--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Despite the Internet 's origin in the…" description: "\"Despite the Internet 's origin in the late 1960s as a government sponsored means of communication between the Department of Defense, private industry, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/l-neil-smith-3636_1960s_despite-the-internet-s-origin-in-the-lat_2118810.jpg" --- # Despite the Internet 's origin in the late 1960s as a… ![“Despite the Internet 's origin in the late 1960s as a government sponsored means of communication between the Department of Defense, private industry, and academia, it has been at its best and generated the greatest economic, social, and technological benefits since it was 'liberated' by the…” quote by L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/l-neil-smith-3636_1960s_despite-the-internet-s-origin-in-the-lat_2118810.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/l-neil-smith-3636_1960s_despite-the-internet-s-origin-in-the-lat_2118810.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/l-neil-smith-3636_1960s_despite-the-internet-s-origin-in-the-lat_2118810.jpg) > “Despite the Internet 's origin in the late 1960s as a government sponsored means of communication between the Department of Defense, private industry, and academia, it has been at its best and generated the greatest economic, social, and technological benefits since it was 'liberated' by the hordes of 'geeks' who were originally hired to run it by employers who were not themselves conversant with computers, and couldn't tell when their employees were exchanging official traffic or trading dirty jokes and recipes for marijuana brownies.” [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Internet, originally a government project, flourished when opened to creative, non‑expert users, sparking massive economic and cultural change. **In simple terms:** Internet grew from military tool to public playground, driving huge benefits. Key Takeaway Embrace open access and diverse users. Themes technology culture economics innovation freedom Mood optimistic reflective Type historical analytical When to use this quote - startup culture - remote work - online education - digital activism Key Concepts network effects information diffusion creative disruption Questions to Reflect On - How does openness balance innovation and safety? - What responsibilities do users have? A Different Perspective Open access can also enable misinformation and security risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1960s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1960s-426/) [Academia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academia/) [Benefits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefits/) [Brownies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brownies/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense/) [Department](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/department/) [Despite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despite/) [Dirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirty/) [Dirty joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirty-joke/) [Dirty jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirty-jokes/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Employee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employee/) [Employers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employers/) [Exchanging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exchanging/) [Geek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geek/) [Geeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geeks/) [Geeks Originally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geeks-originally-4312486/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Horde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horde/) [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Internet Origin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet-origin-4312485/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late/) [Liberated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberated/) [Marijuana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marijuana/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Means of communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means-of-communication/) [Officials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officials/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Recipes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recipes/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Technological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-technological-4312488/) [Technological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technological/) [Technological Benefits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technological-benefits-4312487/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Trading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trading/) [Traffic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traffic/) ## Related quotes > [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [“Like other kinds of intelligence, the storyteller's is partly natural, partly trained. It is composed of several qualities, most of which, in normal people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/like-other-kinds-of-intelligence-the-storyteller-s-is-partly-natural/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [And I liked pluralist Australia. I got a taste for pluralist Australia. I like, I like Australians and I can't believe that they're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keneally/and-i-liked-pluralist-australia-i-got-a-taste-for-pluralist-australia/) [Thomas Keneally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keneally/) > [“That night at the Brooklyn party, I was playing the girl who was in style, the girl a man like Nick wants: the Cool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/that-night-at-the-brooklyn-party-i-was-playing-the-girl-who-was-in/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“There are so many dirty names for her that one rarely learns them all, even in one’s native language. There are dirty names for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/there-are-so-many-dirty-names-for-her-that-one-rarely-learns-them-all/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [Remember how I found you there alone in your electric chair, I told you dirty jokes until you smiled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/remember-how-i-found-you-there-alone-in-your-electric-chair-i-told/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I went to sexaholics anonymous for six months. For research. I wanted to see the structure of the groups, how they were conducted, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/i-went-to-sexaholics-anonymous-for-six-months-for-research-i-wanted/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Every time I get happy the Nana-hex comes through. Birds turn into plumber's tools, a sonnet turns into a dirty joke, a wind turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/every-time-i-get-happy-the-nana-hex-comes-through-birds-turn-into/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Everyone seems to think I'm very ladylike. That I'm very cultured and intelligent. I drink alot of Diet Coke and belch. I've been known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/everyone-seems-to-think-i-m-very-ladylike-that-i-m-very-cultured-and/) [Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/) > [“You know what’s really, powerfully sexy? A sense of humor. A taste for adventure. A healthy glow. Hips to grab on to. Openness. Confidence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-what-s-really-powerfully-sexy-a-sense-of-humor-a-taste-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Its true. We did go in that room together and yes we were going to…you know… but Logan was so drunk. Like really drunk.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-harper/its-true-we-did-go-in-that-room-together-and-yes-we-were-going-to-you/) [Ali Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-harper/) > ["You two would make a cute couple," she says as she passes by with a full dough tray in her arms. I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/you-two-would-make-a-cute-couple-she-says-as-she-passes-by-with-a/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“Where did you find construction guys swapping dirty jokes in proto-Númenorean?” Aura asked. “On construction sites. Is that coffee ready?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/where-did-you-find-construction-guys-swapping-dirty-jokes-in-proto-n/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [That awkward moment when you watch an animated movie from your childhood, and finally understand all the dirty jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/that-awkward-moment-when-you-watch-an-animated-movie-from-your/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Mathematics is a collection of cheap tricks and dirty jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lipman-bers/mathematics-is-a-collection-of-cheap-tricks-and-dirty-jokes/) [Lipman Bers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lipman-bers/) ## More by L. Neil Smith > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Great men don't 'move to the center' - great men move the center!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/great-men-don-t-move-to-the-center-great-men-move-the-center/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I suggest due process, speedy trials, and public hangings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-suggest-due-process-speedy-trials-and-public-hangings/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Guns cause crime like flies cause garbage!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/guns-cause-crime-like-flies-cause-garbage/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I have a recurring daymare that when the Glorious People's SWAT Teams smash their way in, most of us - by which I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-have-a-recurring-daymare-that-when-the-glorious-people-s-swat-teams/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I'll remind you all, however, that for government, existence is a privilege, not a right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-ll-remind-you-all-however-that-for-government-existence-is-a/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I propose a Constitutional Amendment providing that, if any public official, elected or appointed, at any level of government, is caught lying to any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-propose-a-constitutional-amendment-providing-that-if-any-public/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Victim disarmament types are sick, sick people, who'd rather see a woman raped in an alley and strangled with her own pantyhose than see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/victim-disarmament-types-are-sick-sick-people-who-d-rather-see-a/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Money, first and foremost, is a medium of communication, conveying the information we call 'price'. Government control of the money supply is censorship, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/money-first-and-foremost-is-a-medium-of-communication-conveying-the/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/a-libertarian-is-a-person-who-believes-that-no-one-has-the-right/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [“...occasionally I like carrying raw steel to remind myself of an important lesson. The blade's an extension of the hand, the agent--no pun intended--of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/occasionally-i-like-carrying-raw-steel-to-remind-myself-of-an/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Thanks to guys like Boss Tweed, famous for saying, 'I don't give a damn who does the voting, as long as I do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/thanks-to-guys-like-boss-tweed-famous-for-saying-i-don-t-give-a-damn/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Taxes are a barbaric remnant of ancient times in which early farmers, tied to the land, no longer able to roam freely, unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/taxes-are-a-barbaric-remnant-of-ancient-times-in-which-early-farmers/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [If conservatives really believed in individual liberty, as they endlessly claim and if they used both halves of their brains then they'd be libertarians.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/if-conservatives-really-believed-in-individual-liberty-as-they/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [You cannot force me to agree with you. You can force me to act as though I agree with you but then you'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/you-cannot-force-me-to-agree-with-you-you-can-force-me-to-act-as/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) [Explore all 125 L. Neil Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) ## More 1960s quotes > [We do need different types of propulsion to get to Mars. I wrote one of the first Ph.D. theses on that in the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-do-need-different-types-of-propulsion-to-get-to-mars-i-wrote-one/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Each year more than 100,000 high school graduates, with proved ability, do not enter college because they cannot afford it. And if we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/each-year-more-than-100-000-high-school-graduates-with-proved-ability/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-likely-to-disappear-in-a/) [Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/) > [Sometimes a party must sail against the wind. We cannot heed the call of those who say it is time to furl the sail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/sometimes-a-party-must-sail-against-the-wind-we-cannot-heed-the-call/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [ \[In the 1960s\]...you could take LSD but you couldn't wear a pantsuit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsey-johnson/in-the-1960s-you-could-take-lsd-but-you-couldn-t-wear-a-pantsuit/) [Betsey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsey-johnson/) > [Is it a coincidence that stories from the private life became more popular just as the grand hope for public redemption through revolution was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/is-it-a-coincidence-that-stories-from-the-private-life-became-more/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [I think the general anxiety of the 1960s - '70s spawned our interest in the living dead. When people worry about the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/i-think-the-general-anxiety-of-the-1960s-70s-spawned-our-interest-in/) [Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/) > [“A friend once told me a story about a former Black Panther leader in a Midwest community who in the 1960s had his phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/a-friend-once-told-me-a-story-about-a-former-black-panther-leader-in/) [Luis J. Rodríguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/) > [I was never bothered about my position in the industry. If I had believed in it, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to get ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-was-never-bothered-about-my-position-in-the-industry-if-i-had/) [Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/) > [Under the system that we now have to nominate presidential candidates, for instance, I would prefer that we have a system that is closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beschloss/under-the-system-that-we-now-have-to-nominate-presidential-candidates/) [Michael Beschloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beschloss/) > [My son Bill, who came to me in 1960-he was 14 then, quoted the old parable to me: "It is not by their words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/my-son-bill-who-came-to-me-in-1960-he-was-14-then-quoted-the-old/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [There is a book called San Francisco Tape Music Centre:1960s Counterculture and the Avant-Garde and this book describes everything that you want to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-oliveros/there-is-a-book-called-san-francisco-tape-music-centre-1960s/) [Pauline Oliveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-oliveros/) > [Much of the art of the 1960s, from body art to video and direct performance, was concerned with similar issues. And then there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valie-export/much-of-the-art-of-the-1960s-from-body-art-to-video-and-direct/) [Valie Export](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valie-export/) > [I went through college in the 1960s without having any idea that I was going to have to make a living. When I graduated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-went-through-college-in-the-1960s-without-having-any-idea-that-i/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“At the beginning of a decade when everything was beginning to seem possible, nothing seemed impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-lee-shetterly/at-the-beginning-of-a-decade-when-everything-was-beginning-to-seem/) [Margot Lee Shetterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-lee-shetterly/) [Browse all 486 1960s quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1960s-426/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Despite the Internet 's origin in the late 1960s as a government sponsored means of communication between the Department of Defense, private industry, and academia, it has been at its best and generated the greatest economic, social, and technological benefits since it was 'liberated' by the hordes of 'geeks' who were originally hired to run it by employers who were not themselves conversant with computers, and couldn't tell when their employees were exchanging official traffic or trading dirty jokes and recipes for marijuana brownies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "L. 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