But a man with a machine and inadequate culture--such as I was when I made my pond--is a pestilence. He shakes more than he can hold.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Using technology without cultural understanding harms more than it helps.
- In plain terms
- A person with tools but no wisdom causes trouble.
- What can you take from it?
- Tools need culture to be useful.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What is adequate culture?
- When does tech become a pestilence?
Another view
Culture alone without tools can also be ineffective.
More from Wendell Berry
An art that heals and protects its subject is a geography of scars.
Permalink to quote #10 Novelty is a new kind of loneliness.
Permalink to quote #12 We need better government, no doubt about it. But we also need better minds, better friendships, better marriages, better communities.
Permalink to quote #9
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