--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a time when an ordinary…" description: "\"There was a time when an ordinary American could close the door and keep the world at bay. Now the world comes elbowing in every time you go online.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/richard-cohen-5202_american_there-was-a-time-when-an-ordinary-americ_900695.jpg" --- # There was a time when an ordinary American could close the… ![“There was a time when an ordinary American could close the door and keep the world at bay. Now the world comes elbowing in every time you go online.” quote by Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/richard-cohen-5202_american_there-was-a-time-when-an-ordinary-americ_900695.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/richard-cohen-5202_american_there-was-a-time-when-an-ordinary-americ_900695.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/richard-cohen-5202_american_there-was-a-time-when-an-ordinary-americ_900695.jpg) > “There was a time when an ordinary American could close the door and keep the world at bay. Now the world comes elbowing in every time you go online.” [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Notes the shift from isolated privacy to constant digital exposure, eroding personal boundaries. **In simple terms:** Online life intrudes on privacy. Key Takeaway Protect personal boundaries online. Themes privacy technology society isolation Mood concerned analytical Type commentary observational When to use this quote - social media use - online communication - work-from-home Key Concepts digital intrusion boundary erosion Questions to Reflect On - What limits will you set online? - How do you reclaim privacy? A Different Perspective Digital connectivity can be overwhelming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Sex and death: the front door and the back door of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/sex-and-death-the-front-door-and-the-back-door-of-the-world/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Boxing's given me the chance to travel around the world and open the door and the world is much brighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitali-klitschko/boxing-s-given-me-the-chance-to-travel-around-the-world-and-open-the/) [Vitali Klitschko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitali-klitschko/) > [By 2012 I'm going to be a world champion or knocking on the door for a world title.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-degale/by-2012-i-m-going-to-be-a-world-champion-or-knocking-on-the-door-for/) [James DeGale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-degale/) > [Beauty is the door to another world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wojciech-kurtyka/beauty-is-the-door-to-another-world/) [Wojciech Kurtyka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wojciech-kurtyka/) > [“Because these characters perform against the vast backdrops of American politics and social upheaval, and because their personal destinies, their wishes, and their dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-hall/because-these-characters-perform-against-the-vast-backdrops-of/) James W. Hall > [No Ordinary American Cares About Their Constitutional Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/no-ordinary-american-cares-about-their-constitutional-rights/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The fact is every single day in the ordinary American people, America's families have to make decisions about their families and that should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-fact-is-every-single-day-in-the-ordinary-american-people-america/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I came out of Capitol Hill. Well, that's just not an ordinary background for a writer of the ordinary American sort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-came-out-of-capitol-hill-well-that-s-just-not-an-ordinary/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [My father knows more about sports than any human being out there. He relaxes. The ribbing that we give each at the Christmas holidays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump-jr/my-father-knows-more-about-sports-than-any-human-being-out-there-he/) [Donald Trump, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump-jr/) > [The ordinary American voter does not object to mediocrity. He likes his candidate to be sensible, vigorous, and, above all, what he calls 'magnetic,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryce/the-ordinary-american-voter-does-not-object-to-mediocrity-he-likes/) [James Bryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryce/) > [It is natural for the ordinary American when he sees something wrong to feel not only that there should be a law against it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunnar-myrdal/it-is-natural-for-the-ordinary-american-when-he-sees-something-wrong/) [Gunnar Myrdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunnar-myrdal/) > [The ordinary American - as far as I can tell - knows so much less than he did fifty years ago and has such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/the-ordinary-american-as-far-as-i-can-tell-knows-so-much-less-than-he/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [I am particularly looking forward to meeting ordinary American people and hearing about their extraordinary lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-kyle/i-am-particularly-looking-forward-to-meeting-ordinary-american-people/) [Jeremy Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-kyle/) > [Getting a room's not always enough. Sometimes you gotta close the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/getting-a-room-s-not-always-enough-sometimes-you-gotta-close-the-door/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [When you close that door to nowhere throw away the key, we have a tendency to look back and regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-you-close-that-door-to-nowhere-throw-away-the-key-we-have-a/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More by Richard Cohen > [Republicans remain silent because Trump is doing what they want - lowering taxes on the rich, eviscerating regulations, bulldozing the environment, and insisting that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/republicans-remain-silent-because-trump-is-doing-what-they-want/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Myths have a certain staying power because, really, they are aspirational - not always who we are, but always who we want to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/myths-have-a-certain-staying-power-because-really-they-are/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [We are a segmented society, living in our individual bubbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/we-are-a-segmented-society-living-in-our-individual-bubbles/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Maybe the best example of the unmuscled hero is Humphrey Bogart in 'Casablanca.' Bogart was 15 years older than Ingrid Bergman, and it did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/maybe-the-best-example-of-the-unmuscled-hero-is-humphrey-bogart-in/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Israel may be beloved, but for American security, it is not essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/israel-may-be-beloved-but-for-american-security-it-is-not-essential/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [We grow up to respect the gray. Black or white, one or the other, is childish. It represents the worldview of someone who does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/we-grow-up-to-respect-the-gray-black-or-white-one-or-the-other-is/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [The ultimate question is whether the name Donald Trump will be attached to an era - whether he will so change America that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/the-ultimate-question-is-whether-the-name-donald-trump-will-be/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [When I was a kid, I went door to door in my neighborhood asking for donations to the Jewish National Fund, best known then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/when-i-was-a-kid-i-went-door-to-door-in-my-neighborhood-asking-for/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [I met Clinton during her husband's first campaign for the White House. It was 1992, New Hampshire, and both Clintons had stopped at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/i-met-clinton-during-her-husband-s-first-campaign-for-the-white-house/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [In power politics, it's usually not enough to be liked. A nation has to be considered essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/in-power-politics-it-s-usually-not-enough-to-be-liked-a-nation-has-to/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Heroism is a matter of choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/heroism-is-a-matter-of-choice/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [My father was raised in an orphanage, and my mother was an immigrant from Poland whose first childhood memory was of hunger. Somehow, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/my-father-was-raised-in-an-orphanage-and-my-mother-was-an-immigrant/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [It's all right with me if Roman Polanski is freed by the Swiss authorities who have detained him at the request of the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/it-s-all-right-with-me-if-roman-polanski-is-freed-by-the-swiss/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [“The book is warm. The book is handy. The book is handsome to the eye. The book occupies the shelf of the owner and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/the-book-is-warm-the-book-is-handy-the-book-is-handsome-to-the-eye/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [I don't like what George Zimmerman did, and I hate that Trayvon Martin is dead. But I also can understand why Zimmerman was suspicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/i-don-t-like-what-george-zimmerman-did-and-i-hate-that-trayvon-martin/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) [Explore all 102 Richard Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. 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The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a time when an ordinary American could close the door and keep the world at bay. 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