--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You think destroying Centillion will free…" description: "\"“You think destroying Centillion will free you, whatever ‘free’ means. But let me ask you, can you tell me the requirements for starting a new business..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/ken-liu-4222_freedom_you-think-destroying-centillion-will-fre_2295913.jpg" --- # You think destroying Centillion will free you, whatever… ![“You think destroying Centillion will free you, whatever ‘free’ means. But let me ask you, can you tell me the requirements for starting a new business in the State of New York?” Sai opened his mouth and realized that his instinct was to ask Tilly. He closed his mouth again. “What’s your mother’s…” quote by Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/ken-liu-4222_freedom_you-think-destroying-centillion-will-fre_2295913.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/ken-liu-4222_freedom_you-think-destroying-centillion-will-fre_2295913.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/ken-liu-4222_freedom_you-think-destroying-centillion-will-fre_2295913.jpg) > ““You think destroying Centillion will free you, whatever ‘free’ means. But let me ask you, can you tell me the requirements for starting a new business in the State of New York?” Sai opened his mouth and realized that his instinct was to ask Tilly. He closed his mouth again. “What’s your mother’s phone number?” Sai resisted the urge to reach for his phone. “How about you tell me what happened in the world yesterday? What book did you buy and enjoy three years ago? When did you start dating your last girlfriend?” Sai said nothing. “You see? Without Tilly, you can’t do your job, you can’t remember your life, you can’t even call your mother. We are now a race of cyborgs. We long ago began to spread our minds into the electronic realm, and it is no longer possible to squeeze all of ourselves back into our brains. The electronic copies of yourselves that you wanted to destroy are, in a literal sense, actually you.”” [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage critiques reliance on digital memory and external data, suggesting identity becomes fragmented when we outsource personal knowledge to technology. **In simple terms:** Relying on tech for memory erodes personal identity. Key Takeaway Guard your mental autonomy against over‑dependence on devices. Themes technology identity memory dependency cyberculture philosophy Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical speculative cautionary When to use this quote - personal reflection - ethical debate - tech policy - education - mental health Key Concepts digital self augmented cognition privacy humanism Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of self should remain offline? - How can we balance convenience with mental sovereignty? A Different Perspective Total reliance on external data can diminish self‑knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Destroying Centillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroying-centillion-5412962/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Gaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaze/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Number Sai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/number-sai-5412964/) [Phone number](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-number/) [Sai Resisted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sai-resisted-5412961/) [Said Tilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-tilly-5412963/) [Three years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-years/) [Wanted Destroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-destroy-350472/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [“All the pent up, helpless rage formed a wrecking ball inside of me. Maintaining human form was near impossible. I wanted to hit something—destroy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/all-the-pent-up-helpless-rage-formed-a-wrecking-ball-inside-of-me/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [ Let's say somebody were \[in the White House\] and they wanted to destroy this nation. I would create division among the people, encourage a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/let-s-say-somebody-were-in-the-white-house-and-they-wanted-to-destroy/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [“Ronan loved it so much. He nearly couldn’t bear it. 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I would keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-holland/if-i-were-satan-and-wanted-to-destroy-a-society-i-think-i-would-stage/) [Patricia Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-holland/) > [You seem to know a lot about it," she said. "And you do subtleties." "Yeah. Like I've always wanted to destroy the Nine Worlds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/you-seem-to-know-a-lot-about-it-she-said-and-you-do-subtleties-yeah/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I wanted to destroy everything beautiful I'd never have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/i-wanted-to-destroy-everything-beautiful-i-d-never-have/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I wanted to destroy everything beautiful I'd never have. Burn the Amazon rain forests. Pump chlorofluorocarbons straight up to gobble the ozone. 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We wanted it to be neck-and-neck.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-waltman/eric-bischoff-wanted-to-destroy-vince-in-the-ratings-but-we-wanted/) [Sean Waltman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-waltman/) > [“Admittedly they had a lot to take in, between the whole Jack-is-a-psychopath-who-wanted-me-to-destroy-a-species thing, and also the turns-out-I'm-less-human-than-we-thought thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/admittedly-they-had-a-lot-to-take-in-between-the-whole-jack-is-a/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) ## More by Ken Liu > [I don't believe in reducing a style and a voice down to a set of descriptions, so I've never done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-don-t-believe-in-reducing-a-style-and-a-voice-down-to-a-set-of/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [People who are ambitious - politicians who crave power - think that they're in control of it, but at some point, the movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/people-who-are-ambitious-politicians-who-crave-power-think-that-they/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“My goal is to act as a faithful interpreter, preserving as much of the original's nuances of meaning as possible without embellishment or omission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-goal-is-to-act-as-a-faithful-interpreter-preserving-as-much-of-the/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“It’s hard to hear the music behind the words when their meanings get in the way,” she told me once.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/it-s-hard-to-hear-the-music-behind-the-words-when-their-meanings-get/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [The 'silk' in silkpunk refers not to a source of power, but to an entirely different, expressive technology language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/the-silk-in-silkpunk-refers-not-to-a-source-of-power-but-to-an/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“A memory is a re-creation, precious because it is both more and less than the original.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/a-memory-is-a-re-creation-precious-because-it-is-both-more-and-less/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [Almost all of my stories can be understood to be elaborations on our drive to remake the world and our adjustments to the result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/almost-all-of-my-stories-can-be-understood-to-be-elaborations-on-our/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“Dad and I went on walking, our shadows touching.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/dad-and-i-went-on-walking-our-shadows-touching/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“I can only wish that someday you’ll also be pestered by a student as persistent to learn what you do not wish to teach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-can-only-wish-that-someday-you-ll-also-be-pestered-by-a-student-as/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [I think male authors who want to try to tackle these issues of representation of women can generally do a better job if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-think-male-authors-who-want-to-try-to-tackle-these-issues-of/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“Surveillance is surveillance. I can never understand why some people think it matters whether it's the government doing it to you or a company.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/surveillance-is-surveillance-i-can-never-understand-why-some-people/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [Whenever you talk about Chinese dragons, emperors, palaces, concubines - they conjure up a whole colonial argle-bargle that has nothing to do with historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/whenever-you-talk-about-chinese-dragons-emperors-palaces-concubines/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [We have never had a society that was truly just. Some groups have always benefited at the expense of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/we-have-never-had-a-society-that-was-truly-just-some-groups-have/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“By custom, we wield the sword and wear the armor, but who among you does not know a mother, sister, daughter, friend, who exceeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/by-custom-we-wield-the-sword-and-wear-the-armor-but-who-among-you/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [My wife, Lisa, and I both grew up on wuxia - Chinese historical romances. They're kind of analogous to Western epics. They're based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-wife-lisa-and-i-both-grew-up-on-wuxia-chinese-historical-romances/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) [Explore all 114 Ken Liu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. 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Without Tilly, you can’t do your job, you can’t remember your life, you can’t even call your mother. We are now a race of cyborgs. We long ago began to spread our minds into the electronic realm, and it is no longer possible to squeeze all of ourselves back into our brains. 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