--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I guess it's always uncomfortable to…" description: "\"“I guess it's always uncomfortable to discover you're not as individual as you thought. But it really bothered me. From one perspective, I was an indep..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/max-barry-7380_computers_i-guess-it-s-always-uncomfortable-to-dis_2943093.jpg" --- # I guess it's always uncomfortable to discover you're not… ![“I guess it's always uncomfortable to discover you're not as individual as you thought. But it really bothered me. From one perspective, I was an independent animal, exercising free will in order to elicit predictable reactions from an inert vending machine. But from another, the vending machine…” quote by Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/max-barry-7380_computers_i-guess-it-s-always-uncomfortable-to-dis_2943093.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/max-barry-7380_computers_i-guess-it-s-always-uncomfortable-to-dis_2943093.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fb/max-barry-7380_computers_i-guess-it-s-always-uncomfortable-to-dis_2943093.jpg) > ““I guess it's always uncomfortable to discover you're not as individual as you thought. But it really bothered me. From one perspective, I was an independent animal, exercising free will in order to elicit predictable reactions from an inert vending machine. But from another, the vending machine was choosing to withhold snacks in order to extract predictable, mechanical reactions from young men. I couldn't figure out any objective reason to consider one scenario more likely than the other.”” [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) ## 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 explores the discomfort of realizing one's actions may be manipulated, questioning individuality versus deterministic influences. **In simple terms:** We may think we act freely, but external forces can shape us. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about free will and control. Themes identity control free will determinism illusion Mood thoughtful skeptical intrigued Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - marketing decisions - social media usage - personal habits - critical thinking Key Concepts philosophy psychology behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - Can you identify moments of genuine choice? - How can you reclaim autonomy? A Different Perspective The perspective may overlook personal agency and resilience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Young men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-men/) ## Related quotes > [The reason to consider life and what's of value is to make sure you're not missing out. Seize the day. What's important to you?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-maynard/the-reason-to-consider-life-and-what-s-of-value-is-to-make-sure-you/) [Brittany Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-maynard/) > [But who knows their own child? You know bits - certain predictable reactions, a handful of familiar qualities. The rest is impenetrable. And quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-lively/but-who-knows-their-own-child-you-know-bits-certain-predictable/) [Penelope Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-lively/) > [The mind is just like a crowd; thoughts are the individuals. And because thoughts are there continuously you think the process is substantial. Drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-mind-is-just-like-a-crowd-thoughts-are-the-individuals-and/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“individual thought is mostly the result of collective thought and of interaction with other people. The language is entirely collective, and most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/individual-thought-is-mostly-the-result-of-collective-thought-and-of/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [The individual cannot think and communicate his thought, the governor and legislator cannot act effectively or frame his laws without words, and the solidity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-individual-cannot-think-and-communicate-his-thought-the-governor/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Everything which is, is thought, but not conscious and individual thought. The human intelligence is but the consciousness of being. It is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/everything-which-is-is-thought-but-not-conscious-and-individual/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Creation is always happening. Every time and individual has a thought, or a prolonged chronic way of thinking, they're in the creation process. Something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/creation-is-always-happening-every-time-and-individual-has-a-thought/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) > [“God would reveal “Himself to anyone who would “listen,” and that “He” had a minutely detailed plan for every human life. The sheer chutzpah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bufe/god-would-reveal-himself-to-anyone-who-would-listen-and-that-he-had-a/) [Charles Bufe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bufe/) > [The game business arose from computer programs that were written by and for young men in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/the-game-business-arose-from-computer-programs-that-were-written-by/) [Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/) > [It is well for young men to have a model, but let them draw the curtain over it while they are painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/it-is-well-for-young-men-to-have-a-model-but-let-them-draw-the/) [Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [We have the power, as lawmakers, to find ways to support our young men and identify solutions to the hardships they regularly experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-mcbath/we-have-the-power-as-lawmakers-to-find-ways-to-support-our-young-men/) [Lucy McBath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-mcbath/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) ## More by Max Barry > [“Well, I like to know where I'm going before I try to get there. It's a mistake to try to execute a plan before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/well-i-like-to-know-where-i-m-going-before-i-try-to-get-there-it-s-a/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [Hey, I saw this old British movie, all the people spoke so different, you could hardly understand them. But everyone here speaks American as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/hey-i-saw-this-old-british-movie-all-the-people-spoke-so-different/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [By this action, the Government has proved that so long as it exists, none of us are truly free. Government and freedom are mutually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/by-this-action-the-government-has-proved-that-so-long-as-it-exists/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [“Thanks for being the kind of person who likes to pick up a book. That's a genuinely great thing. I met a librarian recently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/thanks-for-being-the-kind-of-person-who-likes-to-pick-up-a-book-that/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [“I met a librian recently who said she doesn't read because books are her job and when she goes home, she wanats to switch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/i-met-a-librian-recently-who-said-she-doesn-t-read-because-books-are/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [I read once that you need two things to be happy: any two of health, money, and love. You can cover the absense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/i-read-once-that-you-need-two-things-to-be-happy-any-two-of-health/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [“What was it Like?" "What was what like?" he said, although he knew. "Quick, I imagine. But you must have perceived something. A split…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/what-was-it-like-what-was-what-like-he-said-although-he-knew-quick-i/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [People resist a census, but give them a profile page and they'll spend all day telling you who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/people-resist-a-census-but-give-them-a-profile-page-and-they-ll-spend/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [every story written is marks upon a page The same marks, repeated, only differently arranged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/every-story-written-is-marks-upon-a-page-the-same-marks-repeated-only/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [“Fifteen years ago, this would have been insider trading, but that quaint concept had disappeared a decade or two ago when so many brokers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/fifteen-years-ago-this-would-have-been-insider-trading-but-that/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [“With Lola, everything was solvable. She was my independent variable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/with-lola-everything-was-solvable-she-was-my-independent-variable/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [“The newspapers said nobody made it out alive." "Surely you didn't trust them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/the-newspapers-said-nobody-made-it-out-alive-surely-you-didn-t-trust/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [“Attention words. A single word wasn't enough. Not even for a particular segment. The brain had defenses, filters evolved over millions of years to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/attention-words-a-single-word-wasn-t-enough-not-even-for-a-particular/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [That's the thing you learn about values: they're what people make up to justify what they did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/that-s-the-thing-you-learn-about-values-they-re-what-people-make-up/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [When it's done with being graceful and poetic, language is meant to communicate, after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/when-it-s-done-with-being-graceful-and-poetic-language-is-meant-to/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) [Explore all 90 Max Barry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) ## More Computers quotes > [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. Had a one night stand with something cute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/probably-it-goes-without-saying-but-time-machine-guys-don-t-get-a-lot/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/) [Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/) > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) Jen-Hsun Huang > [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/) William Henry Pickering > [“Alan Turing proposed the Turing Test: a computer is intelligent if you can't tell it from a human when you talk with it. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cjs-hayward/alan-turing-proposed-the-turing-test-a-computer-is-intelligent-if-you/) [CJS Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cjs-hayward/) > [Computers can be taught that certain tune or certain chords changes will sound pleasant together, but I don't think it's going to reach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonobo/computers-can-be-taught-that-certain-tune-or-certain-chords-changes/) [Bonobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonobo/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/) Cruce Stark > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) [Browse all 9,389 Computers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I guess it's always uncomfortable to discover you're not as individual as you thought. But it really bothered me. From one perspective, I was an independent animal, exercising free will in order to elicit predictable reactions from an inert vending machine. But from another, the vending machine was choosing to withhold snacks in order to extract predictable, mechanical reactions from young men. 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