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Computers Quote by Ursula K. Le Guin

“Some five hundred people lived there. Four thousand years ago I should have found their ancestors living in the same place, in the same kind of house. Along in those four millennia the electric engine was developed, radios and power looms and power vehicles and farm machinery and all the rest…” quote by Ursula K. Le Guin
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““Some five hundred people lived there. Four thousand years ago I should have found their ancestors living in the same place, in the same kind of house. Along in those four millennia the electric engine was developed, radios and power looms and power vehicles and farm machinery and all the rest began to be used, and a Machine Age got going, gradually, without any industrial revolution, without any revolution at all.””

Ursula K. Le Guin

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Dispossessed, 1974

Human societies evolve technologically over millennia without dramatic revolutions, showing gradual progress can be profound.

In simple terms: Progress can be gradual, not always revolutionary.

Key Takeaway

Recognize slow, steady change.

Themes

progress history technology

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

literary historical

When to use this quote

  • urban planning
  • educational curricula
  • long‑term policy making

Key Concepts

civilizational development incremental change social evolution

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do we value gradual versus sudden change?
  • What signs indicate hidden revolutions?
A Different Perspective

May overlook abrupt disruptive events.

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