--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What more chilling indictment of the…" description: "\"What more chilling indictment of the modern world is there than this: that the condition of the smartphone user is that of a dumb animal. Moooo!\" — Wil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/will-self-2296_animal_what-more-chilling-indictment-of-the-mod_1777994.png" --- # What more chilling indictment of the modern world is there… ![“What more chilling indictment of the modern world is there than this: that the condition of the smartphone user is that of a dumb animal. Moooo!” quote by Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/will-self-2296_animal_what-more-chilling-indictment-of-the-mod_1777994.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/will-self-2296_animal_what-more-chilling-indictment-of-the-mod_1777994.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/will-self-2296_animal_what-more-chilling-indictment-of-the-mod_1777994.png) > “What more chilling indictment of the modern world is there than this: that the condition of the smartphone user is that of a dumb animal. Moooo!” [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizes modern smartphone users as mindless, likening them to animals **In simple terms:** Smartphone addiction reduces critical thinking Key Takeaway Be mindful of tech use, seek balance Themes technology critique modernity Mood critical satirical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - daily phone use - social media scrolling - public discourse - education on media literacy Key Concepts digital addiction mindlessness social commentary Questions to Reflect On - How does tech shape your attention? - What steps can reduce mindless scrolling? A Different Perspective Not all users are disengaged; nuance exists ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Modern world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-world/) [Smartphones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smartphones/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The average smartphone user checks his or her device every six and a half minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/the-average-smartphone-user-checks-his-or-her-device-every-six-and-a/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [“Revenge and temper tantrums have absolutely no place in dog training -- you must not let training turn into a spectacle of one dumb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/u-s-department-of-defense/revenge-and-temper-tantrums-have-absolutely-no-place-in-dog-training/) U.S. Department of Defense > [“I mean, they look so stupid!” “They don’t!” said Lian, instantly angry. “How would you look gray, bald, a hundred pounds heavier, and naked?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-m-hoover/i-mean-they-look-so-stupid-they-don-t-said-lian-instantly-angry-how/) [H. M. Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-m-hoover/) > [I'm a giraffe. I even walk like a giraffe with a long neck and legs. It's a pretty dumb animal, mind you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-loren/i-m-a-giraffe-i-even-walk-like-a-giraffe-with-a-long-neck-and-legs-it/) [Sophia Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-loren/) > [But perhaps the most important difference between conservatives and liberals can be found in the area of national security. Conservatives saw the savagery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rove/but-perhaps-the-most-important-difference-between-conservatives-and/) [Karl Rove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rove/) > [In the past, yes, I have made sweeping indictments of all white people. I never will be guilty of that again - as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/in-the-past-yes-i-have-made-sweeping-indictments-of-all-white-people/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [Management cares about only one thing. Paperwork. They will forgive almost anything else - cost overruns, gross incompetence, criminal indictments - as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/management-cares-about-only-one-thing-paperwork-they-will-forgive/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [We need a Savior. Christmas is an indictment before it becomes a delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/we-need-a-savior-christmas-is-an-indictment-before-it-becomes-a/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [All children are artists, and it is an indictment of our culture that so many of them lose their creativity, their unfettered imaginations, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/all-children-are-artists-and-it-is-an-indictment-of-our-culture-that/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [You have to understand that once an indictment has been signed, all countries that are signature to the U.N. charter will hand a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-greig/you-have-to-understand-that-once-an-indictment-has-been-signed-all/) [Tony Greig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-greig/) > [My lord, I have some matter of law relating to the indictment, and I desire counsel to speak to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kidd/my-lord-i-have-some-matter-of-law-relating-to-the-indictment-and-i/) [William Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kidd/) > [I am at the moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/i-am-at-the-moment-writing-a-lengthy-indictment-against-our-century/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [The barometer that shows "variable" is an ironic indictment of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-bergam-n/the-barometer-that-shows-variable-is-an-ironic-indictment-of-god/) [Jose Bergamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-bergam-n/) > [Half of Louisiana is under water and the other half is under indictment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-tauzin/half-of-louisiana-is-under-water-and-the-other-half-is-under/) [Billy Tauzin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-tauzin/) > [The pictures that were coming from Vietnam were showing us what was really happening on the ground level. It was in contradiction to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/the-pictures-that-were-coming-from-vietnam-were-showing-us-what-was/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) ## More by Will Self > [As for critical writing about modernism, its moments of lucidity are but fulgurations illuminating the dark and incomprehensible landscape of its subject's unabashed difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-for-critical-writing-about-modernism-its-moments-of-lucidity-are/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“As my voice died away I became conscious of the voice of another woman two tables away. I couldn't hear what she was saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-my-voice-died-away-i-became-conscious-of-the-voice-of-another/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [That tertiary education is under a sustained assault by a political and - it often seems - social consensus that equates all education with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/that-tertiary-education-is-under-a-sustained-assault-by-a-political/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'm an anarchist. I'm implacably opposed to heirarchical systems of power and control. I also mistrust crowds, as they often operate according to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-an-anarchist-i-m-implacably-opposed-to-heirarchical-systems-of/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [What fiction offers us is an intimacy shorn of the messy contingencies of human existence - gender, race, class or age. Those moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/what-fiction-offers-us-is-an-intimacy-shorn-of-the-messy/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'd rather fiddle with my phone for precious seconds than neglect an apostrophe; I'd rather insert a word laboriously keyed out than resort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-d-rather-fiddle-with-my-phone-for-precious-seconds-than-neglect-an/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I'm very happy for whatever plaudits might come the way of my work, but I never ever sit down to write x with y…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-very-happy-for-whatever-plaudits-might-come-the-way-of-my-work/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [As a writer, I'm not convinced that we are the best equipped to understand how we go about the business of literary production.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-a-writer-i-m-not-convinced-that-we-are-the-best-equipped-to/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“I explained to him - as I withdrew the cup, ripped open the sachet and dunked the tea bag - that tea was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-explained-to-him-as-i-withdrew-the-cup-ripped-open-the-sachet-and/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [There is something mysteriously powerful that can happen when young, inchoate minds come into contact with older and more worldly ones in a spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/there-is-something-mysteriously-powerful-that-can-happen-when-young/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [It would seem that I, who never could make much sense of physics when I was at school, have now gained a strong sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/it-would-seem-that-i-who-never-could-make-much-sense-of-physics-when/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [Drug use and procrastination often go hand in tourniquet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/drug-use-and-procrastination-often-go-hand-in-tourniquet/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“…with the morbid realisation that his sexual being was a dull thing, a lifeless thing, a mass-produced marionette with chipped paint and fraying strings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/with-the-morbid-realisation-that-his-sexual-being-was-a-dull-thing-a/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [A creative life cannot be sustained by approval any more than it can be destroyed by criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/a-creative-life-cannot-be-sustained-by-approval-any-more-than-it-can/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [I don't think in terms of that bizarre tautology 'value for money' in my literary and journalistic work - and nor will I in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-don-t-think-in-terms-of-that-bizarre-tautology-value-for-money-in/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) [Explore all 172 Will Self quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What more chilling indictment of the modern world is there than this: that the condition of the smartphone user is that of a dumb animal. 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