--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We Americans seem to know everything…" description: "\"“We Americans seem to know everything about the last twenty-four hours but very little of the last sixty centuries or the last sixty years.”4”\" — Neil ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/neil-postman-1598_americans_we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-abo_3149402.jpg" --- # We Americans seem to know everything about the last… ![“We Americans seem to know everything about the last twenty-four hours but very little of the last sixty centuries or the last sixty years.”4” quote by Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/neil-postman-1598_americans_we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-abo_3149402.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/neil-postman-1598_americans_we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-abo_3149402.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/neil-postman-1598_americans_we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-abo_3149402.jpg) > ““We Americans seem to know everything about the last twenty-four hours but very little of the last sixty centuries or the last sixty years.”4”” [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques modern society's focus on recent events while neglecting deep historical context. **In simple terms:** We ignore long-term history for short-term news. Key Takeaway Balance current awareness with historical perspective. Themes media history knowledge Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical educational When to use this quote - news consumption - education - policy making - personal reflection Key Concepts cognitive bias short-term focus information overload Questions to Reflect On - What recent events have you over‑emphasized? - How can you integrate historical context into daily news? A Different Perspective Historical understanding is essential for informed decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) ## Related quotes > [Most Americans do not know what their strengths are. 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I want to know how many hours of the night are gone and how many remain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredric-brown/it-should-not-matter-but-it-does-i-want-to-know-how-many-hours-of-the/) [Fredric Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredric-brown/) > [“When you have only know someone for a few hours it is difficult to now what they would like to hear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/when-you-have-only-know-someone-for-a-few-hours-it-is-difficult-to/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [Once you work hard, you're confident. You know what it takes. And you know the hours that you put in to have the results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pascal-siakam/once-you-work-hard-you-re-confident-you-know-what-it-takes-and-you/) [Pascal Siakam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pascal-siakam/) > [Any two philosophers can tell each other all they know in two hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/any-two-philosophers-can-tell-each-other-all-they-know-in-two-hours/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [“All I know is that the hours are long... and constrain us to beguile them with proceedings which ... may at first sight seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/all-i-know-is-that-the-hours-are-long-and-constrain-us-to-beguile/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [. . . Americans are the best entertained and quite likely the least well-informed people in the Western world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/americans-are-the-best-entertained-and-quite-likely-the-least-well/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Americans know very little about social statistics, but I am not sure that it's important that Americans know about social statistics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/americans-know-very-little-about-social-statistics-but-i-am-not-sure/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [If it's not televised, there's no way Americans will know about competitive badminton. All they know is the back-yard thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-bach/if-it-s-not-televised-there-s-no-way-americans-will-know-about/) [Howard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-bach/) > [Tens of millions of Americans who neither know or understand the actual arguments for, or even against, evolution, march in the Army of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/tens-of-millions-of-americans-who-neither-know-or-understand-the/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It's important for Americans to know what the guys fighting the wars have been experiencing, not just from the perspective of a talking-head politician…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-webb/it-s-important-for-americans-to-know-what-the-guys-fighting-the-wars/) [Brandon Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-webb/) > [The good news is, Americans know firsthand the benefits of a free market - more choices, lower prices, higher quality - and there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shadegg/the-good-news-is-americans-know-firsthand-the-benefits-of-a-free/) [John Shadegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shadegg/) > [Few Americans know that their SS taxes are never segregated or saved by the federal gov, but rather spent immediately as general funds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/few-americans-know-that-their-ss-taxes-are-never-segregated-or-saved/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Neil Postman > [“to whom will the technology give greater power and freedom? And whose power and freedom will be reduced by it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/to-whom-will-the-technology-give-greater-power-and-freedom-and-whose/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Cyberspace' is a metaphorical idea which is supposed to be the space where your consciousness is located when you're using computer technology on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/cyberspace-is-a-metaphorical-idea-which-is-supposed-to-be-the-space/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Textbooks, it seems to me, are enemies of education, instruments for promoting dogmatism and trivial learning. They may save the teacher some trouble, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/textbooks-it-seems-to-me-are-enemies-of-education-instruments-for/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [The whole problem with news on television comes down to this: all the words uttered in an hour of news coverage could be printed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-whole-problem-with-news-on-television-comes-down-to-this-all-the/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“There being no international copyright laws, “pirated” editions abounded, with no complaint from the public, or much from authors, who were lionized.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/there-being-no-international-copyright-laws-pirated-editions-abounded/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“The television commercial is not at all about the character of products to be consumed. It is about the character of the consumers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-television-commercial-is-not-at-all-about-the-character-of/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“Many decisions about the form and content of news programs are made on the basis of information about the viewer, the purpose of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/many-decisions-about-the-form-and-content-of-news-programs-are-made/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“the world we live in is very nearly incomprehensible to most of us. There is almost no fact, whether actual or imagined, that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-world-we-live-in-is-very-nearly-incomprehensible-to-most-of-us/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“Tüketici psikodramalarla yatıştırılan bir hastadır.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/t-ketici-psikodramalarla-yat-t-r-lan-bir-hastad-r/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“Huxley grasped, as Orwell did not, that it is not necessary to conceal anything from a public insensible to contradiction and narcotized by technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/huxley-grasped-as-orwell-did-not-that-it-is-not-necessary-to-conceal/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“The written word is assumed to have been reflected upon and revised by its author,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-written-word-is-assumed-to-have-been-reflected-upon-and-revised/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [We do not measure a culture by its output of undisguised trivialities but by what it claims as significant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-do-not-measure-a-culture-by-its-output-of-undisguised-trivialities/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“In America, the least amusing people are its professional entertainers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/in-america-the-least-amusing-people-are-its-professional-entertainers/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-were-keeping-our-eye-on-1984-when-the-year-came-and-the-prophecy/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“The question is not, Does or doesn't public schooling create a public? The question is, What kind of public does it create? A conglomerate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-question-is-not-does-or-doesn-t-public-schooling-create-a-public/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) [Explore all 220 Neil Postman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) ## More Americans quotes > [“People – Americans, mostly – realise how attached they are to material comforts when they arrive in India.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-william-roberts/people-americans-mostly-realise-how-attached-they-are-to-material/) Paul William Roberts > [Music has an intrinsic value that touches Americans - they love their music, and want more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-rosen/music-has-an-intrinsic-value-that-touches-americans-they-love-their/) [Hilary Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-rosen/) > [Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/americans-are-very-friendly-and-very-suspicious-that-is-what/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) > [My parents don't care what Americans think of us; we just care what the other Indian people in our community think of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-suri/my-parents-don-t-care-what-americans-think-of-us-we-just-care-what/) [Himanshu Suri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-suri/) > [When Americans, who have no idea who I am, laugh at my jokes, it's exactly the same if someone loves you even if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-elmaleh/when-americans-who-have-no-idea-who-i-am-laugh-at-my-jokes-it-s/) [Gad Elmaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-elmaleh/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We Americans tend to be a prodigal lot. We are as careless with our personal resources as we are with the resources of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-crook-de-camp/we-americans-tend-to-be-a-prodigal-lot-we-are-as-careless-with-our/) [Catherine Crook de Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-crook-de-camp/) > [Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/americans-will-put-up-with-anything-provided-it-doesn-t-block-traffic/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Most Americans believe in fairness; we believe that people should work hard but there should be a safety net. We believe in saving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/most-americans-believe-in-fairness-we-believe-that-people-should-work/) [Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/) > [“Using a wide variety of media, we could demonstrate for our fellow Americans their anxieties, desires, insufficiencies, and frustrations--and how to assuage them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/using-a-wide-variety-of-media-we-could-demonstrate-for-our-fellow/) [Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/) > [The Americans say that we are ungrateful-but I ask them for heaven's sake, what should we be grateful to them for-for murdering our fathers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walker/the-americans-say-that-we-are-ungrateful-but-i-ask-them-for-heaven-s/) [David Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walker/) > [So many Korean Americans like me came to this country with the hope of achieving their own American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-steel/so-many-korean-americans-like-me-came-to-this-country-with-the-hope/) [Michelle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-steel/) > [You are Americans. You love this country. Together we are entrusted with the principles that represent mankind's greatest political and social achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tsongas/you-are-americans-you-love-this-country-together-we-are-entrusted/) [Paul Tsongas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tsongas/) [Browse all 1,536 Americans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We Americans seem to know everything about the last twenty-four hours but very little of the last sixty centuries or the last sixty years.”4”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil Postman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-about-the-last-twenty-four-hours/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Americans" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-about-the-last-twenty-four-hours/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/neil-postman-1598_americans_we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-abo_3149402.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/neil-postman-1598_americans_we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-abo_3149402.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ea/neil-postman-1598_americans_we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-abo_3149402.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We Americans seem to know everything about the last twenty-four hours but very little of the last sixty…” — Neil Postman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Neil Postman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We Americans seem to know everything...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-about-the-last-twenty-four-hours/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-americans-seem-to-know-everything-about-the-last-twenty-four-hours/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```