--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't understand an age where meanings…" description: "\"“I don't understand an age where meanings dissolve and all we're left with are names that last for a minute, where symbols don't symbolize anything but..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/keith-jarrett-16919_meanings_i-don-t-understand-an-age-where-meanings_2727889.jpg" --- # I don't understand an age where meanings dissolve and all… ![“I don't understand an age where meanings dissolve and all we're left with are names that last for a minute, where symbols don't symbolize anything but a marketed product, where politics and money create greatness. I'm glad to have been alive during times when this was not as true: when the market…” quote by Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/keith-jarrett-16919_meanings_i-don-t-understand-an-age-where-meanings_2727889.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/keith-jarrett-16919_meanings_i-don-t-understand-an-age-where-meanings_2727889.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/keith-jarrett-16919_meanings_i-don-t-understand-an-age-where-meanings_2727889.jpg) > ““I don't understand an age where meanings dissolve and all we're left with are names that last for a minute, where symbols don't symbolize anything but a marketed product, where politics and money create greatness. I'm glad to have been alive during times when this was not as true: when the market was not determining what food we wanted, then giving exactly what we wanted back to us, thus creating a dangerous loop, because in this vicious circle expectations are granted, not questioned or surpassed. January 1999”” [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author laments modern culture where fleeting names and marketed symbols replace meaningful content, creating a loop where market dictates desires without questioning. **In simple terms:** Modern culture reduces meaning to short‑lived names and marketing, limiting critical thought. Key Takeaway Question how market forces shape our values and desires. Themes consumerism meaninglessness media influence Mood critical contemplative Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - advertising impact - cultural critique - personal reflection - media literacy Key Concepts critical theory symbolic exchange market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What role does consumer choice play in shaping culture? - Can marketing ever convey genuine meaning? A Different Perspective The view may overlook positive aspects of market-driven innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age Meanings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-meanings-2933014/) [Meanings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanings/) [Meanings Dissolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanings-dissolve-2933015/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Product Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/product-politics-2933016/) [Symbolize Marketed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbolize-marketed-2933013/) ## Related quotes > [The word communication has different meanings in different settings. In advertising it's about selling your product. In politics it's about convincing people of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-word-communication-has-different-meanings-in-different-settings/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Who said car names don't have meanings ? ? ? FORD: For Only Rough Drivers. HYUNDAI: Hope You Understand nothing's Driveable And Inexpensive... .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-ahh/who-said-car-names-don-t-have-meanings-ford-for-only-rough-drivers/) [Syed Ahh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syed-ahh/) > [“We shouldn’t ask if life has a meaning, we should ask to whom life has what kinds of meanings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/we-shouldn-t-ask-if-life-has-a-meaning-we-should-ask-to-whom-life-has/) [S.E. SEVER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-sever/) > [All meanings, we know, depend on the key of interpretation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/all-meanings-we-know-depend-on-the-key-of-interpretation/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“ Alpha can refer to the first of something," said Kai, "or the beginning of everything . It can be attributed to a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/alpha-can-refer-to-the-first-of-something-said-kai-or-the-beginning/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [“A woman's situation, i.e those meanings derived from the total context in which she comes to maturity, disposes her to apprehend her body not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/a-woman-s-situation-i-e-those-meanings-derived-from-the-total-context/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [“But the greatest cause of verbicide is the fact that most people are obviously far more anxious to express their approval and disapproval of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/but-the-greatest-cause-of-verbicide-is-the-fact-that-most-people-are/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“From my book, Care for the Carer, An Alzheimer's Memoir "Is there a cure?" Jane asked repeatedly. This simple sentence had several possible meanings:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-camhi/from-my-book-care-for-the-carer-an-alzheimer-s-memoir-is-there-a-cure/) [Jeff Camhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-camhi/) > [“Words in the head are sticky and social creatures – when you finally pull one out, you're liable to get lots of bits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social-creatures-when-you-finally/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [It's meanings that we need to coax into our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-s-meanings-that-we-need-to-coax-into-our-lives/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I'm a product of a military dictatorship. Under a dictatorship, you cannot trust information or dispense it freely because of censorship. So Brazilians become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vik-muniz/i-m-a-product-of-a-military-dictatorship-under-a-dictatorship-you/) [Vik Muniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vik-muniz/) > [I'm not against asking the audience to work, but I think what you have now is a sort of gratuitous deconstruction as a result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miller/i-m-not-against-asking-the-audience-to-work-but-i-think-what-you-have/) [Jonathan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miller/) > [The word good has many meanings...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-word-good-has-many-meanings/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“Tonight A friendly breeze Will agitate roots of meanings. Wonder will flap its wings. Deep in the night, an insect Will gnaw At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sohrab-sepehri/tonight-a-friendly-breeze-will-agitate-roots-of-meanings-wonder-will/) [Sohrab Sepehri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sohrab-sepehri/) > [“Like everything that's any good, it has about twenty different meanings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/like-everything-that-s-any-good-it-has-about-twenty-different-meanings/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) ## More by Keith Jarrett > [I grew up with the piano. I learned its language as I learned to speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/i-grew-up-with-the-piano-i-learned-its-language-as-i-learned-to-speak/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [I believe that a truly valuable artist must be an artist who realizes the impossibility of his task -and then continues to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/i-believe-that-a-truly-valuable-artist-must-be-an-artist-who-realizes/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [If a person plays dissonance long enough, it will sound like consonance. It's a language that was alien and then it's less and less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/if-a-person-plays-dissonance-long-enough-it-will-sound-like/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [I realized that improvisers should probably always have time off. But musicians are always gigging and never have a chance to stop for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/i-realized-that-improvisers-should-probably-always-have-time-off-but/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [Jazz is there and gone. It happens. You have to be present for it. That simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/jazz-is-there-and-gone-it-happens-you-have-to-be-present-for-it-that/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [I cannot say what I think is right about Music. I only know the rightness of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/i-cannot-say-what-i-think-is-right-about-music-i-only-know-the/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [When I joined the band I didn't know any of the tunes, and when I left the band I didn't know any of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/when-i-joined-the-band-i-didn-t-know-any-of-the-tunes-and-when-i-left/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [If music is sound & came from silence, then silence is potentially greater than sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/if-music-is-sound-came-from-silence-then-silence-is-potentially/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [The way I think about the practicing, it is my undercover work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/the-way-i-think-about-the-practicing-it-is-my-undercover-work/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [Creativity is what makes humanity move. We were created to participate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/creativity-is-what-makes-humanity-move-we-were-created-to-participate/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [ I've never heard anything Wynton \[Marsalis\] played sound like it meant anything at all. Wynton has no voice and no presence. His music sounds… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/i-ve-never-heard-anything-wynton-marsalis-played-sound-like-it-meant/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [If you already have a piece of music ingrained in your body, why would you not play it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/if-you-already-have-a-piece-of-music-ingrained-in-your-body-why-would/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [I can't even tolerate my own playing on electric keyboards. It's not about the musical ideas - the sound itself is toxic. It's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/i-can-t-even-tolerate-my-own-playing-on-electric-keyboards-it-s-not/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [When you're up against an electric band like that, it's like you're on two separate planets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/when-you-re-up-against-an-electric-band-like-that-it-s-like-you-re-on/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) > [I actually get a metallic taste in my mouth when I think about electric music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-jarrett/i-actually-get-a-metallic-taste-in-my-mouth-when-i-think-about/) [Keith Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) [Explore all 38 Keith Jarrett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-jarrett/) ## More Meanings quotes > [“Like everything that's any good, it has about twenty different meanings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/like-everything-that-s-any-good-it-has-about-twenty-different-meanings/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [“Tonight A friendly breeze Will agitate roots of meanings. Wonder will flap its wings. Deep in the night, an insect Will gnaw At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sohrab-sepehri/tonight-a-friendly-breeze-will-agitate-roots-of-meanings-wonder-will/) [Sohrab Sepehri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sohrab-sepehri/) > [The word good has many meanings...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-word-good-has-many-meanings/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [I'm not against asking the audience to work, but I think what you have now is a sort of gratuitous deconstruction as a result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miller/i-m-not-against-asking-the-audience-to-work-but-i-think-what-you-have/) [Jonathan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miller/) > [I'm a product of a military dictatorship. Under a dictatorship, you cannot trust information or dispense it freely because of censorship. So Brazilians become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vik-muniz/i-m-a-product-of-a-military-dictatorship-under-a-dictatorship-you/) [Vik Muniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vik-muniz/) > [It's meanings that we need to coax into our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-s-meanings-that-we-need-to-coax-into-our-lives/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“Words in the head are sticky and social creatures – when you finally pull one out, you're liable to get lots of bits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social-creatures-when-you-finally/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“From my book, Care for the Carer, An Alzheimer's Memoir "Is there a cure?" Jane asked repeatedly. This simple sentence had several possible meanings:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-camhi/from-my-book-care-for-the-carer-an-alzheimer-s-memoir-is-there-a-cure/) [Jeff Camhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-camhi/) > [“But the greatest cause of verbicide is the fact that most people are obviously far more anxious to express their approval and disapproval of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/but-the-greatest-cause-of-verbicide-is-the-fact-that-most-people-are/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“A woman's situation, i.e those meanings derived from the total context in which she comes to maturity, disposes her to apprehend her body not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/a-woman-s-situation-i-e-those-meanings-derived-from-the-total-context/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [“ Alpha can refer to the first of something," said Kai, "or the beginning of everything . It can be attributed to a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/alpha-can-refer-to-the-first-of-something-said-kai-or-the-beginning/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [All meanings, we know, depend on the key of interpretation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/all-meanings-we-know-depend-on-the-key-of-interpretation/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“We shouldn’t ask if life has a meaning, we should ask to whom life has what kinds of meanings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/we-shouldn-t-ask-if-life-has-a-meaning-we-should-ask-to-whom-life-has/) [S.E. SEVER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-sever/) > [Who said car names don't have meanings ? ? ? FORD: For Only Rough Drivers. HYUNDAI: Hope You Understand nothing's Driveable And Inexpensive... .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-ahh/who-said-car-names-don-t-have-meanings-ford-for-only-rough-drivers/) [Syed Ahh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syed-ahh/) > [Not sense data or atoms or electrons or packets of energy, but purposes, interests, and meanings, constitute the underlying facts of human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/not-sense-data-or-atoms-or-electrons-or-packets-of-energy-but/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) [Browse all 181 Meanings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanings/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I don't understand an age where meanings dissolve and all we're left with are names that last for a minute, where symbols don't symbolize anything but a marketed product, where politics and money create greatness. 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