Acquire Quote by Norman Mailer
“When you know too much information and you acquire it too easily, you tend to either use it in disagreeable ways, out of vanity, or you tend to be indiscriminate about it. I mean, in the old days, it was tricky, you had to go to various encyclopedias, you had to go to the library, maybe spend a day there, whatever. But in the end, if you found something, it was really exciting. Now you hit a couple of buttons and you get some information. Which, by the way, is almost always presented in that same goddamn mediocre style that characterizes the Internet for me. It is slightly deadening.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Age of Information Overload" by Norman Mailer, 1975
Excessive, easily accessed information leads to careless, vanity‑driven use and diminishes the excitement of discovery.
In simple terms: Too much easy info makes us use it poorly.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate mindful consumption and critical thinking.
Themes
media criticism
technology
information overload
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
media studies
philosophical
When to use this quote
- research projects
- media literacy workshops
- personal reading habits
Key Concepts
Digital fatigue
vanity
critical literacy
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you verify the quality of information?
- What habits preserve the joy of learning?
A Different Perspective
Information abundance can also empower informed decisions when filtered.
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)
