--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think of it: the lowest common…" description: "\"Think of it: the lowest common denominator in being digital is not your operating system, modem, or model of computer. It's a tiny piece of plastic, de..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/nicholas-negroponte-7911_bells_think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominato_1810255.jpg" --- # Think of it: the lowest common denominator in being… ![“Think of it: the lowest common denominator in being digital is not your operating system, modem, or model of computer. It's a tiny piece of plastic, designed decades ago by Bell Labs' Charles Krumreich, Edwin Hardesty, and company, who thought they were making an inconspicuous plug for a few…” quote by Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/nicholas-negroponte-7911_bells_think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominato_1810255.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/nicholas-negroponte-7911_bells_think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominato_1810255.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/nicholas-negroponte-7911_bells_think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominato_1810255.jpg) > “Think of it: the lowest common denominator in being digital is not your operating system, modem, or model of computer. It's a tiny piece of plastic, designed decades ago by Bell Labs' Charles Krumreich, Edwin Hardesty, and company, who thought they were making an inconspicuous plug for a few telephone handsets. Not in their wildest dreams was Registered Jack 11 - a modular connector more commonly known as the RJ-11 - meant to be plugged and unplugged so many times, by so many people, for so many reasons, all over the world.” [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tiny RJ‑11 connector, a simple plastic piece, became a global digital backbone, showing how modest hardware can drive massive change. **In simple terms:** Small hardware can enable huge digital impact. Key Takeaway Appreciate humble tech's global influence. Themes technology infrastructure innovation Mood inspirational informative Type historical technological When to use this quote - telecommunications - internet expansion - home computing - global connectivity Key Concepts networking hardware design Questions to Reflect On - What other humble tools shape our world? - How can we future‑proof simple tech? A Different Perspective Reliance on a single connector can create bottlenecks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) [Common denominator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-denominator/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Connectors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connectors/) [Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Labs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labs/) [Lowest common denominator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lowest-common-denominator/) [Operating systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operating-systems/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wildest dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wildest-dreams/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Dreams are one of your greatest natural therapies, and one of your most effective assets as connectors between the interior and exterior universes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/dreams-are-one-of-your-greatest-natural-therapies-and-one-of-your/) [Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/) > [A major change is afoot as we combine both WPZ and Access into the large scale natural gas infrastructure MLP. And the team here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-armstrong/a-major-change-is-afoot-as-we-combine-both-wpz-and-access-into-the/) [Alan Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-armstrong/) > [For most of human history, musicians, artists, they've been part of the community — connectors and openers, not untouchable stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-palmer/for-most-of-human-history-musicians-artists-they-ve-been-part-of-the/) [Amanda Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-palmer/) > [We are all either wheels or connectors. Whichever we are we must find truth and balance, which is a bicycle. Trust and balance are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/we-are-all-either-wheels-or-connectors-whichever-we-are-we-must-find/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [There will always be crazy things that happen in our lives, but love is the central connector. If we commit to love and partnership,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hill-harper/there-will-always-be-crazy-things-that-happen-in-our-lives-but-love/) [Hill Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hill-harper/) > [Art matters because it is the one true great connector in a world that seems to be very unconnected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-groban/art-matters-because-it-is-the-one-true-great-connector-in-a-world/) [Josh Groban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-groban/) > [We as educators need to reconsider our roles in students' lives, to think of ourselves as connectors first and content experts second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-richardson/we-as-educators-need-to-reconsider-our-roles-in-students-lives-to/) [Will Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-richardson/) > [We think that this is just our world and we don't know what other people are thinking. Music actually is a phenomenal connector in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/we-think-that-this-is-just-our-world-and-we-don-t-know-what-other/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [Starting epidemics requires concentrating resources on a few key area. The Law of the Few says that Connectors, Mavens, and Salesman are responsible for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/starting-epidemics-requires-concentrating-resources-on-a-few-key-area/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Melissa Foster is a wonderful connector of readers and books, a friend of authors, and a tireless advocate for women. She is the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-shortridge/melissa-foster-is-a-wonderful-connector-of-readers-and-books-a-friend/) Jennie Shortridge > [I went and I started teaching computers to young kids, to fifth graders at first, later to sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth graders. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wozniak/i-went-and-i-started-teaching-computers-to-young-kids-to-fifth/) [Steve Wozniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wozniak/) > [These new prospective projects include the Appalachian Connector and the Diamond East projects, both are major new projects that connect the burgeoning supplies from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-armstrong/these-new-prospective-projects-include-the-appalachian-connector-and/) [Alan Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-armstrong/) > [All good leaders are connectors. They relate well and make people feel confident about themselves and their leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/all-good-leaders-are-connectors-they-relate-well-and-make-people-feel/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [It's probably fair to say that the ratio of time our Connector developers spend in the debugger versus the Emacs buffer is higher than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-friedman/it-s-probably-fair-to-say-that-the-ratio-of-time-our-connector/) [Nat Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-friedman/) ## More by Nicholas Negroponte > [What's the difference between obsolete and cutting edge? Obsolete works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/what-s-the-difference-between-obsolete-and-cutting-edge-obsolete-works/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [The computer provides the only way to give students a real foundation in 21st-century skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-computer-provides-the-only-way-to-give-students-a-real-foundation/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [The process of debugging, going an correcting the program and then looking at the behavior, and then correcting it again, and finally iteratively getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-process-of-debugging-going-an-correcting-the-program-and-then/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [I think life's turning into an omelet and people will just have to live with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/i-think-life-s-turning-into-an-omelet-and-people-will-just-have-to/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Linux is its own worst enemy: it's splintered, it has different distributions, it's too complex to run for most people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/linux-is-its-own-worst-enemy-it-s-splintered-it-has-different/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [But just as elevators have changed the shape of buildings and cars have changed the shape of cities, bits will change the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/but-just-as-elevators-have-changed-the-shape-of-buildings-and-cars/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Good education has got to be good entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/good-education-has-got-to-be-good-entertainment/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Even in the developing parts of the world, kids take to computers like fish to water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/even-in-the-developing-parts-of-the-world-kids-take-to-computers-like/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Key is the question of where do new ideas come from. Historically, four places: government labs, big corporations, startup companies, and research universities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/key-is-the-question-of-where-do-new-ideas-come-from-historically-four/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Everybody agrees that whatever the solutions are to the big problems, they ... can never be without some element of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/everybody-agrees-that-whatever-the-solutions-are-to-the-big-problems/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [A Wired reader told me once, Get a life, which I read from the back of a yacht in the Aegean, while eating fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/a-wired-reader-told-me-once-get-a-life-which-i-read-from-the-back-of/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Give One, Get One generated about 100,000 zero-dollar laptops. Somebody else paid for them, but from the recipient's point of view, that's zero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/give-one-get-one-generated-about-100-000-zero-dollar-laptops-somebody/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Rote learning is a killer for most of us and for some people, it really excludes them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/rote-learning-is-a-killer-for-most-of-us-and-for-some-people-it/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [It's hard to propose a $100 laptop for a world community of kids and then not say in the same breath that you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/it-s-hard-to-propose-a-100-laptop-for-a-world-community-of-kids-and/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [This is just the beginning, the beginning of understanding that cyberspace has no limits, no boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/this-is-just-the-beginning-the-beginning-of-understanding-that/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) [Explore all 86 Nicholas Negroponte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) ## More Bells quotes > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/your-name-is-a-golden-bell-hung-in-my-heart-i-would-break-my-body-to/) [Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/) > [“Suddenly the air was full of that deep clangor of bells which periodically covers Rome with a roof of silver.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/suddenly-the-air-was-full-of-that-deep-clangor-of-bells-which/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Hercules used noise! Brass bells! He scared them away with the most horrible sound he could-" said Percy "Percy... Chiron's collection!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hercules-used-noise-brass-bells-he-scared-them-away-with-the-most/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Above the clouds I lift my wing To hear the bells of Heaven ring; Some of their music, though my fights be wild, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/above-the-clouds-i-lift-my-wing-to-hear-the-bells-of-heaven-ring-some/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [“But it’s bells at twenty-seven thousand feet as the plane breaks into the clear again, as its motion steadies again; it is bells; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-it-s-bells-at-twenty-seven-thousand-feet-as-the-plane-breaks-into/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [You run the football for toughness. You run the ball to tell your opponent that you're as tough as they are. But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/) Jerry Glanville > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Man preys on man; and you mourn for the idle tapestry that decorated a gothic pillar, and the dronish bell that summoned the fat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/man-preys-on-man-and-you-mourn-for-the-idle-tapestry-that-decorated-a/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [There is nothing better for me than to bring the bells in, in Scotland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharleen-spiteri/there-is-nothing-better-for-me-than-to-bring-the-bells-in-in-scotland/) [Sharleen Spiteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharleen-spiteri/) > [Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/now-see-that-noble-and-most-sovereign-reason-like-sweet-bells-jangled/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [ I became an instant fan of the show \[Underground\] seconds into the opening frames of the pilot. When that drone shot carried us through… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-hinds/i-became-an-instant-fan-of-the-show-underground-seconds-into-the/) [Aisha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-hinds/) > [This world o' God's is brighter Than we ever dream or know; Its burdens growin' lighter- An' it's Love that makes 'em so! An'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lebby-stanton/this-world-o-god-s-is-brighter-than-we-ever-dream-or-know-its-burdens/) [Frank Lebby Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lebby-stanton/) > [Believe it or not, Mexican cooking, for those of you who have not gone farther south than Taco Bell, uses a lot of vegetables.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/believe-it-or-not-mexican-cooking-for-those-of-you-who-have-not-gone/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) [Browse all 790 Bells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bells/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Think of it: the lowest common denominator in being digital is not your operating system, modem, or model of computer. It's a tiny piece of plastic, designed decades ago by Bell Labs' Charles Krumreich, Edwin Hardesty, and company, who thought they were making an inconspicuous plug for a few telephone handsets. Not in their wildest dreams was Registered Jack 11 - a modular connector more commonly known as the RJ-11 - meant to be plugged and unplugged so many times, by so many people, for so many reasons, all over the world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicholas Negroponte" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominator-in-being-digital-is-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bells" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominator-in-being-digital-is-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/nicholas-negroponte-7911_bells_think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominato_1810255.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/nicholas-negroponte-7911_bells_think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominato_1810255.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/nicholas-negroponte-7911_bells_think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominato_1810255.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Think of it: the lowest common denominator in being digital is not your operating system, modem, or model of…” — Nicholas Negroponte", "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 Negroponte", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Think of it: the lowest common...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominator-in-being-digital-is-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/think-of-it-the-lowest-common-denominator-in-being-digital-is-not/#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 } } ] } ```