--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People always think of technology as…" description: "\"People always think of technology as something having silicon in it. But a pencil is technology. Any language is technology. Technology is a tool we us..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/mae-jemison-9290_accomplish_people-always-think-of-technology-as-som_715821.jpg" --- # People always think of technology as something having… ![“People always think of technology as something having silicon in it. But a pencil is technology. Any language is technology. Technology is a tool we use to accomplish a particular task and when one talks about appropriate technology in developing countries, appropriate may mean anything from fire…” quote by Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/mae-jemison-9290_accomplish_people-always-think-of-technology-as-som_715821.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/mae-jemison-9290_accomplish_people-always-think-of-technology-as-som_715821.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/mae-jemison-9290_accomplish_people-always-think-of-technology-as-som_715821.jpg) > “People always think of technology as something having silicon in it. But a pencil is technology. Any language is technology. Technology is a tool we use to accomplish a particular task and when one talks about appropriate technology in developing countries, appropriate may mean anything from fire to solar electricity.” [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technology is any tool that helps accomplish tasks, ranging from simple to advanced, and its appropriateness varies by context. **In simple terms:** All tools are technology; suitability depends on needs. Key Takeaway Choose tools that fit the specific problem. Themes technology appropriateness innovation development resourcefulness Mood practical analytical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - rural development - education - disaster relief - everyday problem solving Key Concepts engineering social science anthropology Questions to Reflect On - What tool best solves your current challenge? - How do you define “appropriate” technology? A Different Perspective Simplifying technology may ignore cultural or systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplish/) [Appropriate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriate/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Developing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developing/) [Developing countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developing-countries/) [Electricity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electricity/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-technology-3171145/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil/) [Pencil Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil-technology-5635637/) [Pencils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencils/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Silicon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silicon/) [Tasks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tasks/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Technology Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology-having-2222572/) [Technology Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology-language-5635636/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) ## Related quotes > [Language as the technology of human extension, whose powers of division and separation we know so well, may have been the "Tower of Babel"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/language-as-the-technology-of-human-extension-whose-powers-of/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [When I was in school, if you wanted a computer, you had to build one. 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We're all obsessed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/when-i-was-in-school-if-you-wanted-a-computer-you-had-to-build-one/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [The dreams of the past - whether it was public TV being rolled into the classroom to teach Spanish, or the film projectors or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-dreams-of-the-past-whether-it-was-public-tv-being-rolled-into-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The research carried out in the area of language technology is of utmost importance for the consolidation of Portuguese as a language of global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-passos-coelho/the-research-carried-out-in-the-area-of-language-technology-is-of/) [Pedro Passos Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-passos-coelho/) > [When I left NASA, I was looking at how you could use space technologies for developing countries' work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/when-i-left-nasa-i-was-looking-at-how-you-could-use-space/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [I don't think that developing countries gained from a two-stage process. 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Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) ## More by Mae Jemison > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [Science provides an understanding of a universal experience. Arts provide a universal understanding of a personal experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/science-provides-an-understanding-of-a-universal-experience-arts/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [One Hundred Year Starship really is about the idea that is we pursue an extraordinary tomorrow; we'll build a better world today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/one-hundred-year-starship-really-is-about-the-idea-that-is-we-pursue/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [I stayed in the astronaut program until 1993. People ask me why I left. I thought I had a lot of things to contribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-stayed-in-the-astronaut-program-until-1993-people-ask-me-why-i-left/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [I was thinking as a little girl growing up that I would be there. 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Maybe that's true in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/there-is-a-fascination-with-the-idea-that-one-has-seen-someone-else/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [The drills we do, where you're telling kids to memorize things, don't actually work. What works is engaging them and letting them do things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/the-drills-we-do-where-you-re-telling-kids-to-memorize-things-don-t/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [Some people say they feel very small when they think about space. I felt more expansive, very connected to the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/some-people-say-they-feel-very-small-when-they-think-about-space-i/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [I wanted to be a professional dancer for a period of time, and I did a lot of dancing and choreography and got paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-wanted-to-be-a-professional-dancer-for-a-period-of-time-and-i-did-a/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [Sometimes people ask me how difficult the astronaut program was, but being in Sierra Leone, being responsible for the health of more than 200…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/sometimes-people-ask-me-how-difficult-the-astronaut-program-was-but/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [In space, you need to exercise your heart since it's not pumping blood around at the same rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/in-space-you-need-to-exercise-your-heart-since-it-s-not-pumping-blood/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [I think we know how to do Mars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-think-we-know-how-to-do-mars/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [I believe the biggest impediment we have right now with going to Mars is public commitment. 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