---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a computer disease that anybody…"
description: "\"There is a computer disease that anybody who works with computers knows about. It's a very serious disease and it interferes completely with the work. ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/richard-p-feynman-495_computer_there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody_1283815.png"
---

#  There is a computer disease that anybody who works with…

![“There is a computer disease that anybody who works with computers knows about. It's a very serious disease and it interferes completely with the work. The trouble with computers is that you 'play' with them!” quote by Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/richard-p-feynman-495_computer_there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody_1283815.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/richard-p-feynman-495_computer_there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody_1283815.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/richard-p-feynman-495_computer_there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody_1283815.png)

> “There is a computer disease that anybody who works with computers knows about. It's a very serious disease and it interferes completely with the work. The trouble with computers is that you 'play' with them!”

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Computers can become an addictive distraction, impairing productivity.

**In simple terms:** Computer addiction harms work.

Key Takeaway

Set boundaries on playful computer use.

Themes

technology productivity addiction

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

warning insight

When to use this quote

- office
- home
- software development
- gaming

Key Concepts

attention digital distraction

Questions to Reflect On

- How to channel curiosity productively?
- What limits prevent overindulgence?

A Different Perspective

Playful interaction can also inspire creativity if balanced.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computer Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer-disease-4158041/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Computers Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers-play-1008770/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Disease Interferes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease-interferes-4158043/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [Trouble Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble-computers-4158042/) [Works Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works-computers-4158044/)

## Related quotes

> [“Well, Mr. Frankel, who started this program, began to suffer from the computer disease that anybody who works with computers now knows about. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/well-mr-frankel-who-started-this-program-began-to-suffer-from-the/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [When humans team up with computers to play chess, the humans who do best are not necessarily the strongest players. They're the ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/when-humans-team-up-with-computers-to-play-chess-the-humans-who-do/)

[Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/)

> [We've seen computers play chess and beat grand masters. We've seen computers drive a car across a desert. But interestingly, playing chess is easy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hod-lipson/we-ve-seen-computers-play-chess-and-beat-grand-masters-we-ve-seen/)

[Hod Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hod-lipson/)

> [It's amazing how many people even today use a computer to do something you can do with a pencil and paper in less time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/it-s-amazing-how-many-people-even-today-use-a-computer-to-do/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. We actually have to teach computers to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-are-great-at-knowing-what-to-forget-we-actually-have-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [Well I'm trying to think what I put in... I think I put in 'why?' to see if I'd confuse the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/well-i-m-trying-to-think-what-i-put-in-i-think-i-put-in-why-to-see-if/)

[Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/)

> [A little bit more than 50% of what you see on screen is handcrafted and the other 50% was about emulating these textures on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/a-little-bit-more-than-50-of-what-you-see-on-screen-is-handcrafted/)

[Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/)

> [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [I'm from the South, so I'm very old-fashioned and I'm not very computer savvy at all, but I'm getting it. I understand that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-m-from-the-south-so-i-m-very-old-fashioned-and-i-m-not-very/)

[Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/)

> [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/)

[Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/)

> [One of our big goals in search is to make search that really understands exactly what you want, understands everything in the world. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/one-of-our-big-goals-in-search-is-to-make-search-that-really/)

[Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/)

> [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/)

[Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/)

> [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/)

[Jen-Hsun Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hsun-huang/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## More by Richard P. Feynman

> [“Philosophers have said before that one of the fundamental requisites of science is that whenever you set up the same conditions, the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/philosophers-have-said-before-that-one-of-the-fundamental-requisites/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [My rule is, when you are unhappy, think about it. But when you're happy, don't. Why spoil it? You're probably happy for some ridiculous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/my-rule-is-when-you-are-unhappy-think-about-it-but-when-you-re-happy/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Trying to understand the way nature works involves a most terrible test of human reasoning ability. It involves subtle trickery, beautiful tightropes of logic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/trying-to-understand-the-way-nature-works-involves-a-most-terrible/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Today's brains are yesterday's mashed potatoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/today-s-brains-are-yesterday-s-mashed-potatoes/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Mathematics is a language plus reasoning; it is like a language plus logic. Mathematics is a tool for reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/mathematics-is-a-language-plus-reasoning-it-is-like-a-language-plus/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [It is necessary for the very existence of science that minds exist which do not allow that nature must satisfy some preconceived conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/it-is-necessary-for-the-very-existence-of-science-that-minds-exist/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [“There was a Princess Somebody of Denmark sitting at a table with a number of people around her, and I saw an empty chair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-was-a-princess-somebody-of-denmark-sitting-at-a-table-with-a/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [All the time you're saying to yourself, 'I could do that, but I won't,'--which is just another way of saying that you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/all-the-time-you-re-saying-to-yourself-i-could-do-that-but-i-won-t/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [“There's a big difference between knowing﻿ the name of something and knowing something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-s-a-big-difference-between-knowing-the-name-of-something-and/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [The fact that you are not sure means that it is possible that there is another way someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/the-fact-that-you-are-not-sure-means-that-it-is-possible-that-there/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [You can always recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/you-can-always-recognize-truth-by-its-beauty-and-simplicity/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [One cannot understand... the universality of laws of nature, the relationship of things, without an understanding of mathematics. There is no other way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/one-cannot-understand-the-universality-of-laws-of-nature-the/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Mathematics is not just a language. Mathematics is a language plus reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/mathematics-is-not-just-a-language-mathematics-is-a-language-plus/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [A poet once said, "The whole universe is in a glass of wine." We will probably never know in what sense he meant that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/a-poet-once-said-the-whole-universe-is-in-a-glass-of-wine-we-will/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [I was a very shy character, always feeling uncomfortable because everybody was stronger than I, and always afraid I would look like a sissy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/i-was-a-very-shy-character-always-feeling-uncomfortable-because/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

[Explore all 515 Richard P. Feynman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

## More Computer quotes

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/)

[Jen-Hsun Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hsun-huang/)

> [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/)

[Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/)

> [One of our big goals in search is to make search that really understands exactly what you want, understands everything in the world. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/one-of-our-big-goals-in-search-is-to-make-search-that-really/)

[Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/)

> [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/)

[Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/)

> [I'm from the South, so I'm very old-fashioned and I'm not very computer savvy at all, but I'm getting it. I understand that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-harmon/i-m-from-the-south-so-i-m-very-old-fashioned-and-i-m-not-very/)

[Angie Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-harmon/)

> [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [A little bit more than 50% of what you see on screen is handcrafted and the other 50% was about emulating these textures on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/a-little-bit-more-than-50-of-what-you-see-on-screen-is-handcrafted/)

[Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/)

> [Well I'm trying to think what I put in... I think I put in 'why?' to see if I'd confuse the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/well-i-m-trying-to-think-what-i-put-in-i-think-i-put-in-why-to-see-if/)

[Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/)

> [Our brains are great at knowing what to forget. We actually have to teach computers to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-are-great-at-knowing-what-to-forget-we-actually-have-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [In nine months, a group of children left alone with a computer in any language will reach the same standard as an office secretary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/in-nine-months-a-group-of-children-left-alone-with-a-computer-in-any/)

[Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/)

> [Why do you do what you do? Why do you dress the way you dress?Why do you do what you do with your time?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-conway/why-do-you-do-what-you-do-why-do-you-dress-the-way-you-dress-why-do/)

[Tim Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-conway/)

> [Yeah, I'm a geek. I read sci-fi and I watch sci-fi films. I love my computer and I love to fix it. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/yeah-i-m-a-geek-i-read-sci-fi-and-i-watch-sci-fi-films-i-love-my/)

[Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/)

[Browse all 3,924 Computer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is a computer disease that anybody who works with computers knows about. It's a very serious disease and it interferes completely with the work. The trouble with computers is that you 'play' with them!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard P. Feynman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody-who-works-with-computers/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Computer"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody-who-works-with-computers/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/richard-p-feynman-495_computer_there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody_1283815.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/richard-p-feynman-495_computer_there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody_1283815.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/richard-p-feynman-495_computer_there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody_1283815.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is a computer disease that anybody who works with computers knows about. It's a very serious disease…” — Richard P. Feynman",
                "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": "Richard P. Feynman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There is a computer disease that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody-who-works-with-computers/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-is-a-computer-disease-that-anybody-who-works-with-computers/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
