--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: TED was simply wonderful, an intellectual…" description: "\"TED was simply wonderful, an intellectual spa, a 21st-century Chataqua, superb and singular.\" — Kurt Andersen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/kurt-andersen-8221_21st-century_ted-was-simply-wonderful-an-intellectual_248036.png" --- # TED was simply wonderful, an intellectual spa, a… ![“TED was simply wonderful, an intellectual spa, a 21st-century Chataqua, superb and singular.” quote by Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/kurt-andersen-8221_21st-century_ted-was-simply-wonderful-an-intellectual_248036.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/kurt-andersen-8221_21st-century_ted-was-simply-wonderful-an-intellectual_248036.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/kurt-andersen-8221_21st-century_ted-was-simply-wonderful-an-intellectual_248036.png) > “TED was simply wonderful, an intellectual spa, a 21st-century Chataqua, superb and singular.” [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker praises TED as a modern intellectual sanctuary that offers diverse, high‑quality ideas. **In simple terms:** TED is a modern place for ideas. Key Takeaway Seek out ideas that challenge you. Themes intellectual curiosity culture innovation Mood inspired thoughtful Type commendatory reflective When to use this quote - attending conferences - online learning - networking - creative brainstorming Key Concepts public speaking media knowledge sharing Questions to Reflect On - How does TED shape your thinking? - What ideas have you discovered there? A Different Perspective The experience may feel exclusive to those already engaged in elite circles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Spas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spas/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [Youre beautiful, each moment spent with you is simply wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/youre-beautiful-each-moment-spent-with-you-is-simply-wonderful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Evan Handler's new book is simply wonderful. He pulls you inside his life, and you come out his very close friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/evan-handler-s-new-book-is-simply-wonderful-he-pulls-you-inside-his/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [U.N. officials said today they desperately need $7 billion to help people cope with disasters, but they're having a hard time getting people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/u-n-officials-said-today-they-desperately-need-7-billion-to-help/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [People never sing...except in the bathroom. Birthing women also make their natural sounds next to running bath water. There is something about the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-odent/people-never-sing-except-in-the-bathroom-birthing-women-also-make/) [Michel Odent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-odent/) > [Imagine a weight-loss program at the end of which, instead of better health, good looks, and hot romantic prospects, you die. Somalia had become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/imagine-a-weight-loss-program-at-the-end-of-which-instead-of-better/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I am a big sucker for spas and I like massages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishwarya-r-dhanush/i-am-a-big-sucker-for-spas-and-i-like-massages/) [Aishwarya R. Dhanush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishwarya-r-dhanush/) > [Percy tried to remember. He really did. For some reason, Annabeth and he had visited a spa and decided to destroy it. He couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/percy-tried-to-remember-he-really-did-for-some-reason-annabeth-and-he/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [While everyone else is in the spa, im gonna shower because im Tom Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-daley/while-everyone-else-is-in-the-spa-im-gonna-shower-because-im-tom-daley/) [Tom Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-daley/) > [I'm just a glutton for spas and messages. And I love to surf and hike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-murphy/i-m-just-a-glutton-for-spas-and-messages-and-i-love-to-surf-and-hike/) [Carolyn Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-murphy/) > [I think I've lost 3lbs - I'm very, very happy. I thought of it as work and a spa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-think-i-ve-lost-3lbs-i-m-very-very-happy-i-thought-of-it-as-work/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [From my table inside I watch the glamorous women outside who are lunching on Spa Cobb salads without blue cheese or dressing. The man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/from-my-table-inside-i-watch-the-glamorous-women-outside-who-are/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“Only a few short years ago, the average stay-at-home mom spent her relaxation time reading Jackie Collins and staring at the pool boy. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-morin/only-a-few-short-years-ago-the-average-stay-at-home-mom-spent-her/) Pete Morin > [In the US in the 1900's 60 % of people were employed on the farms. Today it's less than 1%. If you told people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/in-the-us-in-the-1900-s-60-of-people-were-employed-on-the-farms-today/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [What about you, Sage? I know we don't have to worry about you violating the dress code. Did you have fun at your Alchemist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/what-about-you-sage-i-know-we-don-t-have-to-worry-about-you-violating/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [Here was something I already knew to be true about myself: Just as there are some wives who will occasionally need a break from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/here-was-something-i-already-knew-to-be-true-about-myself-just-as/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) ## More by Kurt Andersen > [“Since the turn of the century, American fundamentalists had reveled in their sense of persecution by an infidel elite, but in the 1960s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/since-the-turn-of-the-century-american-fundamentalists-had-reveled-in/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“If I think it’s true, no matter why or how I think it’s true, then it’s true, and nobody can tell me otherwise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/if-i-think-it-s-true-no-matter-why-or-how-i-think-it-s-true-then-it-s/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“Libertarianism used to have a robust left wing as well. Both disliked government. Both were driven by a fantastically nostalgic conviction that a country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/libertarianism-used-to-have-a-robust-left-wing-as-well-both-disliked/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“But what other place on Earth has been more congenial to believers and promoters of mad dreams and schemes of so many kinds? California…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/but-what-other-place-on-earth-has-been-more-congenial-to-believers/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“The antisharia movement lobbied states to pass statutes and constitutional amendments banning the use of sharia in their courts and legal systems, a fantasy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/the-antisharia-movement-lobbied-states-to-pass-statutes-and/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [I'm comparing Americans to international peers in terms of GDP, educational system - the sort of benchmarks we used to designate a so-called developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/i-m-comparing-americans-to-international-peers-in-terms-of-gdp/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“The early advocates of universal literacy and a free press…did not foresee…the development of a vast mass communications industry, concerned in the main neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/the-early-advocates-of-universal-literacy-and-a-free-press-did-not/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“EVEN PAUL GOODMAN, beloved by young leftists in the 1960s, was flabbergasted by his students in 1969. “There was no knowledge,” he wrote, “only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/even-paul-goodman-beloved-by-young-leftists-in-the-1960s-was/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“IN ADDITION TO having become a distinctly Christian party, the GOP is more than ever America’s self-consciously white party. The nationalization of its Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/in-addition-to-having-become-a-distinctly-christian-party-the-gop-is/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“Sixteen hundred years ago Saint Augustine instructed, basically, Don’t be stupid. “Shall we say, then,” he wrote about Genesis, “there was such a sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/sixteen-hundred-years-ago-saint-augustine-instructed-basically-don-t/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“After more than three decades and many hundreds of studies, the overwhelming scientific consensus is that GMO foods are safe to eat. The National…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/after-more-than-three-decades-and-many-hundreds-of-studies-the/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“P. T. Barnum was the great early American merchandiser of exciting secular fantasies and half-truths. His extremely successful precircus career derived from and fed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/p-t-barnum-was-the-great-early-american-merchandiser-of-exciting/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [I am proud to be American. We wouldn't have our big dreams without this quality, but if we can't agree on the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/i-am-proud-to-be-american-we-wouldn-t-have-our-big-dreams-without/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“In 1848 the Homeopathic Medical College was founded in Philadelphia, eventually becoming the Drexel University College of Medicine. Homeopathic M.D. degrees were issued by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/in-1848-the-homeopathic-medical-college-was-founded-in-philadelphia/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [“If men were ever in a state in which they did not want to know or could not perceive truth (facts or evidence),” Tolkien…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/if-men-were-ever-in-a-state-in-which-they-did-not-want-to-know-or/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) [Explore all 83 Kurt Andersen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) ## More 21st century quotes > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“You know it’s the 21st Century when someone TEXTS you from the washroom to ask you to bring them a roll of toilet paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/comic-strip-mama/you-know-it-s-the-21st-century-when-someone-texts-you-from-the/) Comic Strip Mama > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Maybe we need a tax credit for the poorest Americans to buy a laptop. Now, maybe that's wrong, maybe that's expensive, maybe we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/maybe-we-need-a-tax-credit-for-the-poorest-americans-to-buy-a-laptop/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/i-firmly-believe-that-the-mission-of-religion-in-the-21st-century/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Facebook, Twitter...Welcome to The 21st Century...Where Someone can stalk you without leaving the couch!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/facebook-twitter-welcome-to-the-21st-century-where-someone-can-stalk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human Race is all over universe! And I am the first person to inform you. 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