Book Quote by John Updike
““Gutenberg (hesitantly): Perhaps the book, like God, is an idea some men will cling to. The revolution of print pursued a natural course. Like a river, print flowed to its readers, and the cheapness of the means permitted it, where the channel was narrow, to trickle. This electronic flood you describe has no banks; it massively delivers but what to whom? There is something intrinsically small about its content, compared to the genius of its working. And--if I may point out a technical problem--its product never achieves autonomy from its means of delivery. A book can lie unread for a century, and all it needs to come to life is to be scanned by a literate brain.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on Digital Media, 1995
Print media spreads ideas widely but remains dependent on physical delivery; digital media removes those limits, raising questions about content depth and autonomy.
In simple terms: Print spreads ideas but relies on physical means; digital removes those limits.
Key Takeaway
Consider how medium shapes message.
Themes
media
technology
communication
culture
information
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- Publishing
- education
- digital archiving
- media analysis
Key Concepts
Diffusion
autonomy
content depth
Questions to Reflect On
- How does the medium affect the power of ideas?
- Can digital content achieve the same cultural impact as print?
A Different Perspective
Digital media can dilute depth and lack independent agency.
![“These days, digitization enables us to view the copies [of the Gutenberg Bible] online without the need for a trip to the Euston Road, although to do so would be to deny oneself one of the great pleasures in life. The first book ever printed in Europe - heavy, luxurious, pungent and creaky - does…” quote by Simon Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/592/simon-garfield-37311_books_these-days-digitization-enables-us-to-vi_792501.jpg)
