--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you realize it’s been only a century…" description: "\"Do you realize it’s been only a century that we’ve been able to go from house to car to office to car to wherever, with the heater on, and the defroste..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/sheri-s-tepper-8133_able_do-you-realize-it-s-been-only-a-century_109713.jpg" --- # Do you realize it’s been only a century that we’ve been… ![“Do you realize it’s been only a century that we’ve been able to go from house to car to office to car to wherever, with the heater on, and the defroster on, protected from the rain and the cold? It hasn’t been much longer than that we’ve had lighting for streets. Think of all that darkness, all…” quote by Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/sheri-s-tepper-8133_able_do-you-realize-it-s-been-only-a-century_109713.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/sheri-s-tepper-8133_able_do-you-realize-it-s-been-only-a-century_109713.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/sheri-s-tepper-8133_able_do-you-realize-it-s-been-only-a-century_109713.jpg) > “Do you realize it’s been only a century that we’ve been able to go from house to car to office to car to wherever, with the heater on, and the defroster on, protected from the rain and the cold? It hasn’t been much longer than that we’ve had lighting for streets. Think of all that darkness, all that world out there, all that mystery that we’ve turned into well-lighted concrete bunkers, safe and warm and dull.” [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technological comforts have turned once‑mysterious environments into sanitized, predictable spaces, eroding the sense of wonder. **In simple terms:** Modern comforts dull the mystery of the world. Key Takeaway Convenience can diminish awe. Themes technology environment culture Mood nostalgic cautious Type social commentary environmental When to use this quote - urban planning - digital detox retreats - education on natural phenomena Key Concepts human‑technology relationship sensory perception Practical Applications - balance tech use with nature exposure - preserve dark‑sky areas Questions to Reflect On - What trade‑offs exist between safety and wonder? - How can we reclaim mystery in daily life? A Different Perspective Conveniences also improve safety and health, which can outweigh loss of mystery for many. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Lighted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lighted/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Rain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rain/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing is so discouraging to an actor than to have to work for long hours upon hours in brightly lighted interior sets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/nothing-is-so-discouraging-to-an-actor-than-to-have-to-work-for-long/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [A Zen master used to say, It is clear and so it is hard to see. 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Feel free to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/millions-of-candles-can-be-lighted-from-a-single-candle-and-the/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Since I wrote to you last we have got our chapel beautifully lighted with gas and have had our anniversary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hawley/since-i-wrote-to-you-last-we-have-got-our-chapel-beautifully-lighted/) [John Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hawley/) > [He who civilly shows the way to one who has missed it, is as one who has lighted another's lamp from his own lamp;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintus-ennius/he-who-civilly-shows-the-way-to-one-who-has-missed-it-is-as-one-who/) [Quintus Ennius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintus-ennius/) > [“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be lighted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-irwin/the-mind-is-not-a-vessel-to-be-filled-but-a-fire-to-be-lighted/) Jim Irwin > [“The road was so dimly lighted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/the-road-was-so-dimly-lighted/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [“It is too clear and so it is hard to see. 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The light that serves self only, is no true light; its one virtue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/a-candle-is-not-lighted-for-itself-neither-is-a-man-the-light-that/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [“A Bible not read is like a bulb not lighted. Only insane people will love to work in the darkness with Kings' bulbs which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/a-bible-not-read-is-like-a-bulb-not-lighted-only-insane-people-will/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Only the lighted houses remaining, the lemon blush of their inhabited windows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/only-the-lighted-houses-remaining-the-lemon-blush-of-their-inhabited/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“When the fire is lighted within your soul, can't help it, but to burn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/when-the-fire-is-lighted-within-your-soul-can-t-help-it-but-to-burn/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Sheri S. Tepper > [“We're so old that the winds of age echo along our ribs and pick at our eye sockets. We could be gone tomorrow. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/we-re-so-old-that-the-winds-of-age-echo-along-our-ribs-and-pick-at/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [Conflict acting on intelligence creates imagination. Faced with conflict, creatures are forced to imagine what will happen, where the next threat will come from.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/conflict-acting-on-intelligence-creates-imagination-faced-with/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“cultures define their gods when they’re young and primitive, when their main concern is survival. They endow their gods with survival characteristics like omnipotence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/cultures-define-their-gods-when-they-re-young-and-primitive-when/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [ \[T\]he scripture worshippers put the writings ahead of God. Instead of interpreting God's actions in nature, for example, they interpret nature in the light… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/t-he-scripture-worshippers-put-the-writings-ahead-of-god-instead-of/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“They will set aside what they have believed about the world, divesting themselves of all preconceptions, all judgments… They will do it, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/they-will-set-aside-what-they-have-believed-about-the-world-divesting/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“If the law does not do justice, the people will mock the law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/if-the-law-does-not-do-justice-the-people-will-mock-the-law/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“Faith healers. God-loves-you religions. State-supported lotteries. All that enormous energy expended to conquer nothing at all, stadia full of people watching no conquering going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/faith-healers-god-loves-you-religions-state-supported-lotteries-all/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [The sooner we can separate salvageable skeptics from self-righteous absolutists, the sooner we can move along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/the-sooner-we-can-separate-salvageable-skeptics-from-self-righteous/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [There are writers who say they have no social responsibility except to write a good book, but that doesn't satisfy me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/there-are-writers-who-say-they-have-no-social-responsibility-except/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“Rich people didn't get in that kind of mess. They never had. Only the poor got trapped: by ignorance, by religion, by self-righteous laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/rich-people-didn-t-get-in-that-kind-of-mess-they-never-had-only-the/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [The expression of divinity is in variety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/the-expression-of-divinity-is-in-variety/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [I will raise up prophets to make conflicting pronouncements that inevitably will be garbled in transcription, resulting in mutually exclusive definitions of orthodoxy from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/i-will-raise-up-prophets-to-make-conflicting-pronouncements-that/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [Mankind accepts good fortune as his due, but when bad occurs, he thinks it was aimed at him, done to him, a hex, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/mankind-accepts-good-fortune-as-his-due-but-when-bad-occurs-he-thinks/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [“He told us that nations of men fell into disorder, so nations of law were set up instead. He told us that nations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/he-told-us-that-nations-of-men-fell-into-disorder-so-nations-of-law/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [To me, fantasy has always been the genre of escape, science fiction the genre of ideas. So if you can escape and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/to-me-fantasy-has-always-been-the-genre-of-escape-science-fiction-the/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) [Explore all 80 Sheri S. Tepper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. 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