--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of all the things that the digital…" description: "\"Of all the things that the digital revolution has produced, once of the coolest, simplest ones is you can now contact people who write books that you r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/stephen-j-dubner-13900_book_of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revol_2599471.jpg" --- # Of all the things that the digital revolution has… ![“Of all the things that the digital revolution has produced, once of the coolest, simplest ones is you can now contact people who write books that you read. You used to have to write a letter to the publisher and hope they passed it along, which they never did.” quote by Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/stephen-j-dubner-13900_book_of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revol_2599471.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/stephen-j-dubner-13900_book_of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revol_2599471.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/stephen-j-dubner-13900_book_of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revol_2599471.jpg) > “Of all the things that the digital revolution has produced, once of the coolest, simplest ones is you can now contact people who write books that you read. You used to have to write a letter to the publisher and hope they passed it along, which they never did.” [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The digital age lets readers directly contact authors, a simple yet powerful change from old letter‑to‑publisher methods that rarely succeeded. **In simple terms:** Readers can now easily reach authors. Key Takeaway Use digital channels to connect with creators. Themes technology communication accessibility Mood optimistic practical Type advice observational When to use this quote - email outreach - social media messaging - fan conventions Key Concepts digital media author‑reader interaction Questions to Reflect On - How can you respectfully reach out to an author? - What alternatives exist if contact fails? A Different Perspective Not all authors respond, leading to possible frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Contact People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contact-people-530334/) [Digital revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital-revolution/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Letter Publisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letter-publisher-1931456/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Things Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-digital-1931455/) [Write Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-books/) ## Related quotes > [When things are digital, they're all 1's and zero's, and so they commingle in ways we didn't anticipate and you could do things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/when-things-are-digital-they-re-all-1-s-and-zero-s-and-so-they/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [You can fix things with digital technology and there's a temptation to fix everything or make it perfect and what you're losing there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-walsh/you-can-fix-things-with-digital-technology-and-there-s-a-temptation/) [Joe Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-walsh/) > [“A responsive IT means a lot of things for the digital transformation: Speed, innovation, agility, integration, modernization, intelligence, value creation, and maturity, etc”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/a-responsive-it-means-a-lot-of-things-for-the-digital-transformation/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [There are a lot of really fabulous things that get done with digital assets and blockchain technologies to reduce friction, to reduce costs, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-garlinghouse/there-are-a-lot-of-really-fabulous-things-that-get-done-with-digital/) [Brad Garlinghouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-garlinghouse/) > [One of the most important things in the digital world is being able to story-tell and help people envision the art of the possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-s-miller/one-of-the-most-important-things-in-the-digital-world-is-being-able/) [Jamie S. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-s-miller/) > [I think one of the most exciting things about the whole digital side of publishing is that it eventually allows you to operate at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-think-one-of-the-most-exciting-things-about-the-whole-digital-side/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [That's what's good about the digital revolution is it makes information asymmetry much harder to maintain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/that-s-what-s-good-about-the-digital-revolution-is-it-makes/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [India lives in several centuries at the same time. Every night outside my house I pass a road gang of emaciated laborers digging a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/india-lives-in-several-centuries-at-the-same-time-every-night-outside/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think that human beings have gotten as far as we've gotten because of our adaptability, our ability to adapt, and our ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/i-think-that-human-beings-have-gotten-as-far-as-we-ve-gotten-because/) [Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/) > [The digital revolution is forever. They put importance on that option as well. With Amazon, you're getting the best of both worlds, with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/the-digital-revolution-is-forever-they-put-importance-on-that-option/) [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/) > [“There are one or two people - I’m not talking about family, about Zhenya or your mother - whom a pariah can trust. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-grossman/there-are-one-or-two-people-i-m-not-talking-about-family-about-zhenya/) [Vasily Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-grossman/) > [“Actively and aggressively re-contact people who have been high volume customers in the past, and give them rational reasons to begin doing business with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/businessnews-publishing/actively-and-aggressively-re-contact-people-who-have-been-high-volume/) [BusinessNews Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/businessnews-publishing/) > [It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/it-is-important-always-to-remember-that-virtual-contact-cannot-and/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Social media... I need to get with it. Obviously it's what everyone's doing, but I like the idea of my life being mine. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juno-temple/social-media-i-need-to-get-with-it-obviously-it-s-what-everyone-s/) [Juno Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juno-temple/) > [I think people could be a bit friendlier. The only real contact you have with people is when they're annoyed if you've had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/i-think-people-could-be-a-bit-friendlier-the-only-real-contact-you/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) ## More by Stephen J. Dubner > [These are the two sides of Steven Spielberg: the reverent grown-up who knows when to say the right thing and the exuberant kid who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/these-are-the-two-sides-of-steven-spielberg-the-reverent-grown-up-who/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [Like the graduates of some notorious boot camp, my brothers and sisters and I look back with a sort of perverse glee at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/like-the-graduates-of-some-notorious-boot-camp-my-brothers-and/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [The world is complicated. But does every problem require a complicated solution?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/the-world-is-complicated-but-does-every-problem-require-a-complicated/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [People are being incentivized for the wrong things. We've heard about a lot - doctors for procedures rather than creating wellness or maintaining wellness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/people-are-being-incentivized-for-the-wrong-things-we-ve-heard-about/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [While in the middle of writing a book, I have a hard time reading other books for pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/while-in-the-middle-of-writing-a-book-i-have-a-hard-time-reading/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [That's what's good about the digital revolution is it makes information asymmetry much harder to maintain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/that-s-what-s-good-about-the-digital-revolution-is-it-makes/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [Most laws that we make to protect people from guns are usually ignored by the criminals and obeyed by the law-abiding people. And so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/most-laws-that-we-make-to-protect-people-from-guns-are-usually/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [If the day's writing has been particularly good or particularly bad, a glass of scotch will be involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/if-the-day-s-writing-has-been-particularly-good-or-particularly-bad-a/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [As everyone knows, tips constitute the bulk of a waiter's or waitress's income. But they are also optional, at least in theory. Does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/as-everyone-knows-tips-constitute-the-bulk-of-a-waiter-s-or-waitress/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [What I think of as 'freakonomics' is mostly storytelling around an idea - not a theme but an idea. I like ideas much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/what-i-think-of-as-freakonomics-is-mostly-storytelling-around-an-idea/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [The Immaculate Reception became the Zapruder Film of sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/the-immaculate-reception-became-the-zapruder-film-of-sports/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [We're all biased, right, in many different ways - politically, religiously, ideologically, the way our family raised us - and that's fine. Nobody wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/we-re-all-biased-right-in-many-different-ways-politically-religiously/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [Think small. Don't pretend you know the answers. Experiment; get feedback. These are all the premises of 'Think Like a Freak,' really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/think-small-don-t-pretend-you-know-the-answers-experiment-get/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [I think the most fundamental error we make is mistaking a noisy, anomalous event for the norm. This happens all the time - in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/i-think-the-most-fundamental-error-we-make-is-mistaking-a-noisy/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [What's really the driver of talent is not raw ability. It's not even just experience. It's what's called 'deliberate practice,' which is to say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/what-s-really-the-driver-of-talent-is-not-raw-ability-it-s-not-even/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) [Explore all 48 Stephen J. Dubner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Of all the things that the digital revolution has produced, once of the coolest, simplest ones is you can now contact people who write books that you read. You used to have to write a letter to the publisher and hope they passed it along, which they never did.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen J. Dubner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revolution-has-produced-once-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revolution-has-produced-once-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/stephen-j-dubner-13900_book_of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revol_2599471.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/stephen-j-dubner-13900_book_of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revol_2599471.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db6/stephen-j-dubner-13900_book_of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revol_2599471.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Of all the things that the digital revolution has produced, once of the coolest, simplest ones is you can…” — Stephen J. Dubner", "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": "Stephen J. Dubner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Of all the things that the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revolution-has-produced-once-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/of-all-the-things-that-the-digital-revolution-has-produced-once-of/#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 } } ] } ```