---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Information is the oxygen of the modern…"
description: "\"Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders.\" — Ronald Reagan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/ronald-reagan-119_age_information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern_2047931.jpg"
---

#  Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps…

![“Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders.” quote by Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/ronald-reagan-119_age_information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern_2047931.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/ronald-reagan-119_age_information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern_2047931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/ronald-reagan-119_age_information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern_2047931.jpg)

> “Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders.”

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

## 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 portrays information as essential and pervasive, likening it to oxygen that penetrates barriers and spreads widely.

**In simple terms:** Information is essential and spreads across barriers.

Key Takeaway

Protect and value free flow of information.

Themes

information freedom technology society barriers

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- journalism
- internet
- public policy

Key Concepts

media studies political theory communication

Questions to Reflect On

- How does information shape power structures?
- What safeguards ensure its free flow?

A Different Perspective

Information can be weaponized or censored.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Barbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbed/) [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Modern age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-age/) [Oxygen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oxygen/)

## Related quotes

> [Information is the oxygen of the modern age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern-age/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [“Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern-age-it-seeps-through-the/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [All anyone really needs to know about barbed wire is that it can tear the arse out of your trousers, give a cow a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-connolly/all-anyone-really-needs-to-know-about-barbed-wire-is-that-it-can-tear/)

[Billy Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-connolly/)

> [An insulting telegram is a barbed wire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/an-insulting-telegram-is-a-barbed-wire/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [I put a barbed wire fence around my heart, baby just to keep you out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-pickler/i-put-a-barbed-wire-fence-around-my-heart-baby-just-to-keep-you-out/)

[Kellie Pickler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-pickler/)

> [“Police officers put up barbed wire around their hearts to protect them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-sutton/police-officers-put-up-barbed-wire-around-their-hearts-to-protect-them/)

[Randy Sutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-sutton/)

> [“basketball courts ringed with barbed-wire fence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/basketball-courts-ringed-with-barbed-wire-fence/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [“And you, Bloss, may shove it ... sideways ... with barbed wire wrapped around it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mckevett/and-you-bloss-may-shove-it-sideways-with-barbed-wire-wrapped-around-it/)

McKevett

> [“Anything outside the barbed wire became remote - out of reach and, in a way, unreal. The events and the people outside, all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/anything-outside-the-barbed-wire-became-remote-out-of-reach-and-in-a/)

[Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/)

> [“This is my barbed wire dress. It protects the property but doesn't hide the view.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candy-darling/this-is-my-barbed-wire-dress-it-protects-the-property-but-doesn-t/)

[Candy Darling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candy-darling/)

> [If in barbed wire things can bloom, why couldn't I? I will not die, I will not die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedl-and-the-children-of-terezin/if-in-barbed-wire-things-can-bloom-why-couldn-t-i-i-will-not-die-i/)

Friedl And The Children Of Terezin

> [Stop creating walls around yourself. Put barbed wires instead. Allow them to see you. Talk to you. Just don't let them get any closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/stop-creating-walls-around-yourself-put-barbed-wires-instead-allow/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [“Eric has said that I carry close to my chest a ball of barbed wire that I sometimes throw at other people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weike-wang/eric-has-said-that-i-carry-close-to-my-chest-a-ball-of-barbed-wire/)

[Weike Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weike-wang/)

> [“At the gates, prickly rolls of barbed wire sagged with middle-aged disappointment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viet-thanh-nguyen/at-the-gates-prickly-rolls-of-barbed-wire-sagged-with-middle-aged/)

[Viet Thanh Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viet-thanh-nguyen/)

> [“While information is the oxygen of the modern age, disinformation is the carbon monoxide that can poison generations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newton-lee/while-information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern-age-disinformation-is/)

[Newton Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newton-lee/)

## More by Ronald Reagan

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/yes-across-europe-this-wall-will-fall-for-it-cannot-withstand-faith/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Simple fairness dictates that government must not raise taxes on families struggling to pay their bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/simple-fairness-dictates-that-government-must-not-raise-taxes-on/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America - our country is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-time-has-come-to-turn-to-god-and-reassert-our-trust-in-him-for/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Professional politicians like to talk about the value of experience in government. Nuts! The only experience you gain in politics is how to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/professional-politicians-like-to-talk-about-the-value-of-experience/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Where there's liberty, art succeeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/where-there-s-liberty-art-succeeds/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Since I came to the White House, I got two hearing aids, a colon operation, skin cancer, a prostate operation, and I was shot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/since-i-came-to-the-white-house-i-got-two-hearing-aids-a-colon/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne're-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/a-moment-i-ve-been-dreading-george-brought-his-ne-re-do-well-son/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [On Father's Day, we pay tribute to all in our society who have taken on the responsibilitie s and joys of fatherhood. Whether our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/on-father-s-day-we-pay-tribute-to-all-in-our-society-who-have-taken/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-limit-to-the-amount-of-good-you-can-do-if-you-don-t-care/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [It's not that liberals aren't smart, it's just that so much of what they know isn't so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/it-s-not-that-liberals-aren-t-smart-it-s-just-that-so-much-of-what/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/love-your-country-not-for-her-power-or-wealth-but-for-her/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Explore all 1,244 Ronald Reagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ronald Reagan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern-age-it-seeps-through-the-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern-age-it-seeps-through-the-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/ronald-reagan-119_age_information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern_2047931.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/ronald-reagan-119_age_information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern_2047931.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c9/ronald-reagan-119_age_information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern_2047931.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts…” — Ronald Reagan",
                "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": "Ronald Reagan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Information is the oxygen of the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern-age-it-seeps-through-the-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/information-is-the-oxygen-of-the-modern-age-it-seeps-through-the-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
