--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With television, attention spans have…" description: "\"With television, attention spans have been shortened. It's something we have to fight against: the dumbing down of the audience. To be part of an audie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/miriam-margolyes-5120_attention_with-television-attention-spans-have-bee_2824738.jpg" --- # With television, attention spans have been shortened. It's… ![“With television, attention spans have been shortened. It's something we have to fight against: the dumbing down of the audience. To be part of an audience is a privilege. To be with the people on stage, to let them reach you. If you're doing a million other things, they won't reach you.” quote by Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/miriam-margolyes-5120_attention_with-television-attention-spans-have-bee_2824738.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/miriam-margolyes-5120_attention_with-television-attention-spans-have-bee_2824738.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/miriam-margolyes-5120_attention_with-television-attention-spans-have-bee_2824738.jpg) > “With television, attention spans have been shortened. It's something we have to fight against: the dumbing down of the audience. To be part of an audience is a privilege. To be with the people on stage, to let them reach you. If you're doing a million other things, they won't reach you.” [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern media often fragments focus, making deep engagement rare. **In simple terms:** TV shortens focus; we must resist. Key Takeaway Prioritize deep listening over multitasking. Themes media attention culture Mood critical reflective Type observational advice When to use this quote - public speaking - education - marketing - personal productivity Key Concepts cognitive overload audience privilege Questions to Reflect On - How can you design content that captures sustained attention? - What habits help you stay present? A Different Perspective Multitasking can dilute message impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Attention span](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention-span/) [Attention Spans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention-spans-549688/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audience Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-privilege-3615414/) [Dumbing Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumbing-audience-3615416/) [Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Television Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television-attention-3615415/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [For years, particularly with the advent of the Internet, people have been griping about lessening attention spans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/for-years-particularly-with-the-advent-of-the-internet-people-have/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [I think people are really desperate for conversations. I'm really fascinated by the idea that at the same time, the internet is sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-kasher/i-think-people-are-really-desperate-for-conversations-i-m-really/) [Moshe Kasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-kasher/) > [I know everyone says attention spans are shorter now, and if you can't get them in the first 20 seconds, you lost them. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/i-know-everyone-says-attention-spans-are-shorter-now-and-if-you-can-t/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [We're not cognitively equipped to deal with it. And it's becoming a problem, frankly. It's part of the reason why I quit Facebook. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/we-re-not-cognitively-equipped-to-deal-with-it-and-it-s-becoming-a/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [Cats would rule the world if they had longer attention spans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-d-hlavaty/cats-would-rule-the-world-if-they-had-longer-attention-spans/) [Arthur D. Hlavaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-d-hlavaty/) > [I know there is also the influence of television and being able to zap away so it is a weightier decision to go into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-snow/i-know-there-is-also-the-influence-of-television-and-being-able-to/) [Michael Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-snow/) > [Do you know why language manifests itself the way it does in my work? It's because I understand short attention spans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/do-you-know-why-language-manifests-itself-the-way-it-does-in-my-work/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [People's attention spans, first of all, aren't always long enough. You also want to not be preachy. You want to be able to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-glover/people-s-attention-spans-first-of-all-aren-t-always-long-enough-you/) [Stephen Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-glover/) > [I want people to be drawn into the space of the work. And a lot of people are like me in that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/i-want-people-to-be-drawn-into-the-space-of-the-work-and-a-lot-of/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [People's attention spans are a little shorter these days. Same thing with food and movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/people-s-attention-spans-are-a-little-shorter-these-days-same-thing/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [“Things stop being funny if you have to explain them to people, especially if they need excellent attention spans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/things-stop-being-funny-if-you-have-to-explain-them-to-people/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [The ultimate pitch for an era of short attention spans begins with a single word - and doesn't go any further.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/the-ultimate-pitch-for-an-era-of-short-attention-spans-begins-with-a/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [Land of snap decisions, land of short attention spans, nothing is savored long enough to really understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/land-of-snap-decisions-land-of-short-attention-spans-nothing-is/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Now, for my younger viewers out there, a book is something we used to have before the internet. It’s sort of a blog for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/now-for-my-younger-viewers-out-there-a-book-is-something-we-used-to/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Mid-grade readers don't have short attention spans, they just have low boredom tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-attention-spans-they-just-have-low/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) ## More by Miriam Margolyes > [It's very hard to talk about Palestine to Jewish people - they see me as a betrayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/it-s-very-hard-to-talk-about-palestine-to-jewish-people-they-see-me/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [I'm not really a practising Jew but I keep a kosher kitchen just to spite Hitler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-m-not-really-a-practising-jew-but-i-keep-a-kosher-kitchen-just-to/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [I don't understand why gay people are so anxious to get married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-don-t-understand-why-gay-people-are-so-anxious-to-get-married/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [People seem comfortable with me. And maybe that's got a lot to do with shows like Graham Norton. You just tell it like it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/people-seem-comfortable-with-me-and-maybe-that-s-got-a-lot-to-do-with/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [I have a class prejudice - against the upper class, which is foolish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-have-a-class-prejudice-against-the-upper-class-which-is-foolish/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [The American actor is much more used to being physically relaxed and using their bodies better, and English actors are a little bit unrelaxed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/the-american-actor-is-much-more-used-to-being-physically-relaxed-and/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [Israel is stupid for allowing people to vent their anti-Semitism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/israel-is-stupid-for-allowing-people-to-vent-their-anti-semitism/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [Life, if you're fat is a minefield--you have to pick your way, otherwise you blow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/life-if-you-re-fat-is-a-minefield-you-have-to-pick-your-way-otherwise/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [I know that a lot of my life is spent thinking about crisps and eating crisps and hating myself for eating crisps. It's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-know-that-a-lot-of-my-life-is-spent-thinking-about-crisps-and/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [I may have a talent for acting, but I am incapable of doing anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-may-have-a-talent-for-acting-but-i-am-incapable-of-doing-anything/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [It's shameful to admit, but it's been a bit of a lifelong affair, and I do now feel I'm as good as it gets.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/it-s-shameful-to-admit-but-it-s-been-a-bit-of-a-lifelong-affair-and-i/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [I'm a silly little needy person sometimes, and I crouch in a room all alone and think of all the people that I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-m-a-silly-little-needy-person-sometimes-and-i-crouch-in-a-room-all/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [I support children's charities; I just don't want them around me. It's not very admirable, but it's the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-support-children-s-charities-i-just-don-t-want-them-around-me-it-s/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [My feeling is that the English are naturally anti-Semitic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/my-feeling-is-that-the-english-are-naturally-anti-semitic/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [I don't care what I look like. I must be comfortable. Some of my friends have plastic surgery and Botox, but I'm not interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-don-t-care-what-i-look-like-i-must-be-comfortable-some-of-my/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) [Explore all 103 Miriam Margolyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With television, attention spans have been shortened. 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