--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I were a 13-year-old and I wanted to…" description: "\"If I were a 13-year-old and I wanted to create subversive art, I wouldn't go out and buy an electric guitar. I'd get myself a personal computer.\" — Tho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/thomas-dolby-23482_art_if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to_1196915.jpg" --- # If I were a 13-year-old and I wanted to create subversive… ![“If I were a 13-year-old and I wanted to create subversive art, I wouldn't go out and buy an electric guitar. I'd get myself a personal computer.” quote by Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/thomas-dolby-23482_art_if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to_1196915.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/thomas-dolby-23482_art_if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to_1196915.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/thomas-dolby-23482_art_if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to_1196915.jpg) > “If I were a 13-year-old and I wanted to create subversive art, I wouldn't go out and buy an electric guitar. I'd get myself a personal computer.” [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He suggests using a computer for avant‑garde art rather than traditional instruments. **In simple terms:** Use computers for subversive art, not guitars. Key Takeaway Embrace digital tools for creativity. Themes technology art subversion Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creating experimental music on a PC - learning coding for art - online collaborations Key Concepts digital media DIY culture Questions to Reflect On - Can digital tools replace physical ones? - What limits do you face with software? A Different Perspective Computers may lack the tactile feel of instruments, affecting expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [13 Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/13-year/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Create Subversive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-subversive-3574009/) [Electric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric/) [Electric guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric-guitar/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Guitar Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar-personal-3574008/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Personal computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-computers/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Subversive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subversive/) [Subversive Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subversive-art-3574010/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [A guitar is a very personal extension of the person playing it. You have to be emotionally and spiritually connected to your instrument. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-van-halen/a-guitar-is-a-very-personal-extension-of-the-person-playing-it-you/) [Eddie Van Halen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-van-halen/) > [The message that personal computers can do neat things, that software is great stuff, that there's an exciting opportunity here and Microsoft is involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-message-that-personal-computers-can-do-neat-things-that-software/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The most important work I got a chance to be involved in, no matter what I do, is the personal computer... I even knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-most-important-work-i-got-a-chance-to-be-involved-in-no-matter/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The Cube is approximately - it's around the same age as the Internet, and in that time, we had no personal computers yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erno-rubik/the-cube-is-approximately-it-s-around-the-same-age-as-the-internet/) [Erno Rubik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erno-rubik/) > [“At the same time, those powerful computers spend 95 percent of their time doing absolutely nothing. Modern personal computers perform very few tasks that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dourish/at-the-same-time-those-powerful-computers-spend-95-percent-of-their/) [Paul Dourish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dourish/) > [You have to be very skilled in this industry. I grew in this industry; we created the very beginnings of this industry. We made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiv-nadar/you-have-to-be-very-skilled-in-this-industry-i-grew-in-this-industry/) [Shiv Nadar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiv-nadar/) > [It is always the young that make the change. You don't get these ideas when you're middle-aged. Young people have daring, creativity, imagination and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbie-hoffman/it-is-always-the-young-that-make-the-change-you-don-t-get-these-ideas/) [Abbie Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbie-hoffman/) > [For many years, even as users became more sophisticated, personal computers took too much effort to use without problem-solving, keeping alive the yearning for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-mossberg/for-many-years-even-as-users-became-more-sophisticated-personal/) [Walt Mossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-mossberg/) > [The vast majority of people do not have, nor will they ever have a personal computer. They haven't been exposed to Windows or Office,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elop/the-vast-majority-of-people-do-not-have-nor-will-they-ever-have-a/) [Stephen Elop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elop/) > [I often think about the many remarkable things that my personal computer can do which I never ask it to do. I probably use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-s-fletcher/i-often-think-about-the-many-remarkable-things-that-my-personal/) [Geoffrey S. Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-s-fletcher/) > [The term, information at your fingertips, is to remind people what a broad role the personal computer will be playing. It's not a computation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-term-information-at-your-fingertips-is-to-remind-people-what-a/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/if-i-had-never-dropped-in-on-that-single-course-in-college-the-mac-2/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The biggest effect of the personal computer revolution has been to allow millions and millions of people to experience computers themselves decades before they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-biggest-effect-of-the-personal-computer-revolution-has-been-to/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-think-it-s-fair-to-say-that-personal-computers-have-become-the-most/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I was always interested in technology. When personal computers came out, I was one of the first to pick one up and begin playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mamoru-oshii/i-was-always-interested-in-technology-when-personal-computers-came/) [Mamoru Oshii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mamoru-oshii/) ## More by Thomas Dolby > [From a technical point of view, there seemed to me to be absolutely no reason why - with the existing technology - we couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/from-a-technical-point-of-view-there-seemed-to-me-to-be-absolutely-no/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [It isn't cool to abuse the ability to swing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/it-isn-t-cool-to-abuse-the-ability-to-swing/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [When the polar ice caps melt, my recording studio will rise up like an ark, and I'll float off into the drowned world like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/when-the-polar-ice-caps-melt-my-recording-studio-will-rise-up-like-an/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [While I'm impressed with the length of those legs, she's not an intellectual giant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/while-i-m-impressed-with-the-length-of-those-legs-she-s-not-an/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [Smother me in your hot sauce woman until smoke comes from your thighs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/smother-me-in-your-hot-sauce-woman-until-smoke-comes-from-your-thighs/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [The man who never dreams, goes slowly mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/the-man-who-never-dreams-goes-slowly-mad/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [It's poetry in motion, when she turned her tender eyes to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/it-s-poetry-in-motion-when-she-turned-her-tender-eyes-to-me/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [Etch out the future on your own design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/etch-out-the-future-on-your-own-design/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [She blinded me with science and failed me in geometry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/she-blinded-me-with-science-and-failed-me-in-geometry/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [So I'll set a cycle in motion and pop it into record and I'll lay down a drum pattern, a bass line, a keyboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/so-i-ll-set-a-cycle-in-motion-and-pop-it-into-record-and-i-ll-lay/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [So a more sensible thing it seemed to me was to go to Silicon Valley and be pushing on the technology companies to accelerate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/so-a-more-sensible-thing-it-seemed-to-me-was-to-go-to-silicon-valley/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [At the same time, one of the things I noticed was that the moment there was any kind of audio attached to virtual reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/at-the-same-time-one-of-the-things-i-noticed-was-that-the-moment/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [I was very pleased to find that once I had records out music videos were starting to happen, so I directed some of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/i-was-very-pleased-to-find-that-once-i-had-records-out-music-videos/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [It's been over 15 years since I toured... over 12 years since I did any recording under my own name. I never really intended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/it-s-been-over-15-years-since-i-toured-over-12-years-since-i-did-any/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) > [I was desperate really for people not to accuse me of coldness. It was taboo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/i-was-desperate-really-for-people-not-to-accuse-me-of-coldness-it-was/) [Thomas Dolby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) [Explore all 26 Thomas Dolby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I were a 13-year-old and I wanted to create subversive art, I wouldn't go out and buy an electric guitar. I'd get myself a personal computer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Dolby" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to-create-subversive-art-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to-create-subversive-art-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/thomas-dolby-23482_art_if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to_1196915.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/thomas-dolby-23482_art_if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to_1196915.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/thomas-dolby-23482_art_if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to_1196915.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I were a 13-year-old and I wanted to create subversive art, I wouldn't go out and buy an electric guitar…” — Thomas Dolby", "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": "Thomas Dolby", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dolby/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I were a 13-year-old and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to-create-subversive-art-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dolby/if-i-were-a-13-year-old-and-i-wanted-to-create-subversive-art-i/#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 } } ] } ```