--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The four had come to an exciting…" description: "\"“The four had come to an exciting decision\" during the six months of the blockade threatened by the authorities, they would make the ruins a laboratory..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/kurt-vonnegut-41_common-man_the-four-had-come-to-an-exciting-decisio_946959.jpg" --- # The four had come to an exciting decision" during the six… ![“The four had come to an exciting decision" during the six months of the blockade threatened by the authorities, they would make the ruins a laboratory, a demonstration of how well and happily men could live with virtually no machines. They saw now the common man's wisdom in wrecking practically…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/kurt-vonnegut-41_common-man_the-four-had-come-to-an-exciting-decisio_946959.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/kurt-vonnegut-41_common-man_the-four-had-come-to-an-exciting-decisio_946959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64a/kurt-vonnegut-41_common-man_the-four-had-come-to-an-exciting-decisio_946959.jpg) > ““The four had come to an exciting decision" during the six months of the blockade threatened by the authorities, they would make the ruins a laboratory, a demonstration of how well and happily men could live with virtually no machines. They saw now the common man's wisdom in wrecking practically everything. That was the way to do it, and the hell with moderation! "All right, so we'll heat our water and cook our food and light and warm our homes with wood fires," said Lasher. "And walk wherever we're going," said Finnerty. "And read books instead of watching television," said von Neumann. "The Renaissance comes to upstate New York! We'll rediscover the two greatest wonders of the world, the human mind and hand.”” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## 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 envisions a post‑industrial community that rejects machines, embracing simple, self‑reliant living and intellectual pursuits. **In simple terms:** A group decides to live without machines, focusing on human skill and thought. Key Takeaway Embrace simplicity and human creativity. Themes technology self‑reliance community rebellion Mood critical hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - rural living - off‑grid experiments - education reform - environmental activism Key Concepts post‑industrialism humanism DIY culture Questions to Reflect On - Can a community truly thrive without modern tools? - What compromises are necessary for sustainability? A Different Perspective Such a lifestyle may be impractical in modern societies dependent on technology. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blockade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blockade-1542403/) [Blockade Threatened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blockade-threatened-1659812/) [Common man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-man/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Neumann Renaissance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neumann-renaissance-1659811/) [Renaissance Comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renaissance-comes-1659813/) [Six months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six-months/) [Von neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/von-neumann/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [Renaissance always comes out of depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gutzon-borglum/renaissance-always-comes-out-of-depression/) [Gutzon Borglum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gutzon-borglum/) > [Every renaissance comes to the world with a cry, the cry of the human spirit to be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-renaissance-comes-to-the-world-with-a-cry-the-cry-of-the-human/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The manner in which we have been treated by the English has exceeded all our expectations. It is regrettable that two such generous and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bosredon-ransijat-during-the-two-year-french-blockade-of-malta-in-1800/the-manner-in-which-we-have-been-treated-by-the-english-has-exceeded/) [Bosredon Ransijat - during the two-year French Blockade of Malta in 1800](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bosredon-ransijat-during-the-two-year-french-blockade-of-malta-in-1800/) > [First restrain, next blockade, lastly destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aron-nimzowitsch/first-restrain-next-blockade-lastly-destroy/) [Aron Nimzowitsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aron-nimzowitsch/) > [“The British government in 1807 had issued the “Orders in Council,” which enforced a naval blockade against France, and with a shortage of seamen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/the-british-government-in-1807-had-issued-the-orders-in-council-which-2/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [“If a mentally superhuman race ever develops, its members will resemble Johnny von Neumann,” Edward Teller once said. “If you enjoy thinking, your brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/if-a-mentally-superhuman-race-ever-develops-its-members-will-resemble/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [ “ Worldwide Long Range Solutions Special Interest Group \[ ¤ SIG AeR.WLRS 253787890.546\]. Space Colonization Subgroup. Open discussion board. Okay, so imagine we get… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/worldwide-long-range-solutions-special-interest-group-sig-aer-wlrs/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Running overtime is the one unforgivable error a lecturer can make. After fifty minutes (one microcentury as von Neumann used to say) everybody's attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gian-carlo-rota/running-overtime-is-the-one-unforgivable-error-a-lecturer-can-make/) [Gian-Carlo Rota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gian-carlo-rota/) > [“Alan Turing’s halting problem: you can’t know if the cells will all die off without running the game until they do die off. Thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bookstaber/alan-turing-s-halting-problem-you-can-t-know-if-the-cells-will-all/) [Richard Bookstaber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bookstaber/) > [ He \[John von Neumann\] had the invaluable faculty of being able to take the most difficult problem and separate it into its components, whereupon… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-ulam/he-john-von-neumann-had-the-invaluable-faculty-of-being-able-to-take/) [Stanislaw Ulam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-ulam/) > [My greatest concern was what to call it. I thought of calling it ‘information’, but the word was overly used, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/my-greatest-concern-was-what-to-call-it-i-thought-of-calling-it/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [“Von Neumann told Shannon to call his measure entropy, since "no one knows what entropy is, so in a debate you will always have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-campbell/von-neumann-told-shannon-to-call-his-measure-entropy-since-no-one/) [Jeremy Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-campbell/) > [There are two kinds of people in the world: Johnny Von Neumann and the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-johnny-von-neumann-and-the/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [“In fact, it took the resources of three countries to produce the bomb: the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. But there was more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/in-fact-it-took-the-resources-of-three-countries-to-produce-the-bomb/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-remember-my-friend-johnny-von-neumann-used-to-say-with-four/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Common man quotes > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [In a democracy, voting is a huge and most important right of a common man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-tripathi/in-a-democracy-voting-is-a-huge-and-most-important-right-of-a-common/) [Pankaj Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-tripathi/) > [Through my singing and acting and speaking, I want to make freedom ring. Maybe I can touch people's hearts better than I can their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-robeson/through-my-singing-and-acting-and-speaking-i-want-to-make-freedom/) [Paul Robeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-robeson/) > [It's nice that people can call me an artist and it's nice that I can refer to myself as such, but it also kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matana-roberts/it-s-nice-that-people-can-call-me-an-artist-and-it-s-nice-that-i-can/) [Matana Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matana-roberts/) > [The common man, finding himself in a world so excellent, technically and socially, believes it has been produced by nature, and never thinks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-common-man-finding-himself-in-a-world-so-excellent-technically/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [No one got rich on a government program. Do not choose to be a common man. You can be uncommon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/no-one-got-rich-on-a-government-program-do-not-choose-to-be-a-common/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [Under capitalism the common man enjoys amenities which in ages gone by were unknown and therefore inaccessible even to the richest people. But, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/under-capitalism-the-common-man-enjoys-amenities-which-in-ages-gone/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [The founder of any branch must be more ingenious than the common man. However, if his achievement is not carried on by disciples of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-founder-of-any-branch-must-be-more-ingenious-than-the-common-man/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I am terrified of restrictive religious doctrine, having learned from history that when men who adhere to any form of it are in control,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/i-am-terrified-of-restrictive-religious-doctrine-having-learned-from/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“Creative writer has artistic sensibility. He observes the world like any common men. But his vision observes the world quite differently. He can perceive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/creative-writer-has-artistic-sensibility-he-observes-the-world-like/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The commander of the forces of a large State may be carried off, but the will of even a common man cannot be taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-commander-of-the-forces-of-a-large-state-may-be-carried-off-but/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Common men should esteem learning as silver, noble men prize it as gold, and princes as jewels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-ii/common-men-should-esteem-learning-as-silver-noble-men-prize-it-as/) [Pope Pius II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-ii/) > [Hathiram Choudhary is a vulnerable, intense and deep character. Like every common man, he just wants to prove himself and better himself. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaideep-ahlawat/hathiram-choudhary-is-a-vulnerable-intense-and-deep-character-like/) [Jaideep Ahlawat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaideep-ahlawat/) > [Those who respect the intelligence of the common man have always been masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suhasini-maniratnam/those-who-respect-the-intelligence-of-the-common-man-have-always-been/) [Suhasini Maniratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suhasini-maniratnam/) > [I know that a lot of people take inspiration from the fact that I was just a common man with no film background who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-kiran/i-know-that-a-lot-of-people-take-inspiration-from-the-fact-that-i-was/) [Uday Kiran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-kiran/) [Browse all 367 Common man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The four had come to an exciting decision\" during the six months of the blockade threatened by the authorities, they would make the ruins a laboratory, a demonstration of how well and happily men could live with virtually no machines. 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