--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a time when nails were…" description: "\"There was a time when nails were high-tech. There was a time when people had to be told how to use a telephone. Technology is just a tool. People use t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/tom-clancy-1751_nails_there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-te_1892791.jpg" --- # There was a time when nails were high-tech. There was a… ![“There was a time when nails were high-tech. There was a time when people had to be told how to use a telephone. Technology is just a tool. People use tools to improve their lives.” quote by Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/tom-clancy-1751_nails_there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-te_1892791.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/tom-clancy-1751_nails_there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-te_1892791.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/tom-clancy-1751_nails_there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-te_1892791.jpg) > “There was a time when nails were high-tech. There was a time when people had to be told how to use a telephone. Technology is just a tool. People use tools to improve their lives.” [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technology is a neutral tool; its value depends on human use. **In simple terms:** Tech is neutral, people decide its impact. Key Takeaway Use tools wisely to improve life. Themes technology tool human agency progress Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - workplace - home - education - healthcare Key Concepts ethics design innovation Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities come with new tools? - How can we ensure equitable access? A Different Perspective Tools can be misused, leading to harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) ## Related quotes > [You should not be a slave to your telephone. The technology is there to serve you, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/you-should-not-be-a-slave-to-your-telephone-the-technology-is-there/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [Use the tools and experiences that you have acquired thus far, to help make each step you take stronger, and to help make each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/use-the-tools-and-experiences-that-you-have-acquired-thus-far-to-help/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [“To accomplish his object Ahab must use tools; and of all tools used in the shadow of the moon, men are most apt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/to-accomplish-his-object-ahab-must-use-tools-and-of-all-tools-used-in/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Use them tools GOD put at the end of your legs to avoid conflict!...Walk away!...Its that simple...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alaysha-green/use-them-tools-god-put-at-the-end-of-your-legs-to-avoid-conflict-walk/) [Alaysha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alaysha-green/) > [I made so many recordings with junky mics and crappy mixing consoles, you have to use what your tools are and in some ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-vig/i-made-so-many-recordings-with-junky-mics-and-crappy-mixing-consoles/) [Butch Vig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-vig/) > [“Rest is your secret weapon. Block time for breaks, ditch desk lunches, and use tools that help you recharge smarter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felecia-etienne/rest-is-your-secret-weapon-block-time-for-breaks-ditch-desk-lunches/) [Felecia Etienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felecia-etienne/) > [Management must provide employees with tools that will enable them to do their jobs better, and with encouragement to use these tools. In particular,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-e-p-box/management-must-provide-employees-with-tools-that-will-enable-them-to/) [George E. P. Box](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-e-p-box/) > [I think in reality, today, if you use the same tools as everyone else, you kind of build the same products.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-griffith/i-think-in-reality-today-if-you-use-the-same-tools-as-everyone-else/) [Saul Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-griffith/) > [I think it is really important to not only take advantage of these tools that you have at your disposal but also to really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/makoto-shinkai/i-think-it-is-really-important-to-not-only-take-advantage-of-these/) [Makoto Shinkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/makoto-shinkai/) > [“Instead of Punishment 1. EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS STRONGLY—WITHOUT ATTACKING CHARACTER. “I’m furious that my new saw was left outside to rust in the rain!”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele-faber/instead-of-punishment-1-express-your-feelings-strongly-without/) [Adele Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele-faber/) > [I have a range, and I'd much rather do things the nice way than the hard way, but sometimes you have to use all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/i-have-a-range-and-i-d-much-rather-do-things-the-nice-way-than-the/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [As an actor, you always use the tools of who you are and your experience of what you have to offer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-mueller/as-an-actor-you-always-use-the-tools-of-who-you-are-and-your/) [Jessie Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-mueller/) > [I use tools like social media, Internet and all those things available to us as women to get out there and to make our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonita-gandhi/i-use-tools-like-social-media-internet-and-all-those-things-available/) [Jonita Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonita-gandhi/) > [We use tools such as email, not just as a way to keep in daily touch with family members who live in other cities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tipper-gore/we-use-tools-such-as-email-not-just-as-a-way-to-keep-in-daily-touch/) [Tipper Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tipper-gore/) > [I can use most of the tools that every American teenager can master. Maybe not all of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-can-use-most-of-the-tools-that-every-american-teenager-can-master/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) ## More by Tom Clancy > [“The most important lesson that came out of Vietnam for me was that Marines take care of Marines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-most-important-lesson-that-came-out-of-vietnam-for-me-was-that/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [I understand why we do that now. It’s a help, not a threat. It’s something to remind you how important words are. Ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/i-understand-why-we-do-that-now-it-s-a-help-not-a-threat-it-s/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [People, I am actually fairly smart. Why has this not occurred to anyone? The information is all out there, if you go looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/people-i-am-actually-fairly-smart-why-has-this-not-occurred-to-anyone/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Sunday was the normal day for the political awareness session at sea. Ordinarily Putin would have officiated, reading some Pravada editorials, followed by selected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/sunday-was-the-normal-day-for-the-political-awareness-session-at-sea/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Fix your eyes forward on what you can do, not back on what you cannot change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/fix-your-eyes-forward-on-what-you-can-do-not-back-on-what-you-cannot/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Speak your dialogue out loud. If it sounds like the way people talk, then write it down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/speak-your-dialogue-out-loud-if-it-sounds-like-the-way-people-talk/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Two questions form the foundation of all novels: "What if?" and "What next?" (A third question, "What now?", is one the author asks himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/two-questions-form-the-foundation-of-all-novels-what-if-and-what-next/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [The smaller the mind, the greater the ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-smaller-the-mind-the-greater-the-ego/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not... Responsibilities need not erase it. Duties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/nothing-is-as-real-as-a-dream-the-world-can-change-around-you-but/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [An overnight success is ten years in the making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/an-overnight-success-is-ten-years-in-the-making/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Bill Clinton is a man who thinks international affairs means dating a girl from out of town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/bill-clinton-is-a-man-who-thinks-international-affairs-means-dating-a/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [The objective of a terrorist is to create political change in the society he targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-objective-of-a-terrorist-is-to-create-political-change-in-the/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [“The Good of the People was a laudable enough goal, but in denying a man's soul, an enduring part of his being, Marxism stripped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-good-of-the-people-was-a-laudable-enough-goal-but-in-denying-a/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [(Stereotyping) is only for those without the imagination to see people as they are instead of being like someone else they understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/stereotyping-is-only-for-those-without-the-imagination-to-see-people/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [“The dead were gone and didn't know or care what they left behind.. If the dead still lived on the surface of this earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-dead-were-gone-and-didn-t-know-or-care-what-they-left-behind-if/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) [Explore all 209 Tom Clancy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) ## More Nails quotes > [“Now, from the crown of my head to the curve of my toe-nails, there was an unguent for every part of me - oil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/now-from-the-crown-of-my-head-to-the-curve-of-my-toe-nails-there-was/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [Overall, we had about 50 meetings where the brothers would say that I couldn't do any solo records, I couldn't write for other people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-hagar/overall-we-had-about-50-meetings-where-the-brothers-would-say-that-i/) [Sammy Hagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-hagar/) > [When I get home, I'm not the boss like I am at work - I slip into a more feminine role. I take everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-kerr/when-i-get-home-i-m-not-the-boss-like-i-am-at-work-i-slip-into-a-more/) [Miranda Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-kerr/) > [I don't do yoga. I bite the hella outta my nails. I smoke, I eat all the wrong food, I don't exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-marie-presley/i-don-t-do-yoga-i-bite-the-hella-outta-my-nails-i-smoke-i-eat-all-the/) [Lisa Marie Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-marie-presley/) > [Painting my nails is the easiest way to look as though I've made an effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fallon/painting-my-nails-is-the-easiest-way-to-look-as-though-i-ve-made-an/) [Jane Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fallon/) > [I don't have a stylist, and I do most of my shopping online, just because it's easier. I don't have any nails to manicure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zara-phillips/i-don-t-have-a-stylist-and-i-do-most-of-my-shopping-online-just/) [Zara Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zara-phillips/) > [Sometimes I would be very upset because my memories are very murky from my childhood, but there are certain emotional memories or emotional truths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/sometimes-i-would-be-very-upset-because-my-memories-are-very-murky/) [Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/) > [An actor needs something to stabilize his personality, something to nail down what he really is, not what he is currently pretending to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphrey-bogart/an-actor-needs-something-to-stabilize-his-personality-something-to/) [Humphrey Bogart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphrey-bogart/) > [I have no problem with the idea of comfort, but it is not an important thing aesthetically. If you look at a shoe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-louboutin/i-have-no-problem-with-the-idea-of-comfort-but-it-is-not-an-important/) [Christian Louboutin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-louboutin/) > [A label is a soul-tattoo that is ingrained deep in our hearts, so much so that it determines how we see ourselves, And how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derwin-l-gray/a-label-is-a-soul-tattoo-that-is-ingrained-deep-in-our-hearts-so-much/) [Derwin L. Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derwin-l-gray/) > [And, for the record, I didn't murder anybody. I want to make that clear. It's entertainment and it brings about the message I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-sarchie/and-for-the-record-i-didn-t-murder-anybody-i-want-to-make-that-clear/) [Ralph Sarchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-sarchie/) > [What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place...The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/what-we-suffer-from-today-is-humility-in-the-wrong-place-the-old/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/excuses-are-the-nails-used-to-build-a-house-of-failure/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Things on the essential list: vodka, Nine Inch Nails, a steady supply of mortal men, and an all-purpose bitchy attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/things-on-the-essential-list-vodka-nine-inch-nails-a-steady-supply-of/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [By a man's finger-nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boots, by his trouser-knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/by-a-man-s-finger-nails-by-his-coat-sleeve-by-his-boots-by-his/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) Browse all 858 Nails quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a time when nails were high-tech. There was a time when people had to be told how to use a telephone. Technology is just a tool. People use tools to improve their lives.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Clancy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-tech-there-was-a-time-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nails" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-tech-there-was-a-time-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/tom-clancy-1751_nails_there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-te_1892791.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/tom-clancy-1751_nails_there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-te_1892791.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/tom-clancy-1751_nails_there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-te_1892791.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was a time when nails were high-tech. There was a time when people had to be told how to use a…” — Tom Clancy", "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": "Tom Clancy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There was a time when nails...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-tech-there-was-a-time-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/there-was-a-time-when-nails-were-high-tech-there-was-a-time-when/#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 } } ] } ```