--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The automobile, practical since 1906, was…" description: "\"The automobile, practical since 1906, was proceeding to disintegrate and stamp anew the pattern of communication, manners, and city life in the United ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/russell-kirk-6909_absolutes_the-automobile-practical-since-1906-was_1695904.jpg" --- # The automobile, practical since 1906, was proceeding to… ![“The automobile, practical since 1906, was proceeding to disintegrate and stamp anew the pattern of communication, manners, and city life in the United States, by 1918; before long, men would begin to see that the automobile, and the mass production techniques which made its possible, could alter…” quote by Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/russell-kirk-6909_absolutes_the-automobile-practical-since-1906-was_1695904.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/russell-kirk-6909_absolutes_the-automobile-practical-since-1906-was_1695904.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/russell-kirk-6909_absolutes_the-automobile-practical-since-1906-was_1695904.jpg) > “The automobile, practical since 1906, was proceeding to disintegrate and stamp anew the pattern of communication, manners, and city life in the United States, by 1918; before long, men would begin to see that the automobile, and the mass production techniques which made its possible, could alter the national character and morality more thoroughly than could the most absolute of tyrants. As a mechanical Jacobin, it rivaled the dynamo. The productive process which made these vehicles cheap was still more subversive of the old ways than was the gasoline engine itself.” [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The car and its mass‑production methods reshaped U.S. communication, manners, and morality, more profoundly than any tyrant could. **In simple terms:** Cars changed American life and values. Key Takeaway Understand technology’s deep cultural impact. Themes technology culture change morality Mood analytical thoughtful Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - policy making - historical analysis - media studies Key Concepts mass production social transformation urban design national identity Questions to Reflect On - How does modern tech reshape values? - What can guide ethical tech development? A Different Perspective Technological change can be resisted or guided by policy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Automobile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobile/) [Automobile Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobile-mass-1102704/) [Automobile Practical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobile-practical-1102703/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-life/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Engines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engines/) [Gasoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gasoline/) [Gasoline Engine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gasoline-engine-1102706/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Mass production](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-production/) [Mechanical Jacobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanical-jacobin-1102705/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Old ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-ways/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [Practicals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practicals/) [Proceeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proceeding/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Productions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productions/) [Productive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productive/) [Stamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamps/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Subversive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subversive/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) [Tyrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrants/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Vehicle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vehicle/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [But for a few twists of fate, the gasoline engine we know today might have just been a small footnote in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/but-for-a-few-twists-of-fate-the-gasoline-engine-we-know-today-might/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [Nikola Tesla, one of Colorado's famous residents, always believed that the gasoline engine made no sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/nikola-tesla-one-of-colorado-s-famous-residents-always-believed-that/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [One of the things that I think nobody's done yet is really taking advantage of the electric powertrain layout, which of course, means you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-fisker/one-of-the-things-that-i-think-nobody-s-done-yet-is-really-taking/) [Henrik Fisker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-fisker/) > [Development has to result in jobs. What we need is not just more production, but mass production and production by masses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/development-has-to-result-in-jobs-what-we-need-is-not-just-more/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [The law I sign today directs new funds and new focus to the task of collecting vital intelligence on terrorist threats and on weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-law-i-sign-today-directs-new-funds-and-new-focus-to-the-task-of/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A 'reptilian revolution' has the potential to reshape manufacturing. The 'snakebots' being developed at Carnegie Mellon University aren't just useful for surgical or search-and-rescue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-evans/a-reptilian-revolution-has-the-potential-to-reshape-manufacturing-the/) [Kelly Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-evans/) > [“The bigger things get the smaller and duller or flatter the globe gets. It is getting to be all one blasted little provincial suburb.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/the-bigger-things-get-the-smaller-and-duller-or-flatter-the-globe/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [I know there are lots of positives in the evolution of technology, but I also think it will be responsible for the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-marling/i-know-there-are-lots-of-positives-in-the-evolution-of-technology-but/) [Laura Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-marling/) > [The characteristic feature of modern capitalism is mass production of goods destined for consumption by the masses. The result is a tendency towards a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-characteristic-feature-of-modern-capitalism-is-mass-production-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Most of today's film actresses are typical of a mass-production age: living dolls who look as if they came off an assembly line and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-lawrenson/most-of-today-s-film-actresses-are-typical-of-a-mass-production-age/) [Helen Lawrenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-lawrenson/) > [Think of all the mesquite in Texas, the pinyon pines, the acorns in Appalachia, every place has the possibility of mass production. It's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/think-of-all-the-mesquite-in-texas-the-pinyon-pines-the-acorns-in/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [“Many of the more ghastly and idiotic aspects of the Great War were made possible by the coincidence of mass-production and the social religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/many-of-the-more-ghastly-and-idiotic-aspects-of-the-great-war-were/) [Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/) > [Just as modern mass production requires the standardization of commodities, so the social process requires standardization of man, and this standardization is called equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/just-as-modern-mass-production-requires-the-standardization-of/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Hollywood... was the place where the United States perpetrated itself as a universal dream and put the dream into mass production.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/hollywood-was-the-place-where-the-united-states-perpetrated-itself-as/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [As the OLPC laptop was getting ready to go into mass production in 2007, many executives approached me wanting the screen that I invented,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lou-jepsen/as-the-olpc-laptop-was-getting-ready-to-go-into-mass-production-in/) [Mary Lou Jepsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lou-jepsen/) ## More by Russell Kirk > [“Only portions of the globe still enslaved by the enemies of the people refrained from congratulating President Zingu and Premier Villiers-Kolama upon the astounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/only-portions-of-the-globe-still-enslaved-by-the-enemies-of-the/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [“Manfredo -- Your Excellency -- how can you, even you, hope...?" "Life is a jest, and all things show it, my dear," I replied;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/manfredo-your-excellency-how-can-you-even-you-hope-life-is-a-jest-and/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [“Today, as in the past, we ought to remind ourselves that the true natural law is not a mere congeries of appetites, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/today-as-in-the-past-we-ought-to-remind-ourselves-that-the-true/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [Moral decay first hampers and then strangles honest government, regular commerce, and even the ability to take genuine pleasure in the goods of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/moral-decay-first-hampers-and-then-strangles-honest-government/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [ “Men are put into this world, he \[the enlightened conservative\] realizes, to struggle, to suffer, to contend against the evil that is in their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/men-are-put-into-this-world-he-the-enlightened-conservative-realizes/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [Mine was not an Enlightened mind, I now was aware: it was a Gothic mind, medieval in its temper and structure. I did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/mine-was-not-an-enlightened-mind-i-now-was-aware-it-was-a-gothic-mind/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [Humility, which Burke ranked high among the virtues, is the only effectual restraint upon this congenital vanity; yet our world has nearly forgotten the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/humility-which-burke-ranked-high-among-the-virtues-is-the-only/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [Rousseau and his disciples were resolved to force men to be free; in most of the world, they triumphed; men are set free from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/rousseau-and-his-disciples-were-resolved-to-force-men-to-be-free-in/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [Politics moves upward into ethics, and ethics ascends to theology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/politics-moves-upward-into-ethics-and-ethics-ascends-to-theology/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [If men are discharged of reverence for ancient usage, they will treat this world, almost certainly, as if it were their private property, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/if-men-are-discharged-of-reverence-for-ancient-usage-they-will-treat/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [“The Conservative Mind describes a cast of intellect or a type of character, an inclination to cherish the permanent things in human existence. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/the-conservative-mind-describes-a-cast-of-intellect-or-a-type-of/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [Privilege, in any society, is the reward of duties performed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/privilege-in-any-society-is-the-reward-of-duties-performed/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [“There are six canons of conservative thought: 1) Belief in a transcendent order, or body of natural law, which rules society as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/there-are-six-canons-of-conservative-thought-1-belief-in-a/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [The Secular City, having legislated and litigated itself out of any entanglement with the City of God, would be a hell upon earth .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/the-secular-city-having-legislated-and-litigated-itself-out-of-any/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [Why do we not exhaust the heritage of the ages, spiritual and material for our immediate pleasure, and let posterity go hang? So far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/why-do-we-not-exhaust-the-heritage-of-the-ages-spiritual-and-material/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) [Explore all 96 Russell Kirk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) ## More Absolutes quotes > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. 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I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/those-are-decisions-only-the-lord-will-make-i-believe-the-love-of-god/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“The Gods know what it is to be eternal, and they love to toy with mortals who use absolutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/the-gods-know-what-it-is-to-be-eternal-and-they-love-to-toy-with/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The only "definitive truth" for Buddhism is the absolute negation of any one truth as the Definitive Truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-only-definitive-truth-for-buddhism-is-the-absolute-negation-of/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. 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