---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The industrial revolution allowed us, for…"
description: "\"The industrial revolution allowed us, for the first time, to start replacing human labour with machines.\" — Vitalik Buterin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/vitalik-buterin-20983_computers_the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for_294118.jpg"
---

#  The industrial revolution allowed us, for the first time…

![“The industrial revolution allowed us, for the first time, to start replacing human labour with machines.” quote by Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/vitalik-buterin-20983_computers_the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for_294118.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/vitalik-buterin-20983_computers_the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for_294118.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/vitalik-buterin-20983_computers_the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for_294118.jpg)

> “The industrial revolution allowed us, for the first time, to start replacing human labour with machines.”

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The Industrial Revolution marked the first large‑scale replacement of human labor with machines.

**In simple terms:** Machines began replacing human work.

Key Takeaway

Consider impacts of automation today.

Themes

technology automation history

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

educational forward‑looking

When to use this quote

- manufacturing
- software development
- policy making

Key Concepts

economics future studies

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies adapt to automation?
- What roles will humans play?

A Different Perspective

Automation can cause displacement without safeguards.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Industrial revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industrial-revolution/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“Human life and human labour were near. I must struggle on: strive to live and bend to toil like the rest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/human-life-and-human-labour-were-near-i-must-struggle-on-strive-to/)

[Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [50 years from now we won't need as much human labour to do what manual workers do, so we should be able to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/50-years-from-now-we-won-t-need-as-much-human-labour-to-do-what/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Capitalism in and of itself is based on the monetising of human labour, and the first evidence of that is slavery. And that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asia-kate-dillon/capitalism-in-and-of-itself-is-based-on-the-monetising-of-human/)

[Asia Kate Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asia-kate-dillon/)

> [At each increase of knowledge, as well as on the contrivance of every new tool, human labour becomes abridged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-babbage/at-each-increase-of-knowledge-as-well-as-on-the-contrivance-of-every/)

[Charles Babbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-babbage/)

> [What made women's labour particularly attractive to the capitalists was not only its lower price but also the greater submissiveness of women. The capitalists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-zetkin/what-made-women-s-labour-particularly-attractive-to-the-capitalists-2/)

[Clara Zetkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-zetkin/)

> [“The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labour. War is a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-essential-act-of-war-is-destruction-not-necessarily-of-human-2/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [And a revolution of automation finds machines replacing men in the mines and mills of America, without replacing their incomes or their training or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/and-a-revolution-of-automation-finds-machines-replacing-men-in-the/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [Harris Tweed as been around since before the Industrial Revolution when it was a handmade cloth from the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-farr/harris-tweed-as-been-around-since-before-the-industrial-revolution/)

[Hilary Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-farr/)

> [My sense is that we're ready for another industrial revolution in this country. The great minds and innovators of Silicon Valley would come through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-huntsman-jr/my-sense-is-that-we-re-ready-for-another-industrial-revolution-in/)

[Jon Huntsman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-huntsman-jr/)

> [I think that human beings have gotten as far as we've gotten because of our adaptability, our ability to adapt, and our ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/i-think-that-human-beings-have-gotten-as-far-as-we-ve-gotten-because/)

[Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/)

> [The greenhouse crisis is the bill coming due for the Industrial Revolution. It's not an accident. It's the logical outcome of our world view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-rifkin/the-greenhouse-crisis-is-the-bill-coming-due-for-the-industrial/)

[Jeremy Rifkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-rifkin/)

> [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Jobs are a centuries-old concept created during the Industrial Revolution. Despite the reality that we're now deep in the Information Age, many people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/jobs-are-a-centuries-old-concept-created-during-the-industrial/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [“I've decided that has been the great achievement of our age: to so thoroughly flood the planet with megabits that every image and fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-ve-decided-that-has-been-the-great-achievement-of-our-age-to-so/)

[Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/)

> [All black people who are even minimally conscious, black people who have ever experienced Europe's technological power crusading in the vanguard of a civilizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-nkosi/all-black-people-who-are-even-minimally-conscious-black-people-who/)

[Lewis Nkosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-nkosi/)

## More by Vitalik Buterin

> [Initially, I thought that Ethereum was a thing that would be used for people to write simple financial scripts. As it turns out, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/initially-i-thought-that-ethereum-was-a-thing-that-would-be-used-for/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [The thing that I often ask startups on top of Ethereum is, 'Can you please tell me why using the Ethereum blockchain is better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/the-thing-that-i-often-ask-startups-on-top-of-ethereum-is-can-you/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [When I came up with Ethereum, my first first thought was, 'Okay, this thing is too good to be true.' As it turned out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/when-i-came-up-with-ethereum-my-first-first-thought-was-okay-this/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [Scalability is this idea of coming up with a blockchain that can scale much larger than existing chains essentially by processing transactions in parallel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/scalability-is-this-idea-of-coming-up-with-a-blockchain-that-can/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [In order to have a decentralised database, you need to have security. In order to have security, you need to - you need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/in-order-to-have-a-decentralised-database-you-need-to-have-security/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [You could imagine something like a completely automated system for renting bikes that's just done completely over blockchain crypto-payments. And theoretically just sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/you-could-imagine-something-like-a-completely-automated-system-for/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [I think people don't realise that running a piece of code that verifies some conditions for a financial transaction, that by itself is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/i-think-people-don-t-realise-that-running-a-piece-of-code-that/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [Many people at different levels of the Russian government are open to crypto-currencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/many-people-at-different-levels-of-the-russian-government-are-open-to/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [Blockchain software companies may end up being amalgamated into existing software giants, at which point blockchain patents will just become part of the existing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/blockchain-software-companies-may-end-up-being-amalgamated-into/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [You can write anything that you would be able to write on a server and put it onto the blockchain. Instead of Javascript making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/you-can-write-anything-that-you-would-be-able-to-write-on-a-server/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [I generally support just about every secession attempt that comes along. If, in the future, there is that kind of a dispute in Ethereum,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/i-generally-support-just-about-every-secession-attempt-that-comes/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [Whereas most technologies tend to automate workers on the periphery doing menial tasks, blockchains automate away the center. Instead of putting the taxi driver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/whereas-most-technologies-tend-to-automate-workers-on-the-periphery/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [The technical side of Ethereum's efficacy is 100% an engineering exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/the-technical-side-of-ethereum-s-efficacy-is-100-an-engineering/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [The main advantage of blockchain technology is supposed to be that it's more secure, but new technologies are generally hard for people to trust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/the-main-advantage-of-blockchain-technology-is-supposed-to-be-that-it/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

> [The Ethereum client is literally a fork of Chromium's webkit backend. The idea is that users can build their own interfaces with HTML/JavaScript just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/the-ethereum-client-is-literally-a-fork-of-chromium-s-webkit-backend/)

[Vitalik Buterin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

[Explore all 30 Vitalik Buterin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/)

## More Computers quotes

> [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/)

[Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/)

> [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. Had a one night stand with something cute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/probably-it-goes-without-saying-but-time-machine-guys-don-t-get-a-lot/)

[Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/)

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/)

[Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/)

> [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/)

[Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/)

> [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/)

Jen-Hsun Huang

> [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/)

William Henry Pickering

> [“Alan Turing proposed the Turing Test: a computer is intelligent if you can't tell it from a human when you talk with it. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cjs-hayward/alan-turing-proposed-the-turing-test-a-computer-is-intelligent-if-you/)

[CJS Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cjs-hayward/)

> [Computers can be taught that certain tune or certain chords changes will sound pleasant together, but I don't think it's going to reach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonobo/computers-can-be-taught-that-certain-tune-or-certain-chords-changes/)

[Bonobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonobo/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/)

Cruce Stark

> [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

[Browse all 9,389 Computers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The industrial revolution allowed us, for the first time, to start replacing human labour with machines.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vitalik Buterin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for-the-first-time-to-start/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Computers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for-the-first-time-to-start/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/vitalik-buterin-20983_computers_the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for_294118.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/vitalik-buterin-20983_computers_the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for_294118.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/vitalik-buterin-20983_computers_the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for_294118.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The industrial revolution allowed us, for the first time, to start replacing human labour with machines.” — Vitalik Buterin",
                "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": "Vitalik Buterin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitalik-buterin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The industrial revolution allowed us, for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for-the-first-time-to-start/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitalik-buterin/the-industrial-revolution-allowed-us-for-the-first-time-to-start/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
