There was a time when nails were high-tech. There was a time when people had to be told how to use a telephone. Technology is just a tool. People use tools to improve their lives.

Meaning of the quote

In the past, even simple things like nails were brand new technology that people had to learn how to use. The same was true for telephones - people had to be taught how to use them because they were new and unfamil't. Today, we think of technology as very advanced, but it's really just a tool that people use to make their lives better. Technology is always changing, but the way we use it to improve our lives stays the same.

About Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy was an American novelist best known for his acclaimed espionage and military thriller novels, such as ‘The Hunt for Red October’ and ‘Patriot Games.’ His books have sold over 100 million copies and have been adapted into successful films and video games. Clancy was also a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

More about the author

More quotes from Tom Clancy

The human condition today is better than it’s ever been, and technology is one of the reasons for that.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

Whenever somebody comes up with a good idea, there’s somebody else who has never had a good idea in his life who stands up and says, Oh, you can’t do that.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

I’ve made up stuff that’s turned out to be real, that’s the spooky part.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

Show me an elitist, and I’ll show you a loser.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

Fighting wars is not so much about killing people as it is about finding things out. The more you know, the more likely you are to win a battle.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

Life is about learning; when you stop learning, you die.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

Never ask what sort of computer a guy drives. If he’s a Mac user, he’ll tell you. If not, why embarrass him?

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

I was one of the first generations to watch television. TV exposes people to news, to information, to knowledge, to entertainment. How is it bad?

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

The good old days are now.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

Collaboration on a book is the ultimate unnatural act.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

People live longer today than they ever have. They live happier lives, have more knowledge, more information. All this is the result of communications technology. How is any of that bad?

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

What do I know about sex? I’m a married man.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

Man is a creature of hope and invention, both of which belie the idea that things cannot be changed.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

The U.S. Military is us. There is no truer representation of a country than the people that it sends into the field to fight for it. The people who wear our uniform and carry our rifles into combat are our kids, and our job is to support them, because they’re protecting us.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

Probably what pushed the Russians over the edge was SDI. They realized they couldn’t beat us.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

The control of information is something the elite always does, particularly in a despotic form of government. Information, knowledge, is power. If you can control information, you can control people.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

America is the most inventive country in the world because everybody has access to information.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

In the Soviet Union it was illegal to take a photograph of a train station. Look what happened to them. They tried to classify everything.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

There are two kinds of people: the ones who need to be told and the ones who figure it out all by themselves.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

It’s not right to say that our loss in Vietnam turned out to be a gain. But lessons were learned. And they were the right lessons.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

There used to be this country called the Soviet Union; it’s not there anymore. Our technology was better than theirs.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

No matter what you or anyone else does, there will be someone who says that there’s something bad about it.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

There was a time when nails were high-tech. There was a time when people had to be told how to use a telephone. Technology is just a tool. People use tools to improve their lives.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)

Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not. Responsibilities need not erase it. Duties need not obscure it. Because the dream is within you, no one can take it away.

Tom Clancy

American author (1947-2013)