--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One unlikely Luddite was also one of the…" description: "\"“One unlikely Luddite was also one of the first long-term beneficiaries. Plato (channeling the nonwriter Socrates) warned that this technology meant im..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/james-gleick-2623_memory_one-unlikely-luddite-was-also-one-of-the_919184.jpg" --- # One unlikely Luddite was also one of the first long-term… ![“One unlikely Luddite was also one of the first long-term beneficiaries. Plato (channeling the nonwriter Socrates) warned that this technology meant impoverishment: For this invention will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory…” quote by James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/james-gleick-2623_memory_one-unlikely-luddite-was-also-one-of-the_919184.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/james-gleick-2623_memory_one-unlikely-luddite-was-also-one-of-the_919184.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/james-gleick-2623_memory_one-unlikely-luddite-was-also-one-of-the_919184.jpg) > ““One unlikely Luddite was also one of the first long-term beneficiaries. Plato (channeling the nonwriter Socrates) warned that this technology meant impoverishment: For this invention will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory. Their trust in writing, produced by external characters which are no part of themselves, will discourage the use of their own memory within them. You have invented an elixir not of memory, but of reminding; and you offer your pupils the appearance of wisdom, not true wisdom.”” [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) ## 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 warns that reliance on external aids like writing can erode personal memory, offering only superficial reminders rather than true wisdom. **In simple terms:** Relying on writing may weaken memory, giving false wisdom. Key Takeaway Balance external tools with mental practice. Themes memory technology wisdom education Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - studying - note‑taking - teaching - learning new skills Key Concepts epistemology cognitive offloading philosophy of mind Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure you retain knowledge beyond notes? - What practices keep your memory sharp? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance can diminish deep understanding and critical thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [True wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [The invention of writing will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-invention-of-writing-will-produce-forgetfulness-in-the-minds-of/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [I'm a bit of a Luddite and I hate the internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-gallacher/i-m-a-bit-of-a-luddite-and-i-hate-the-internet/) [Kirsty Gallacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-gallacher/) > [I'm a bit of a Luddite, really: I don't use email much, as I started drowning in it. So I said 'screw this' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/i-m-a-bit-of-a-luddite-really-i-don-t-use-email-much-as-i-started/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) > [I'm not a Luddite, but I'm outside more than I'm on my computer. We have a micro-farm - it's a step up from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-estevez/i-m-not-a-luddite-but-i-m-outside-more-than-i-m-on-my-computer-we/) [Emilio Estevez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilio-estevez/) > [I am not a Luddite. I am suspicious of technology. I am perfectly aware of its benefits, but I also try to pay attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/i-am-not-a-luddite-i-am-suspicious-of-technology-i-am-perfectly-aware/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [I'm a luddite in comparison with some of the people I follow on Twitter, but a nerd in comparison with many people. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-linehan/i-m-a-luddite-in-comparison-with-some-of-the-people-i-follow-on/) [Graham Linehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-linehan/) > [Anyone who wants bookstores to survive is portrayed as a Luddite who goes around smashing up Kindles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/anyone-who-wants-bookstores-to-survive-is-portrayed-as-a-luddite-who/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [“I have no luddite prejudice against new technology; it's just that books look as if they contain knowledge, while e-readers look as if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-have-no-luddite-prejudice-against-new-technology-it-s-just-that/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [I find that as I get older I seem to become more of a Luddite... And hearing animal experimenters describe me as a Luddite--which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/i-find-that-as-i-get-older-i-seem-to-become-more-of-a-luddite-and/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [I'm a neo-Luddite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/i-m-a-neo-luddite/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [It took me a while to warm up to smartphones. I just reached a point where I was like, 'If I continue to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weyes-blood/it-took-me-a-while-to-warm-up-to-smartphones-i-just-reached-a-point/) [Weyes Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weyes-blood/) > [I'm a bit of a Luddite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-a-bit-of-a-luddite/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [ . . . Luddites were those frenzied traditionalists of the early 19th century who toured \[England\] wrecking new weaving machines on the theory that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/luddites-were-those-frenzied-traditionalists-of-the-early-19th/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [I'm a total technophobe. What is wrong with paper and pen? I was delighted when I learnt the word 'Luddite,' as I thought it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-guinness/i-m-a-total-technophobe-what-is-wrong-with-paper-and-pen-i-was/) [Jasmine Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-guinness/) > [I'm just such a Luddite, and I want to write books about Luddites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-m-just-such-a-luddite-and-i-want-to-write-books-about-luddites/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) ## More by James Gleick > [When the Lilliputians first saw Gulliver's watch, that "wonderful kind of engine...a globe, half silver and half of some transparent metal," they identified it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/when-the-lilliputians-first-saw-gulliver-s-watch-that-wonderful-kind/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [You know, entropy is associated thermodynamically, in systems involving heat, with disorder. And in an analogous way, information is associated with disorder, which seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/you-know-entropy-is-associated-thermodynamically-in-systems-involving/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“No one has even a definitive spelling for Cawdrey’s name (Cowdrey, Cawdry). But then, no one agreed on the spelling of most names: they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/no-one-has-even-a-definitive-spelling-for-cawdrey-s-name-cowdrey/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“Where, then, is any particular gene—say, the gene for long legs in humans? This is a little like asking where is Beethoven’s Piano Sonata…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/where-then-is-any-particular-gene-say-the-gene-for-long-legs-in/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [Alphabetical order had to be invented to help people organize the first dictionaries. On the other hand, we may have reached a point where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/alphabetical-order-had-to-be-invented-to-help-people-organize-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [As a technology, the book is like a hammer. That is to say, it is perfect: a tool ideally suited to its task. Hammers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/as-a-technology-the-book-is-like-a-hammer-that-is-to-say-it-is/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [The universe is computing its own destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/the-universe-is-computing-its-own-destiny/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [A book is not necessarily made of paper. A book is not necessarily made to be read on a Kindle. A book is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper-a-book-is-not-necessarily/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“From this point of view, the laws of science represent data compression in action. A theoretical physicist acts like a very clever coding algorithm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/from-this-point-of-view-the-laws-of-science-represent-data/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [Children and scientists share an outlook on life. If I do this, what will happen? is both the motto of the child at play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/children-and-scientists-share-an-outlook-on-life-if-i-do-this-what/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“Your body moves always in the present, the dividing line between the past and the future, but your mind is more free. It can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/your-body-moves-always-in-the-present-the-dividing-line-between-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [People worry about Twitter. Twitter is banal. It's 140-character messages. By definition, you can hardly say anything profound. On the other hand, we communicate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/people-worry-about-twitter-twitter-is-banal-it-s-140-character/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“The Difference Engine stands—for a replica works today, in the Science Museum in London—as a milestone of what could be achieved in precision engineering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/the-difference-engine-stands-for-a-replica-works-today-in-the-science/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [It is significant that one says book lover and music lover and art lover but not record lover or CD lover or, conversely, text…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/it-is-significant-that-one-says-book-lover-and-music-lover-and-art/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“quoting Tolstoy: “I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/quoting-tolstoy-i-know-that-most-men-including-those-at-ease-with/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) [Explore all 157 James Gleick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) ## More Memory quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [“Maybe there is something when it all ends. Maybe there is memory, memory of the person you loved, when you lived. Maybe this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-ellison/maybe-there-is-something-when-it-all-ends-maybe-there-is-memory/) [Kate Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-ellison/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [Once upon a time. Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/i-have-a-memory-like-an-elephant-i-remember-every-elephant-i-ve-ever/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [My greatest memories as a kid were playing sports with my dad and watching sports with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-greatest-memories-as-a-kid-were-playing-sports-with-my-dad-and/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [What’s the use of remembering anything? If it was unpleasant it was unpleasant and if it was pleasant it’s over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-dundy/what-s-the-use-of-remembering-anything-if-it-was-unpleasant-it-was/) [Elaine Dundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-dundy/) > [Always remember a little thing can change everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-remember-a-little-thing-can-change-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If God knows me I will never forget him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/if-god-knows-me-i-will-never-forget-him/) Trunxbeats [Browse all 12,248 Memory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One unlikely Luddite was also one of the first long-term beneficiaries. 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