--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thinking about it, you know, our phones…" description: "\"Thinking about it, you know, our phones are everything. They're kind of benign.\" — Rosemarie DeWitt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/rosemarie-dewitt-12274_benign_thinking-about-it-you-know-our-phones-ar_2702975.png" --- # Thinking about it, you know, our phones are everything… ![“Thinking about it, you know, our phones are everything. They're kind of benign.” quote by Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/rosemarie-dewitt-12274_benign_thinking-about-it-you-know-our-phones-ar_2702975.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/rosemarie-dewitt-12274_benign_thinking-about-it-you-know-our-phones-ar_2702975.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/rosemarie-dewitt-12274_benign_thinking-about-it-you-know-our-phones-ar_2702975.png) > “Thinking about it, you know, our phones are everything. They're kind of benign.” [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our phones dominate daily life but are ultimately harmless tools. **In simple terms:** Phones are everywhere yet not dangerous. Key Takeaway Use phones mindfully, not let them control you. Themes technology dependence benignity Mood reflective neutral Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - social media use - work‑life balance - travel - education Key Concepts digital culture media studies Questions to Reflect On - How does constant phone use affect focus? - Can we be truly benign? A Different Perspective Overreliance can erode attention. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phones/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [For people who live their lives in classical music the Three Tenors is a kind of benign tumor: unsightly but not life threatening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-holland/for-people-who-live-their-lives-in-classical-music-the-three-tenors/) Bernard Holland > [Even when there are banalities, they're usually kind of benign banalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/even-when-there-are-banalities-they-re-usually-kind-of-benign/) [Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/) > [Millennials are always on their phones and it's running their lives, but you know who is also on their phones? Moms and Dads and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-conover/millennials-are-always-on-their-phones-and-it-s-running-their-lives/) [Adam Conover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-conover/) > [Many students don't really like it (fashion). If they don't like it, they won't be able to tell you who the stylists are or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-wilson/many-students-don-t-really-like-it-fashion-if-they-don-t-like-it-they/) [Louise Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-wilson/) > [I think of companies like Nokia having anthropologists who study how people use cell phones, who do that kind of commercial and marketing work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-king/i-think-of-companies-like-nokia-having-anthropologists-who-study-how/) [Lily King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-king/) > [I have a SIM card ejector tool everywhere I go. It's probably not a normal thing to have, but as a guy who's moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marques-brownlee/i-have-a-sim-card-ejector-tool-everywhere-i-go-it-s-probably-not-a/) [Marques Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marques-brownlee/) > [Fame is indeed beautiful and benign and gentle and satisfying, but happiness is something at once tender and brilliant beyond all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-maclane/fame-is-indeed-beautiful-and-benign-and-gentle-and-satisfying-but/) [Mary MacLane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-maclane/) > [The plausible outcomes range from the gradual and benign to the more precipitous and damaging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-geithner/the-plausible-outcomes-range-from-the-gradual-and-benign-to-the-more/) [Timothy Geithner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-geithner/) > [I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-looked-up-at-the-mass-of-signs-and-stars-in-the-night-sky-and-laid/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Beneficent spirals, operating by benign feedback, mean that everything needful is not required at once: each individual improvement is beneficial for the whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/beneficent-spirals-operating-by-benign-feedback-mean-that-everything/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [Acid wasn't getting a whole lot of bad press at the time, and as I saw the whole bad-press thing happen, I became aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-rettig/acid-wasn-t-getting-a-whole-lot-of-bad-press-at-the-time-and-as-i-saw/) [Tommy Rettig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-rettig/) > [Whereas religions may serve a benign purpose by letting many people feel comfortable with the level of morality they themselves can attain, no religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/whereas-religions-may-serve-a-benign-purpose-by-letting-many-people/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Cultural institutions by and large share one primary objective: herd control. Even when ostensibly benign, their propensity for manipulation, compartmentalization, standardization and suppression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/cultural-institutions-by-and-large-share-one-primary-objective-herd/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Factory-farm lobbyists are so powerful and so well funded and they do everything in their power to hide the truth about farming. They keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/factory-farm-lobbyists-are-so-powerful-and-so-well-funded-and-they-do/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Every single empire in its official discourse has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/every-single-empire-in-its-official-discourse-has-said-that-it-is-not/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) ## More by Rosemarie DeWitt > [I'm not on any social media; I don't even know what things are. I'm so behind the times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-m-not-on-any-social-media-i-don-t-even-know-what-things-are-i-m-so/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [There are the jobs you get that do something for your confidence, like, 'I can do this with my life' kind of thing. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/there-are-the-jobs-you-get-that-do-something-for-your-confidence-like/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [I think what's so brilliant about 'Black Mirror' is that it is a mirror into our own messed-up psyches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-think-what-s-so-brilliant-about-black-mirror-is-that-it-is-a-mirror/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [In parenthood, there's so much fear around parenting in this day and age, and there's so much fear around technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/in-parenthood-there-s-so-much-fear-around-parenting-in-this-day-and/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [I have a two-year-old at home, and my whole life is - besides revolved around keeping this little person alive, just watching them on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-have-a-two-year-old-at-home-and-my-whole-life-is-besides-revolved/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [I think actors always have that fear of unemployment so when the opportunities are there, you just jump on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-think-actors-always-have-that-fear-of-unemployment-so-when-the/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [There is a lot of parenting that's completely out of your control, but I think we live in an era right now where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/there-is-a-lot-of-parenting-that-s-completely-out-of-your-control-but/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [I love the crazy sex and the awkward situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-love-the-crazy-sex-and-the-awkward-situations/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [I started a writing class, not in service of writing a script or writing anything specific. I've just really been enjoying that, and oddly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-started-a-writing-class-not-in-service-of-writing-a-script-or/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [I'm always studying something or trying to learn something, keep myself creatively occupied, because I think that energy can get kind of destructive if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-m-always-studying-something-or-trying-to-learn-something-keep/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [My father had nine children, and when I had my first, he said, 'None of my kids got up in the middle of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/my-father-had-nine-children-and-when-i-had-my-first-he-said-none-of/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [I loved Barbara Stanwyck and Katharine Hepburn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-loved-barbara-stanwyck-and-katharine-hepburn/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [I haven't been really guilty of being an uber helicopter parent; I took the baby monitors out when they were three months old because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-haven-t-been-really-guilty-of-being-an-uber-helicopter-parent-i/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [I feel lucky to be an actor because you always learn something from each part you play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/i-feel-lucky-to-be-an-actor-because-you-always-learn-something-from/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) > [Usually when you do a pilot, there's a moment where all of the executives get together and say thumbs up or down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemarie-dewitt/usually-when-you-do-a-pilot-there-s-a-moment-where-all-of-the/) [Rosemarie DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) [Explore all 55 Rosemarie DeWitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemarie-dewitt/) ## More Benign quotes > [The plausible outcomes range from the gradual and benign to the more precipitous and damaging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-geithner/the-plausible-outcomes-range-from-the-gradual-and-benign-to-the-more/) [Timothy Geithner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-geithner/) > [Whereas religions may serve a benign purpose by letting many people feel comfortable with the level of morality they themselves can attain, no religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/whereas-religions-may-serve-a-benign-purpose-by-letting-many-people/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Factory-farm lobbyists are so powerful and so well funded and they do everything in their power to hide the truth about farming. They keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/factory-farm-lobbyists-are-so-powerful-and-so-well-funded-and-they-do/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Fame is indeed beautiful and benign and gentle and satisfying, but happiness is something at once tender and brilliant beyond all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-maclane/fame-is-indeed-beautiful-and-benign-and-gentle-and-satisfying-but/) [Mary MacLane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-maclane/) > [Cultural institutions by and large share one primary objective: herd control. Even when ostensibly benign, their propensity for manipulation, compartmentalization, standardization and suppression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/cultural-institutions-by-and-large-share-one-primary-objective-herd/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Every single empire in its official discourse has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/every-single-empire-in-its-official-discourse-has-said-that-it-is-not/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [Acid wasn't getting a whole lot of bad press at the time, and as I saw the whole bad-press thing happen, I became aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-rettig/acid-wasn-t-getting-a-whole-lot-of-bad-press-at-the-time-and-as-i-saw/) [Tommy Rettig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-rettig/) > [Beneficent spirals, operating by benign feedback, mean that everything needful is not required at once: each individual improvement is beneficial for the whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/beneficent-spirals-operating-by-benign-feedback-mean-that-everything/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-looked-up-at-the-mass-of-signs-and-stars-in-the-night-sky-and-laid/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Orders can be benign or malign, but the habit of obeying them can become ingrained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/orders-can-be-benign-or-malign-but-the-habit-of-obeying-them-can/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [Intelligence may indeed be a benign influence creating isolated groups of philosopher-kings far apart in the heavens... On the other hand, intelligence may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/intelligence-may-indeed-be-a-benign-influence-creating-isolated/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Every major player is working on this technology of artificial intelligence. As of now, it's benign... but I would say that the day is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-bell/every-major-player-is-working-on-this-technology-of-artificial/) [Ted Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-bell/) > [Of course, I prefer organic farming to chemical-dependent farming, but sometimes absolutist organic prescriptions go too far. I don't even rule out the possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/of-course-i-prefer-organic-farming-to-chemical-dependent-farming-but/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [How do you survive living in a cell knowing you are innocent? 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