--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unless you hit your television with a…" description: "\"Unless you hit your television with a sledgehammer, you're not going to be able to be an individual.\" — Justin Theroux" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/justin-theroux-14804_able_unless-you-hit-your-television-with-a-sl_363983.png" --- # Unless you hit your television with a sledgehammer, you're… ![“Unless you hit your television with a sledgehammer, you're not going to be able to be an individual.” quote by Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/justin-theroux-14804_able_unless-you-hit-your-television-with-a-sl_363983.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/justin-theroux-14804_able_unless-you-hit-your-television-with-a-sl_363983.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/justin-theroux-14804_able_unless-you-hit-your-television-with-a-sl_363983.png) > “Unless you hit your television with a sledgehammer, you're not going to be able to be an individual.” [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conformity to media norms suppresses individuality; breaking away requires rejecting passive consumption. **In simple terms:** Hit TV with a sledgehammer to be individual. Key Takeaway Resist passive media consumption. Themes individuality media criticism rebellion Mood critical defiant Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - advertising - social media - personal branding Key Concepts conformity identity media influence Questions to Reflect On - What media habits limit your individuality? - How can you express self without destruction? A Different Perspective Hard to achieve without practical alternatives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [For me, being transparent about every aspect of my life is what makes my music relatable and how I'm able to be an individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macklemore/for-me-being-transparent-about-every-aspect-of-my-life-is-what-makes/) [Macklemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macklemore/) > [We can convince ourselves to do things in conjunction with one another that we wouldn't have been able to do as an individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/we-can-convince-ourselves-to-do-things-in-conjunction-with-one/) [Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/) > [Why slap them on the wrist with feather when you can belt them over the head with a sledgehammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/why-slap-them-on-the-wrist-with-feather-when-you-can-belt-them-over/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [You are about as covert as a sledgehammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/you-are-about-as-covert-as-a-sledgehammer/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [“Sometimes someone just takes a sledgehammer to your heart and even if you still have feelings for them, you can't ever quite feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-senate/sometimes-someone-just-takes-a-sledgehammer-to-your-heart-and-even-if/) [Melissa Senate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-senate/) > [Haaland's left foot can be used as a sledgehammer, or he can use it to dink a delicate chip into the back of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sutton/haaland-s-left-foot-can-be-used-as-a-sledgehammer-or-he-can-use-it-to/) [Chris Sutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sutton/) > [“You don't live in the past; you take a sledgehammer to it to see what stands so that you can build on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-l-drew/you-don-t-live-in-the-past-you-take-a-sledgehammer-to-it-to-see-what/) Samuel L. Drew > [One might as well try to perform brain surgery with a sledgehammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/one-might-as-well-try-to-perform-brain-surgery-with-a-sledgehammer/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [To encounter 'Beowulf' is like taking a sledgehammer to a quarry face. You must bang in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/to-encounter-beowulf-is-like-taking-a-sledgehammer-to-a-quarry-face/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [It is the direct man who strikes sledgehammer blows, who penetrates the very marrow of a subject at every stroke and gets the meat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-s-marden/it-is-the-direct-man-who-strikes-sledgehammer-blows-who-penetrates/) [Orison S. Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-s-marden/) > [Hollywood's not knocking on our door. They're banging down the door with a sledgehammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watkin-tudor-jones/hollywood-s-not-knocking-on-our-door-they-re-banging-down-the-door/) [Watkin Tudor Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watkin-tudor-jones/) > [Anything is possible with the right attitude and a sledgehammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anything-is-possible-with-the-right-attitude-and-a-sledgehammer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“an untutored lout with a sledgehammer could kill you just as dead as an assassin with a stiletto.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/an-untutored-lout-with-a-sledgehammer-could-kill-you-just-as-dead-as/) [Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/) > [“A kiss is the sledgehammer that breaks the ice in you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/a-kiss-is-the-sledgehammer-that-breaks-the-ice-in-you/) Sir Kristian Goldmund Aumann > [I'm uncomfortable with the word satire. In the U.K., there's quite a bit of sledgehammer weight to that word, which is the antithesis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-armstrong/i-m-uncomfortable-with-the-word-satire-in-the-u-k-there-s-quite-a-bit/) [Jesse Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-armstrong/) ## More by Justin Theroux > [When I was 13, I kind of got into the punk scene. I realized it was easier to wear a pair of combat boots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/when-i-was-13-i-kind-of-got-into-the-punk-scene-i-realized-it-was/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [If I was roped into a seven-year TV contract I'd probably hang myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/if-i-was-roped-into-a-seven-year-tv-contract-i-d-probably-hang-myself/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [It's like, once you've seen Tom Hanks win the Golden Globes, the Oscars, you've seen his wife, what kind of car he drives, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/it-s-like-once-you-ve-seen-tom-hanks-win-the-golden-globes-the-oscars/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [I did Chekhov's Three Sisters once. Two months in, I remember going, "Human beings shouldn't be forced to do or watch this play every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/i-did-chekhov-s-three-sisters-once-two-months-in-i-remember-going/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [When you hear about people in the '50s getting married at 20, you're like, What were they thinking? My grandparents were together for over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/when-you-hear-about-people-in-the-50s-getting-married-at-20-you-re/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [After my parents got divorced, I had to go right into public school in the fourth grade. The Steiner school had never really taught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/after-my-parents-got-divorced-i-had-to-go-right-into-public-school-in/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [In New York, you can bump into someone on the street and go to a thing, go get coffee real quick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/in-new-york-you-can-bump-into-someone-on-the-street-and-go-to-a-thing/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [I've never been the guy who's like, 'I take it home with me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/i-ve-never-been-the-guy-who-s-like-i-take-it-home-with-me/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [I devoured TV - everything from Super Friends in the morning to Dukes of Hazzard and The Love Boat and Fantasy Island at night.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/i-devoured-tv-everything-from-super-friends-in-the-morning-to-dukes/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [I always go to bed thinking I'm the luckiest guy in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/i-always-go-to-bed-thinking-i-m-the-luckiest-guy-in-the-world/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [I had such a distaste for '70s clothing. So, the '90s were a rough period for me because I got made fun of for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/i-had-such-a-distaste-for-70s-clothing-so-the-90s-were-a-rough-period/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [You can get stuff done in New York that you can't in Los Angeles. If you wanted to get some milk and get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/you-can-get-stuff-done-in-new-york-that-you-can-t-in-los-angeles-if/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [Normally when you're promoting something a lot, sometimes you get tired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/normally-when-you-re-promoting-something-a-lot-sometimes-you-get-tired/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [I always try to do the most interesting, fun thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/i-always-try-to-do-the-most-interesting-fun-thing-for-me/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [I don't miss much about my childhood. I lived in a good neighborhood, a wacky neighborhood. It was a very boy-heavy neighborhood - kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/i-don-t-miss-much-about-my-childhood-i-lived-in-a-good-neighborhood-a/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) [Explore all 45 Justin Theroux quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [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/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. 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