--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the medium is not always the message; and…" description: "\"“the medium is not always the message; and that people followed Moses because his words were thoughtful, not because he spoke them well.”\" — Susan Cain" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/susan-cain-647_moses_the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and_2295578.jpg" --- # the medium is not always the message; and that people… ![“the medium is not always the message; and that people followed Moses because his words were thoughtful, not because he spoke them well.” quote by Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/susan-cain-647_moses_the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and_2295578.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/susan-cain-647_moses_the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and_2295578.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/susan-cain-647_moses_the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and_2295578.jpg) > ““the medium is not always the message; and that people followed Moses because his words were thoughtful, not because he spoke them well.”” [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Message impact depends on thoughtfulness, not just delivery; people follow ideas that resonate deeply. **In simple terms:** Ideas matter more than eloquent speech. Key Takeaway Prioritize thoughtful content. Themes communication leadership influence Mood reflective analytical Type communication psychology When to use this quote - public speaking - teaching - marketing - leadership training Key Concepts rhetoric psychology Questions to Reflect On - What makes a message compelling? - How can thoughtful ideas be better communicated? A Different Perspective Charisma can still sway audiences despite shallow ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Followed Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/followed-moses-567381/) [Medium Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium-message-294752/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moses/) [Moses Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moses-words-567380/) [Thoughtful Spoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughtful-spoke-5410044/) ## Related quotes > [We don’t ask why God chose as his prophet a stutterer with a public speaking phobia. But we should. The book of Exodus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/we-don-t-ask-why-god-chose-as-his-prophet-a-stutterer-with-a-public/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“We tend to write Moses’ true personality out of the Exodus story. (Cecil B. DeMille’s classic, The Ten Commandments, portrays him as a swashbuckling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/we-tend-to-write-moses-true-personality-out-of-the-exodus-story-cecil/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [If you look at a group of people that had faith, it's got to be the Jews. They followed Moses through the desert for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ferrara/if-you-look-at-a-group-of-people-that-had-faith-it-s-got-to-be-the/) [Adam Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ferrara/) > [“This important theme of Abraham’s deep trust in God’s promise and faithfulness helped shape Israel’s own self-understanding and identity. So it’s not surprising to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/this-important-theme-of-abraham-s-deep-trust-in-god-s-promise-and/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [The medium is the message. This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium - that is, of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-medium-is-the-message-this-is-merely-to-say-that-the-personal-and/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“Or maybe that’s what it’s all about: this religion’s substance is its lack of substance. In McLuhanesque terms, the medium is the message. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/or-maybe-that-s-what-it-s-all-about-this-religion-s-substance-is-its/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Medium is the message but sometimes you have to go to the extreme to get what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/medium-is-the-message-but-sometimes-you-have-to-go-to-the-extreme-to/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [How your customers learn about your product is part of your product. The medium is the message.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-vlaskovits/how-your-customers-learn-about-your-product-is-part-of-your-product/) [Patrick Vlaskovits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-vlaskovits/) > [“The medium is the message. -Marshall McLuhan The message is the marketing. -Gideon Stevens”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gideon-stevens/the-medium-is-the-message-marshall-mcluhan-the-message-is-the/) [Gideon Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gideon-stevens/) > [The medium is not the message - the message is the message.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/the-medium-is-not-the-message-the-message-is-the-message/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [That strange new zone between medium and message. That zone we call the interface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/that-strange-new-zone-between-medium-and-message-that-zone-we-call/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [The medium is the message" because it is the medium that shapes and controls the search and form of human associations and action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-medium-is-the-message-because-it-is-the-medium-that-shapes-and/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“I understand the fear that by losing contact with books on the printed page, we're somehow surrendering some aspect of our humanity, but that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-understand-the-fear-that-by-losing-contact-with-books-on-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All media work us over completely. They are so pervasive in their personal, political, economic, aesthetic, psychological, moral, ethical, and social consequences that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/all-media-work-us-over-completely-they-are-so-pervasive-in-their/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“(When McLuhan announced that the medium was the message, he was being arch. The medium is both opposite to, and entwined with, the message.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/when-mcluhan-announced-that-the-medium-was-the-message-he-was-being/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) ## More by Susan Cain > [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“where we fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum. Our place on this continuum influences our choice of friends and mates, and how we make conversation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/where-we-fall-on-the-introvert-extrovert-spectrum-our-place-on-this/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“I worry that there are people who are put in positions of authority because they’re good talkers, but they don’t have good ideas,” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/i-worry-that-there-are-people-who-are-put-in-positions-of-authority/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“He believes, as most of us do, that venting anger lets off steam. The “catharsis hypothesis”—that aggression builds up inside us until it’s healthily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/he-believes-as-most-of-us-do-that-venting-anger-lets-off-steam-the/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Soft power is not limited to moral exemplars like Mahatma Gandhi. Consider, for example, the much-ballyhooed excellence of Asians in fields like math and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/soft-power-is-not-limited-to-moral-exemplars-like-mahatma-gandhi/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Events like this don't give me the sense of oneness others seem to enjoy; it's always been private occasions that make me feel connected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/events-like-this-don-t-give-me-the-sense-of-oneness-others-seem-to/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Social anxiety disorder”—which essentially means pathological shyness—is now thought to afflict nearly one in five of us. The most recent version of the Diagnostic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/social-anxiety-disorder-which-essentially-means-pathological-shyness/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Potential clients would walk out of Charlie’s office scared”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/potential-clients-would-walk-out-of-charlie-s-office-scared/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“So when introverts assume the observer role, as when they write novels, or contemplate unified field theory- or fall quiet at dinner parties- they’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/so-when-introverts-assume-the-observer-role-as-when-they-write-novels/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“Osborn’s theory had great impact, and company leaders took up brainstorming with enthusiasm. To this day, it’s common for anyone who spends time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/osborn-s-theory-had-great-impact-and-company-leaders-took-up/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [Extroversion is an enormously appealing personality style, but we've turned it into an oppressive standard to which most of us feel we must conform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/extroversion-is-an-enormously-appealing-personality-style-but-we-ve/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“But as the word satyagraha implies, Gandhi’s passivity was not weakness at all. It meant focusing on an ultimate goal and refusing to divert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/but-as-the-word-satyagraha-implies-gandhi-s-passivity-was-not/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“The Extrovert Ideal has been documented in many studies, though this research has never been grouped under a single name. Talkative people, for example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/the-extrovert-ideal-has-been-documented-in-many-studies-though-this/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“introverts prefer to work independently, and solitude can be a catalyst to innovation. As the influential psychologist Hans Eysenck once observed, introversion “concentrates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/introverts-prefer-to-work-independently-and-solitude-can-be-a/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [ “People who tend to \[suppress their negative emotions\] regularly,” concludes Grob, “might start to see the world in a more negative light.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/people-who-tend-to-suppress-their-negative-emotions-regularly/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) [Explore all 428 Susan Cain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) ## More Moses quotes > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Moses became America's true founding father because he evangelized action; he justified risk. He gave ordinary people the courage to live with uncertainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-feiler/moses-became-america-s-true-founding-father-because-he-evangelized/) [Bruce Feiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-feiler/) > [Too long have the workers of the world waited for some Moses to lead them out of bondage. I would not lead you out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/too-long-have-the-workers-of-the-world-waited-for-some-moses-to-lead/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [“Love to Israel, such as Moses and Paul felt, is a ray from that ineffable ocean of light which is in God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-lifsey/love-to-israel-such-as-moses-and-paul-felt-is-a-ray-from-that/) [Dalton Lifsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-lifsey/) > [The great spiritual geniuses, whether it was Moses, Buddha, Plato, Socrates, Jesus, or Emerson… have taught man to look within himself to find God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/the-great-spiritual-geniuses-whether-it-was-moses-buddha-plato/) [Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/) > [Moses was a great leader, right? But he wasn't a great communicator. And so God sent him Aaron so he could, let's say, communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/moses-was-a-great-leader-right-but-he-wasn-t-a-great-communicator-and/) [Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/) > [“king of Heshbon. 6 b Moses, the servant of the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/king-of-heshbon-6-b-moses-the-servant-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'll start with the reality. If we're having problems nationally, we're having problems on the state level and then on the local level, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/i-ll-start-with-the-reality-if-we-re-having-problems-nationally-we-re/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [I walk out into a nature such as the old prophets and poets Menu, Moses, Homer, Chaucer, walked in. You may name it America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-walk-out-into-a-nature-such-as-the-old-prophets-and-poets-menu/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Mungu hutumia watu 'wajinga' na 'wapumbavu' kufanya mambo makubwa katika maisha yao na ya watu wengine. Katika Biblia, Musa aliitwa mjinga alipokiuka amri ya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/mungu-hutumia-watu-wajinga-na-wapumbavu-kufanya-mambo-makubwa-katika/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-morell/but-take-diligent-heed-to-do-the-commandment-and-the-law-which-moses/) [Thomas Morell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-morell/) > [Frazzled and delirious, as I've just finished a new book of stories. I feel like Moses staggering down the mountainside with the tablets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-barry/frazzled-and-delirious-as-i-ve-just-finished-a-new-book-of-stories-i/) [Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-barry/) > [I'm not saying everything out there is bad and toxic, but there are some things that are not scriptural. For example, some people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/i-m-not-saying-everything-out-there-is-bad-and-toxic-but-there-are/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I used to think like Moses. That knocked me down for a couple years and put me in prison. Then I start thinking like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-brown/i-used-to-think-like-moses-that-knocked-me-down-for-a-couple-years/) [James Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-brown/) > [Back in Khufu's day I knew a magician who parted the Nile just so he could climb to the bottom and retrieve a girl's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/back-in-khufu-s-day-i-knew-a-magician-who-parted-the-nile-just-so-he/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) [Browse all 475 Moses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moses/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“the medium is not always the message; and that people followed Moses because his words were thoughtful, not because he spoke them well.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Cain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and-that-people-followed-moses/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Moses" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and-that-people-followed-moses/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/susan-cain-647_moses_the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and_2295578.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/susan-cain-647_moses_the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and_2295578.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/susan-cain-647_moses_the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and_2295578.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“the medium is not always the message; and that people followed Moses because his words were thoughtful, not…” — Susan Cain", "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": "Susan Cain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“the medium is not always the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and-that-people-followed-moses/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/the-medium-is-not-always-the-message-and-that-people-followed-moses/#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 } } ] } ```