--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nowadays we have so many things that take…" description: "\"Nowadays we have so many things that take our attention - phones, Internet - and perhaps we need to disconnect from those and focus on the immediate wo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/nicholas-hoult-12333_attention_nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-tak_1690961.jpg" --- # Nowadays we have so many things that take our attention… ![“Nowadays we have so many things that take our attention - phones, Internet - and perhaps we need to disconnect from those and focus on the immediate world around us and the people that are actually present.” quote by Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/nicholas-hoult-12333_attention_nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-tak_1690961.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/nicholas-hoult-12333_attention_nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-tak_1690961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/nicholas-hoult-12333_attention_nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-tak_1690961.jpg) > “Nowadays we have so many things that take our attention - phones, Internet - and perhaps we need to disconnect from those and focus on the immediate world around us and the people that are actually present.” [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) ## 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 warns that constant digital distractions prevent us from engaging with the present people and environment. **In simple terms:** Digital noise blocks real‑world connection. Key Takeaway Limit screen time to be present. Themes attention distraction presence mindfulness Mood reflective concerned Type advice observational When to use this quote - family meals - work meetings - social gatherings - travel - study Key Concepts digital media social interaction focus Questions to Reflect On - How often do you notice you’re scrolling instead of listening? - What simple habit could increase your presence? A Different Perspective It may be unrealistic to fully disconnect in modern life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Attention Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention-phones-1054808/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Need Disconnect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-disconnect-1054810/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Nowadays Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nowadays-things-1054809/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phones/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Things Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-attention-1054807/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Work is important, but you also need to disconnect, to unplug at times, in order to be even more concentrated when you do work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massimiliano-allegri/work-is-important-but-you-also-need-to-disconnect-to-unplug-at-times/) [Massimiliano Allegri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massimiliano-allegri/) > [Why do we feel the need to disconnect in order to connect?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/why-do-we-feel-the-need-to-disconnect-in-order-to-connect/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [If you don't pay attention to the things that have your attention, you'll give them more attention than they deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/if-you-don-t-pay-attention-to-the-things-that-have-your-attention-you/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [Just remember that those things that get attention flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-moran/just-remember-that-those-things-that-get-attention-flourish/) [Victoria Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-moran/) > [The surface of things is not where attention should rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-surface-of-things-is-not-where-attention-should-rest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I was really kind of shy as a child. But I would do things for attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-was-really-kind-of-shy-as-a-child-but-i-would-do-things-for/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [I always like to create things that get attention. It used to be a problem when I wasn't famous. Now, I can do whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bad-bunny/i-always-like-to-create-things-that-get-attention-it-used-to-be-a/) [Bad Bunny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bad-bunny/) > [And of course the things that get the most attention online tend to be similar to those that succeeded under the old model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/and-of-course-the-things-that-get-the-most-attention-online-tend-to/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [I broke things to get attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-broke-things-to-get-attention/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [Attention pays attention to a lot of things, but when attention pays attention to attention, then there is a stillness, and that stillness introduces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mooji/attention-pays-attention-to-a-lot-of-things-but-when-attention-pays/) [Mooji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mooji/) > [To make someone happy, give them three things: Attention, Affection and Appreciation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/to-make-someone-happy-give-them-three-things-attention-affection-and/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [Along with this rapid growth of forms of communication at our disposal - be it fax, phone, email, Internet or whatever - human solitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/along-with-this-rapid-growth-of-forms-of-communication-at-our/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [The basic scam in the Internet age is pretty easy even for the financially illiterate to grasp. It was as if banks like Goldman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/the-basic-scam-in-the-internet-age-is-pretty-easy-even-for-the/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [But I'm acutely aware that the possibility of fraud is even more prevalent in today's world because of the Internet and cell phones and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/but-i-m-acutely-aware-that-the-possibility-of-fraud-is-even-more/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [I get very anti-social, depressed and irritable with people. I don't have time for them. I can't make phone calls and stuff. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/i-get-very-anti-social-depressed-and-irritable-with-people-i-don-t/) [Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/) ## More by Nicholas Hoult > [It's a scary life and sometimes you think you'll never work again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/it-s-a-scary-life-and-sometimes-you-think-you-ll-never-work-again/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [When I like something, I love it, but then I'll let it go completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/when-i-like-something-i-love-it-but-then-i-ll-let-it-go-completely/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [If you're out, and starving, and need a bite to eat, then you need fast food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/if-you-re-out-and-starving-and-need-a-bite-to-eat-then-you-need-fast/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [That's how I believed relationships worked: You go into town, pick up the girl you want, then ride off into the mountains and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/that-s-how-i-believed-relationships-worked-you-go-into-town-pick-up/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [The paparazzi don't care about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/the-paparazzi-don-t-care-about-me/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [Supposedly I'm impossible to talk to. But it's honestly not me being difficult. Sometimes you just don't have a lot to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/supposedly-i-m-impossible-to-talk-to-but-it-s-honestly-not-me-being/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [I don't think parents always know where their children are going or what they are doing, what they are up to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/i-don-t-think-parents-always-know-where-their-children-are-going-or/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [Anybody who has a problem with 'Skins' obviously doesn't understand teenage life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/anybody-who-has-a-problem-with-skins-obviously-doesn-t-understand/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [I don't want to share my worries - that's for me to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/i-don-t-want-to-share-my-worries-that-s-for-me-to-know/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [I was really in to shiny things when I was younger and I stole a shiny tag for my dog. I didn't get caught.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/i-was-really-in-to-shiny-things-when-i-was-younger-and-i-stole-a/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [The lead actor, along with the director, plays a big role in what the vibe will be on set, and that's a huge responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/the-lead-actor-along-with-the-director-plays-a-big-role-in-what-the/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [It's awkward going to parties with people you don't know, especially when they think they know you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/it-s-awkward-going-to-parties-with-people-you-don-t-know-especially/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [By the time I was 14, I was about six foot. I remember going into auditions, and they'd look at how tall I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/by-the-time-i-was-14-i-was-about-six-foot-i-remember-going-into/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [I try not to read about myself. Why would reading about yourself be interesting? You're only going to be told you're doing a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/i-try-not-to-read-about-myself-why-would-reading-about-yourself-be/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) > [My mum always says work goes in waves: you have a good spell and then it dips.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/my-mum-always-says-work-goes-in-waves-you-have-a-good-spell-and-then/) [Nicholas Hoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) [Explore all 55 Nicholas Hoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/) ## 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": "Nowadays we have so many things that take our attention - phones, Internet - and perhaps we need to disconnect from those and focus on the immediate world around us and the people that are actually present.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicholas Hoult" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-take-our-attention-phones/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-take-our-attention-phones/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/nicholas-hoult-12333_attention_nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-tak_1690961.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/nicholas-hoult-12333_attention_nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-tak_1690961.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61e/nicholas-hoult-12333_attention_nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-tak_1690961.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nowadays we have so many things that take our attention - phones, Internet - and perhaps we need to…” — Nicholas Hoult", "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": "Nicholas Hoult", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-hoult/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nowadays we have so many things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-take-our-attention-phones/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-hoult/nowadays-we-have-so-many-things-that-take-our-attention-phones/#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 } } ] } ```