--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think I've ever seen a person…" description: "\"I don't think I've ever seen a person having a serious conversation on a cellphone. It's like a kiddie thing, a complete time waster.\" — Paul Theroux" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/paul-theroux-913_cellphone_i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-seen-a-person-ha_1048333.jpg" --- # I don't think I've ever seen a person having a serious… ![“I don't think I've ever seen a person having a serious conversation on a cellphone. It's like a kiddie thing, a complete time waster.” quote by Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/paul-theroux-913_cellphone_i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-seen-a-person-ha_1048333.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/paul-theroux-913_cellphone_i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-seen-a-person-ha_1048333.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/paul-theroux-913_cellphone_i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-seen-a-person-ha_1048333.jpg) > “I don't think I've ever seen a person having a serious conversation on a cellphone. It's like a kiddie thing, a complete time waster.” [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) ## 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 shallow phone conversations, seeing them as immature and wasteful compared to deeper, face‑to‑face dialogue. **In simple terms:** Phone chats are seen as childish and unproductive. Key Takeaway Prioritize meaningful, in‑person talks. Themes communication technology mindfulness Mood reflective critical Type observational commentary When to use this quote - family gatherings - business meetings - social events - travel experiences Key Concepts social interaction attention economy Questions to Reflect On - How can you replace a casual call with a richer interaction? - When is a phone call appropriate? A Different Perspective Phone conversations can be necessary for logistics and safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cellphone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cellphone/) [Cellphone Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cellphone-like-993706/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Conversation Cellphone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation-cellphone-2492405/) [Having Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-conversation/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I like having my cellphone. I like the Internet. I like being different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dita-von-teese/i-like-having-my-cellphone-i-like-the-internet-i-like-being-different/) [Dita Von Teese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dita-von-teese/) > [“I want you to notice that right now, this instant, we are having a conversation. It’s really not hard, now, is it? Think you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinley-macgregor/i-want-you-to-notice-that-right-now-this-instant-we-are-having-a/) [Kinley MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinley-macgregor/) > [Every time I finish a record, it's sort of feels like, "I can't believe that I'm hanging out and having a conversation, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/every-time-i-finish-a-record-it-s-sort-of-feels-like-i-can-t-believe/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [Over the last half century the television interview has given us some of TV's most heart-stopping and memorable moments. On the surface it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frost/over-the-last-half-century-the-television-interview-has-given-us-some/) [David Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frost/) > [“I looked at the ground and the dark, drizzling sky and pretty much anyplace that wasn't her. "I like you. A lot." When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenna-yovanoff/i-looked-at-the-ground-and-the-dark-drizzling-sky-and-pretty-much/) [Brenna Yovanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenna-yovanoff/) > [Whenever I go to L.A., the make-up artist or hairdresser will end up having a conversation about how fat they think they are, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/whenever-i-go-to-l-a-the-make-up-artist-or-hairdresser-will-end-up/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [“So there's magic? Real magic? It's not just all scientific like David says?" Tamani rolled his eyes. "David again?" Laurel bristled. "He's my friend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aprilynne-pike/so-there-s-magic-real-magic-it-s-not-just-all-scientific-like-david/) [Aprilynne Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aprilynne-pike/) > [“Keep your voice down. And before you go all badass cop on me, I’m the one who saved your life outside. (Nathan) How do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/keep-your-voice-down-and-before-you-go-all-badass-cop-on-me-i-m-the/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I speak three languages - English is my third language - so I take my time with lyrics. It's almost like having a conversation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoh-aalegra/i-speak-three-languages-english-is-my-third-language-so-i-take-my/) [Snoh Aalegra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoh-aalegra/) > [Twitter is basically just you having a conversation with yourself hoping that someone else will join in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/twitter-is-basically-just-you-having-a-conversation-with-yourself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Goggie!” she exclaimed, holding both hands out urgently to Lad, who’d been dozing by the fire. “By all means,” Michael replied amicably, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/goggie-she-exclaimed-holding-both-hands-out-urgently-to-lad-who-d/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [I love having that conversation with someone I've never met before who's enjoying something that I wrote and being able to connect and share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsea-ballerini/i-love-having-that-conversation-with-someone-i-ve-never-met-before/) [Kelsea Ballerini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsea-ballerini/) > [“You cannot force someone to think like you, and why would you want to? It would be like having a conversation with yourself. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-k-wall/you-cannot-force-someone-to-think-like-you-and-why-would-you-want-to/) [Shelley K. Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-k-wall/) > [“Are you engineering my bondage setup?” Maddy asked, incredulous, before she burst into delighted giggles. “Oh, dove. I’ve had men say a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-de-salle/are-you-engineering-my-bondage-setup-maddy-asked-incredulous-before/) [Thea de Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-de-salle/) > [What I like is having a conversation that gets you on the right page. And, if that means having conversations in lieu of rehearsal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-edgerton/what-i-like-is-having-a-conversation-that-gets-you-on-the-right-page/) [Joel Edgerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-edgerton/) ## More by Paul Theroux > [I feel as if my mission is to write, to see, to observe, and I feel lazy if I'm not reaching conclusions. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-feel-as-if-my-mission-is-to-write-to-see-to-observe-and-i-feel-lazy/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Maine out of season is unmistakably a great destination: hospitable, good-humored, plenty of elbow room, short days, dark nights of crackling ice crystals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/maine-out-of-season-is-unmistakably-a-great-destination-hospitable/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [You can't write about a friend, you can only write about a former friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/you-can-t-write-about-a-friend-you-can-only-write-about-a-former/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“sightseeing, an activity that delights the truly idle because it seems so much like scholarship, gawping and eavesdropping on antiquity, flattering oneself with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/sightseeing-an-activity-that-delights-the-truly-idle-because-it-seems/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The Australian Book of Etiquette is a very slim volume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-australian-book-of-etiquette-is-a-very-slim-volume/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Tourists who go to Africa have more of a traditional experience than Africans do. A tourist goes on safari; Africans don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/tourists-who-go-to-africa-have-more-of-a-traditional-experience-than/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [In a way, Che Guevara's fate was far worse than Simon Bolivar's. Guevara's collapse was complete: his intentions were forgotten, but his style was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/in-a-way-che-guevara-s-fate-was-far-worse-than-simon-bolivar-s/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [It is the simplest fact of Indian life: there are too many Indians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/it-is-the-simplest-fact-of-indian-life-there-are-too-many-indians/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Pain does not create a long-lasting memory, but the memory of luxury exerts itself for ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/pain-does-not-create-a-long-lasting-memory-but-the-memory-of-luxury/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [When I began to make some money, I really wanted to have a home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/when-i-began-to-make-some-money-i-really-wanted-to-have-a-home/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Men in their late 50s often make very bad decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/men-in-their-late-50s-often-make-very-bad-decisions/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The wish to disappear sends many travelers away. If you are thoroughly sick of being kept waiting at home or at work, travel is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-wish-to-disappear-sends-many-travelers-away-if-you-are-thoroughly/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [To a lot of Africans, seeing an animal is a something of a rarity. So it's a paradox of this sort of parallel life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/to-a-lot-of-africans-seeing-an-animal-is-a-something-of-a-rarity-so/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human: the desire to move, to satisfy your curiosity or ease your fears, to change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-wish-to-travel-seems-to-me-characteristically-human-the-desire-to/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Explore all 328 Paul Theroux quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) ## More Cellphone quotes > [That whole 99% thing, they are all in the 1% of the world. Every one of them pays a cellphone bill that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/that-whole-99-thing-they-are-all-in-the-1-of-the-world-every-one-of/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [After Donald Trump wrote Lindsey Graham's cellphone number on a piece of paper and showed it to everybody, Graham said he's getting a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/after-donald-trump-wrote-lindsey-graham-s-cellphone-number-on-a-piece/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [The phone will always ring. If I leave it even for a moment and go some where, by the time I come back there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saswata-chatterjee/the-phone-will-always-ring-if-i-leave-it-even-for-a-moment-and-go/) [Saswata Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saswata-chatterjee/) > [A Masai warrior on a cellphone in the middle of Kenya has better mobile comm than President Reagan did 25 years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/a-masai-warrior-on-a-cellphone-in-the-middle-of-kenya-has-better/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [Every kid Grade 6 and up carries a cellphone - with that they can access the world. They are the most connected, aware generation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-walters/every-kid-grade-6-and-up-carries-a-cellphone-with-that-they-can/) [Eric Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-walters/) > [I can think of the number of people who were like, 'I will never get a cellphone because I don't want people calling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-crowley/i-can-think-of-the-number-of-people-who-were-like-i-will-never-get-a/) [Dennis Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-crowley/) > [Guys, I had nothing to live for, but then I got a discount on my Cellphone bill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/guys-i-had-nothing-to-live-for-but-then-i-got-a-discount-on-my/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [There is apparently an epidemic of tinnitus in younger people. Tinnitus is ringing in the ears and it can be disabling. Tinnitus is associated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/there-is-apparently-an-epidemic-of-tinnitus-in-younger-people/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [And we certainly don't have full conversations on cellphones. You know? Usually the reception is so bad, but it's only bad on your side.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/and-we-certainly-don-t-have-full-conversations-on-cellphones-you-know/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [You want us to step in and render a decision based on an assessment of the effects of this institution which is newer than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/you-want-us-to-step-in-and-render-a-decision-based-on-an-assessment/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [The first cellphone I owned was hardly a slim, high-tech device - it was more like a brick with buttons, only with worse reception.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-bruce-cameron/the-first-cellphone-i-owned-was-hardly-a-slim-high-tech-device-it-was/) [W. Bruce Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-bruce-cameron/) > [The average studies of cellphones and brain cancer have studied people who have used cellphones for five years or less. Sometimes eight years. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devra-davis/the-average-studies-of-cellphones-and-brain-cancer-have-studied/) [Devra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devra-davis/) > [An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator... these are NOT three separate devices! And we are calling it iPhone! Today Apple is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/an-ipod-a-phone-an-internet-mobile-communicator-these-are-not-three/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I am very happy about Android obviously. I use Android, and it's actually made cellphones very usable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/i-am-very-happy-about-android-obviously-i-use-android-and-it-s/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [He went over to the leathers and picked them up. Nice Catholic boy like him didn't know much about BDSM, but it looked like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/he-went-over-to-the-leathers-and-picked-them-up-nice-catholic-boy/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) [Browse all 108 Cellphone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cellphone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think I've ever seen a person having a serious conversation on a cellphone. 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