--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People's motivations haven't changed in…" description: "\"People's motivations haven't changed in maybe 400 or maybe 4,000 years.\" — Vinton Cerf" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/vinton-cerf-19041_changed_people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in_2497042.png" --- # People's motivations haven't changed in maybe 400 or maybe… ![“People's motivations haven't changed in maybe 400 or maybe 4,000 years.” quote by Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/vinton-cerf-19041_changed_people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in_2497042.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/vinton-cerf-19041_changed_people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in_2497042.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/vinton-cerf-19041_changed_people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in_2497042.png) > “People's motivations haven't changed in maybe 400 or maybe 4,000 years.” [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human motives have stayed constant across millennia despite technological change. **In simple terms:** Motivation unchanged over time. Key Takeaway Recognize timeless drivers of behavior. Themes psychology history technology Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - marketing - policy design - education - leadership Key Concepts human nature evolutionary psychology Questions to Reflect On - What ancient motives still shape today? - How do tech shifts affect expression of motives? A Different Perspective Modern tools may mask but not alter core motives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Motivations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivations/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Examining other people's motivations, other people's language and other people's way of interacting is much more fascinating to me than spending a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-broderick/examining-other-people-s-motivations-other-people-s-language-and/) [Beth Broderick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-broderick/) > [I aim to be translucent, so you don't notice the words, just their meaning. I haven't much insight into people's motivations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/i-aim-to-be-translucent-so-you-don-t-notice-the-words-just-their/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“I think maybe you're nicer than you let people see,' I finally said. I looked down the line at my partners in crime. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-jade-lange/i-think-maybe-you-re-nicer-than-you-let-people-see-i-finally-said-i/) [Erin Jade Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-jade-lange/) > [I guess you could say I've changed. But maybe, You never really knew me in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-guess-you-could-say-i-ve-changed-but-maybe-you-never-really-knew-me/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Of course, masculinity's changed, but maybe I'm fortunate or privileged to have not been that interested in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/of-course-masculinity-s-changed-but-maybe-i-m-fortunate-or-privileged/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [When I first met you, I never changed anything about you. Well, maybe I changed your smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raychel-z/when-i-first-met-you-i-never-changed-anything-about-you-well-maybe-i/) Raychel Z > [I don't feel like I've really changed. Maybe I have let people see more of me than in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-gordon/i-don-t-feel-like-i-ve-really-changed-maybe-i-have-let-people-see/) [Jeff Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-gordon/) > [Surveying the shifts of interest among computer scientists and the ever-expanding family of those who depend on computers for their work, one cannot help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-wilkes/surveying-the-shifts-of-interest-among-computer-scientists-and-the/) [Maurice Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-wilkes/) > [I'm interested in character and people and motivations and things like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-helberg/i-m-interested-in-character-and-people-and-motivations-and-things/) [Simon Helberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-helberg/) > [The bad news is that ignoring the performance of people is almost as bad as shredding their effort in front of their eyes. Ignoring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/the-bad-news-is-that-ignoring-the-performance-of-people-is-almost-as-2/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [The bad news is that ignoring the performance of people is almost as bad as shredding their effort in front of their eyes. ……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-bad-news-is-that-ignoring-the-performance-of-people-is-almost-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The motivations I had for being successful were somewhat dysfunctional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-bloom/the-motivations-i-had-for-being-successful-were-somewhat-dysfunctional/) [Molly Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-bloom/) > [“Bear in mind that humility is not timidity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/bear-in-mind-that-humility-is-not-timidity/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“People are always trying to understand. There is only one way to do that. It is to discover < + i + >why< +…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/people-are-always-trying-to-understand-there-is-only-one-way-to-do/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“You carry greatness disguised in tiny potentials.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-carry-greatness-disguised-in-tiny-potentials/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) ## More by Vinton Cerf > [I can imagine people actually working in virtual environments where productive, cooperative work is undertaken, and I think we will find people helping others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/i-can-imagine-people-actually-working-in-virtual-environments-where/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [Humor is the only thing that allows you to survive every pressure and crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/humor-is-the-only-thing-that-allows-you-to-survive-every-pressure-and/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [Google’s objective is to organize the world’s information and to make it accessible. Unicode plays a central role in this effort because it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/google-s-objective-is-to-organize-the-world-s-information-and-to-make/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [The last decade of Internet evolution has been marked by innovation. That innovation has been a consequence of the open and neutral access that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/the-last-decade-of-internet-evolution-has-been-marked-by-innovation/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [The Internet reflects the societies in which we live, and so the content on the Net and some of the abuses that you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/the-internet-reflects-the-societies-in-which-we-live-and-so-the/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [If you are deaf, you need captions for spoken elements. If you are blind, you need voiced descriptions of Web contents and spoken renderings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/if-you-are-deaf-you-need-captions-for-spoken-elements-if-you-are/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [I'm disappointed in people in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/i-m-disappointed-in-people-in-general/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [I think imaginative exercises can have a profound impact on the future - what you can imagine can sometimes turn into something you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/i-think-imaginative-exercises-can-have-a-profound-impact-on-the/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [The remarkable social impact and economic success of the Internet is in many ways directly attributable to the architectural characteristics that were part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/the-remarkable-social-impact-and-economic-success-of-the-internet-is/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [They say a year in the Internet business is like a dog year.. equivalent to seven years in a regular person's life. In other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/they-say-a-year-in-the-internet-business-is-like-a-dog-year/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [There are things that have excited me to no end, and it's the sharing of knowledge that has come about on the network, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/there-are-things-that-have-excited-me-to-no-end-and-it-s-the-sharing/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [I've been hearing-impaired, not quite since birth, but I've been wearing hearing aids since I was 13, so I'm very conscious of the difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/i-ve-been-hearing-impaired-not-quite-since-birth-but-i-ve-been/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [My belief is that there will be very large numbers of Internet-enabled devices on the Net - home appliances, office equipment, things in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/my-belief-is-that-there-will-be-very-large-numbers-of-internet/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [On email and the first instance of spam: This is not for advertising! This is for serious work!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/on-email-and-the-first-instance-of-spam-this-is-not-for-advertising/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [By placing intelligence at the edges rather than control in the middle of the network, the Internet has created a platform for innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/by-placing-intelligence-at-the-edges-rather-than-control-in-the/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) [Explore all 33 Vinton Cerf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) ## More Changed quotes > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [You made me hate my own reflection Question every choice I make So I could try to be perfect But I will try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn/you-made-me-hate-my-own-reflection-question-every-choice-i-make-so-i/) [Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn/) > [Everything has changed and nothing has changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lowery/everything-has-changed-and-nothing-has-changed/) [Joseph Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lowery/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Faith is the avenue to salvation. Not intellectual understanding. Not money. Not your works. Just simple faith. How much faith? The faith of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-the-avenue-to-salvation-not-intellectual-understanding-not/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [When I became Miss World, I couldn't believe I had won it. I used to sleep with my crown because I was scared someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/when-i-became-miss-world-i-couldn-t-believe-i-had-won-it-i-used-to/) [Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/) > [As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-light-changed-from-red-to-green-to-yellow-and-back-to-red/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Working with Rihanna has changed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibi-bourelly/working-with-rihanna-has-changed-my-life/) [Bibi Bourelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibi-bourelly/) > [The international game has changed for bidding cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ueberroth/the-international-game-has-changed-for-bidding-cities/) [Peter Ueberroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ueberroth/) > [You changed my life, don't know what you're doing to me with your love. You got me feeling super human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-changed-my-life-don-t-know-what-you-re-doing-to-me-with-your-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not changing because I'm part of a hit. People around me have changed in their attitude toward me, but I haven't changed. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-penny/i-m-not-changing-because-i-m-part-of-a-hit-people-around-me-have/) [Joe Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-penny/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) Browse all 6,529 Changed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People's motivations haven't changed in maybe 400 or maybe 4,000 years.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vinton Cerf" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in-maybe-400-or-maybe-4-000-years/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Changed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in-maybe-400-or-maybe-4-000-years/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/vinton-cerf-19041_changed_people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in_2497042.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/vinton-cerf-19041_changed_people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in_2497042.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c40/vinton-cerf-19041_changed_people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in_2497042.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People's motivations haven't changed in maybe 400 or maybe 4,000 years.” — Vinton Cerf", "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": "Vinton Cerf", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People's motivations haven't changed in maybe...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in-maybe-400-or-maybe-4-000-years/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/people-s-motivations-haven-t-changed-in-maybe-400-or-maybe-4-000-years/#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 } } ] } ```