--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Modern man has lost the option of silence." description: "\"Modern man has lost the option of silence.\" — William S. Burroughs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/william-s-burroughs-528_lost_modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silenc_1002715.png" --- # Modern man has lost the option of silence. ![“Modern man has lost the option of silence.” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/william-s-burroughs-528_lost_modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silenc_1002715.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/william-s-burroughs-528_lost_modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silenc_1002715.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/william-s-burroughs-528_lost_modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silenc_1002715.png) > “Modern man has lost the option of silence.” [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern society constantly bombards us with noise, leaving little room for true quiet reflection. **In simple terms:** We lack quiet time. Key Takeaway Seek moments of silence. Themes technology society mindfulness Mood contemplative critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - urban commuting - office work - digital media consumption Key Concepts information overload attention scarcity Questions to Reflect On - How can you create quiet spaces in daily life? - What benefits arise from regular silence? A Different Perspective Silence can be hard to achieve in noisy environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Man Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-lost/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-man/) [Option Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/option-silence-2126671/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) ## Related quotes > [“Modern man has lost the sense of wonder about the unknown and he treats it as an enemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurens-van-der-post/modern-man-has-lost-the-sense-of-wonder-about-the-unknown-and-he/) [Laurens van der Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurens-van-der-post/) > [“The 'Other Half' is the word. The 'Other Half' is an organism. Word is an organism. The presence of the 'Other Half' is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/the-other-half-is-the-word-the-other-half-is-an-organism-word-is-an/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Modern man creates fancy cars while losing the sacredness of his feet and lungs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ilg/modern-man-creates-fancy-cars-while-losing-the-sacredness-of-his-feet/) [Steve Ilg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ilg/) > [The modern man, finding that Humanism and Sex both fail to satisfy, seeks his happiness in Science ... But Science fails too, for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-modern-man-finding-that-humanism-and-sex-both-fail-to-satisfy/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Modern man is a hard-working human...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-wood/modern-man-is-a-hard-working-human/) [Ed Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-wood/) > [Just as modern man consumes both too many calories and calories of no nutritional value, information workers eat data both in excess and from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/just-as-modern-man-consumes-both-too-many-calories-and-calories-of-no/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [Modern man threw a brick through his own window in order to sell himself a burglar alarm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-carr/modern-man-threw-a-brick-through-his-own-window-in-order-to-sell/) [Allen Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-carr/) > [Modern man is frantically trying to earn enough to buy things he's too busy to enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-a-clark/modern-man-is-frantically-trying-to-earn-enough-to-buy-things-he-s/) [Frank A. Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-a-clark/) > [I'm carrying the weight of all the useless junk and modern man accumulates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-m-carrying-the-weight-of-all-the-useless-junk-and-modern-man/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Mythologies were the earliest dreams of mankind, and in the psychotic delusions of his patients, Jung believed he was encountering those dreams again. Freud,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-valentine/mythologies-were-the-earliest-dreams-of-mankind-and-in-the-psychotic/) [Gary Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-valentine/) > [By his very success in inventing labor-saving devices, modern man has manufactured an abyss of boredom that only the privileged classes in earlier civilizations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/by-his-very-success-in-inventing-labor-saving-devices-modern-man-has/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Modern man is educated to understand foreign languages and misunderstand foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/modern-man-is-educated-to-understand-foreign-languages-and/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Modern man, seeking a middle position in the evaluation of sense impression and thought, can, following Plato , interpret the process of understanding nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-pauli/modern-man-seeking-a-middle-position-in-the-evaluation-of-sense/) [Wolfgang Pauli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-pauli/) > [Modern man is too impatient and wants to master the art of meditation immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rama-swami/modern-man-is-too-impatient-and-wants-to-master-the-art-of-meditation/) [Rama Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rama-swami/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) ## More by William S. Burroughs > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Well as, one judge said to the other, 'Be just and if you can't be just be arbitrary.' Regret cannot observe customary obscenities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/well-as-one-judge-said-to-the-other-be-just-and-if-you-can-t-be-just/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/after-one-look-at-this-planet-any-visitor-from-outer-space-would-say/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [For seven days she lay in bed looking sullenly at the ceiling as though resenting the death she had cultivated for so many years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-seven-days-she-lay-in-bed-looking-sullenly-at-the-ceiling-as/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [When you stop growing you start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-you-stop-growing-you-start-dying/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [When all lies, deceit, pretense is stripped away, what remains? The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any fucking thing. No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen would move up and down, you dig,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/did-i-ever-tell-you-about-the-man-who-taught-his-asshole-to-talk-his/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [You need a good bedside manner with doctors or you will get nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/you-need-a-good-bedside-manner-with-doctors-or-you-will-get-nowhere/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [There couldn't be a society of people who didn't dream. They'd be dead in two weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-couldn-t-be-a-society-of-people-who-didn-t-dream-they-d-be-dead/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I prefer cats to people, for the most part. Most people aren't cute at all, and if they are cute they very rapidly outgrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-prefer-cats-to-people-for-the-most-part-most-people-aren-t-cute-at/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## More Lost quotes > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [“A sense of desolation settled within me: a cold, slimy stone lodged under my lungs. There was nothing happy about the woods, I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-davidson/a-sense-of-desolation-settled-within-me-a-cold-slimy-stone-lodged/) [Craig Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-davidson/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [The text says Deuteronomy was lost, but you say it was written then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-cross/the-text-says-deuteronomy-was-lost-but-you-say-it-was-written-then/) [Frank Moore Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-cross/) > [Opportunities change, strategies change, but people and psychology do not change. If trend-following systems don’t work well, something else will. There’s always money being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-blake/opportunities-change-strategies-change-but-people-and-psychology-do/) [Gil Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-blake/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-platt/every-saved-person-this-side-of-heaven-owes-the-gospel-to-every-lost/) [David Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-platt/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) [Browse all 13,631 Lost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Modern man has lost the option of silence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William S. Burroughs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silence/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silence/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/william-s-burroughs-528_lost_modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silenc_1002715.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/william-s-burroughs-528_lost_modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silenc_1002715.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/william-s-burroughs-528_lost_modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silenc_1002715.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Modern man has lost the option of silence.” — William S. Burroughs", "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": "William S. Burroughs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Modern man has lost the option...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silence/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/modern-man-has-lost-the-option-of-silence/#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 } } ] } ```