find out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-zeilinger/real-breakthroughs-are-not-found-because-you-want-to-develop-some-new/)

[Anton Zeilinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-zeilinger/)

> [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

[Browse all 18,164 Technology quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The robot had no feelings, only positronic surges that mimicked those feelings. (And perhaps human beings had no feelings, only neuronic surges that were interpreted as feelings.)”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Isaac Asimov"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positronic-surges-that-mimicked-those/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Technology"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positronic-surges-that-mimicked-those/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/isaac-asimov-309_quote_the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positroni_1072267.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/isaac-asimov-309_quote_the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positroni_1072267.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f38/isaac-asimov-309_quote_the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positroni_1072267.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The robot had no feelings, only positronic surges that mimicked those feelings. (And perhaps human beings…” — Isaac Asimov",
                "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": "Isaac Asimov",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The robot had no feelings, only...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positronic-surges-that-mimicked-those/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-robot-had-no-feelings-only-positronic-surges-that-mimicked-those/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
