--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They build machines they can't control…" description: "\"They build machines they can't control, and bury the waste in a great big hole.\" — Sting" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/sting-3009_bigs_they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-a_38418.png" --- # They build machines they can't control, and bury the waste… ![“They build machines they can't control, and bury the waste in a great big hole.” quote by Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/sting-3009_bigs_they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-a_38418.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/sting-3009_bigs_they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-a_38418.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/sting-3009_bigs_they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-a_38418.png) > “They build machines they can't control, and bury the waste in a great big hole.” [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human technological hubris leads to creating powerful systems beyond our ability to manage, and we conceal the resulting damage rather than address it. **In simple terms:** Uncontrolled tech and hidden waste. Key Takeaway Tech can outpace responsibility. Themes hubris environment technology responsibility consequences Mood cautious critical somber Type cautionary political environmental When to use this quote - industrial expansion - corporate decision‑making - government policy - public health crises Key Concepts unsustainable development ethical negligence environmental degradation Practical Applications - risk assessment frameworks - transparent waste‑management policies Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can prevent tech from exceeding our control? - How should societies hold creators accountable for hidden impacts? A Different Perspective Some argue that innovation inevitably carries risks, but this does not excuse deliberate concealment of harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) ## Related quotes > [There were no black images of dignity, no images of beautiful black people. There was this big hole. I tried to fill it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-decarava/there-were-no-black-images-of-dignity-no-images-of-beautiful-black/) [Roy DeCarava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-decarava/) > [Computers and rocket ships are examples of invention, not of understanding. ... All that is needed to build machines is the knowledge that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/computers-and-rocket-ships-are-examples-of-invention-not-of/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [If we are machines, then in principle at least, we should be able to build machines out of other stuff, which are just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/if-we-are-machines-then-in-principle-at-least-we-should-be-able-to/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [“The nations that build machines will own the nations that kneel for miracles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yemi-success-md/the-nations-that-build-machines-will-own-the-nations-that-kneel-for/) ‘Yemi Success, MD > [You didn't tell a lie, you just left a big hole in the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-thomas/you-didn-t-tell-a-lie-you-just-left-a-big-hole-in-the-truth/) [Helen Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-thomas/) > [I had an Oscar, an Emmy, and yet I had this big hole in my soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-gossett-jr/i-had-an-oscar-an-emmy-and-yet-i-had-this-big-hole-in-my-soul/) [Louis Gossett, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-gossett-jr/) > [But we should not lose sight of how far we are coming and what a big hole we were left by George W. Bush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-o-malley/but-we-should-not-lose-sight-of-how-far-we-are-coming-and-what-a-big/) [Martin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-o-malley/) > [Sometimes the world seems like a big hole. 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I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) ## More by Sting > [I do my best work when I am in pain and turmoil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-do-my-best-work-when-i-am-in-pain-and-turmoil/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [“Every road I walked would take me down to the sea With every broken promise in my sack And every love would always send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/every-road-i-walked-would-take-me-down-to-the-sea-with-every-broken/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [I quite like mistakes. I think they're human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-quite-like-mistakes-i-think-they-re-human/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [“...being in love is to be relieved of gravity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/being-in-love-is-to-be-relieved-of-gravity/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [I went off to fight some battle that I'd invented inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-went-off-to-fight-some-battle-that-i-d-invented-inside-me/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [Like music, yoga is a journey -- one that is long enough so you keep developing, and keep learning. I don't see an end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/like-music-yoga-is-a-journey-one-that-is-long-enough-so-you-keep/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [I can't really change my life to accommodate people who are jealous. I don't see why I should.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-can-t-really-change-my-life-to-accommodate-people-who-are-jealous-i/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [“You have to be yourself. Be very honest about who and what you are. And if people still like or love you, that's great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/you-have-to-be-yourself-be-very-honest-about-who-and-what-you-are-and/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [Love is stronger than justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/love-is-stronger-than-justice/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [Let your pain be my sorrow. Let your tears be my tears too. Let your courage be my model. That the north you find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/let-your-pain-be-my-sorrow-let-your-tears-be-my-tears-too-let-your/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [I don't think happiness is necessarily the reason we're here. I think we're here to learn and evolve, and the pursuit of knowledge is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-don-t-think-happiness-is-necessarily-the-reason-we-re-here-i-think/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [I realize that nothing's as it seems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-realize-that-nothing-s-as-it-seems/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [“Great music as much about the space in between the notes as it is about the notes themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/great-music-as-much-about-the-space-in-between-the-notes-as-it-is/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [My comfortable existence is reduced to a shallow meaningless party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/my-comfortable-existence-is-reduced-to-a-shallow-meaningless-party/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [Every ripple on the ocean, every leaf on every tree, every sand dune in the desert, every power we never see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/every-ripple-on-the-ocean-every-leaf-on-every-tree-every-sand-dune-in/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) [Explore all 142 Sting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) ## More Bigs 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/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They build machines they can't control, and bury the waste in a great big hole.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sting" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-and-bury-the-waste-in-a-great/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bigs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-and-bury-the-waste-in-a-great/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/sting-3009_bigs_they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-a_38418.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/sting-3009_bigs_they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-a_38418.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/sting-3009_bigs_they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-a_38418.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They build machines they can't control, and bury the waste in a great big hole.” — Sting", "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": "Sting", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "They build machines they can't control,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-and-bury-the-waste-in-a-great/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/they-build-machines-they-can-t-control-and-bury-the-waste-in-a-great/#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 } } ] } ```