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A famous technology quote is a memorable statement about technology, or a memorable statement associated with someone known for working in technology. Fame describes how widely a line circulates; it does not prove the wording is exact, the attribution is correct, or the quote has been presented in context. There is no single formal definition, so the useful test is to examine both what the quotation means and the evidence behind it.
What does “famous technology quote” mean?
The phrase can describe two related but distinct things: a quotation whose subject is technology, and a quotation credited to a person known for working in technology. A statement can fit either category—or both. In either case, recognition is not the same as authentication.
To understand a quote, ask what its words mean, who said them, where and when they were spoken or published, and what the surrounding passage was about. That context can change whether a line reads as a prediction, an opinion, or a claim about the present.
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How context changes a technology quote’s meaning
Bill Gates and the “digital decade”
In a Microsoft report dated July 26, 2001, Bill Gates—identified then as the company’s chairman and chief software architect—said at Microsoft’s annual Financial Analyst Meeting: “Today it’s a reality, and we’re still only at the start of the digital decade.” Microsoft’s event report places the line in a forward-looking discussion of the coming decade of computing and smart devices. Read that way, it is a prediction made at a particular event, not a timeless measurement of technology’s progress.
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Remarks in a transcript
Microsoft’s 2007 CEO Summit transcript records Gates discussing technology and how it is used. A transcript provides more context than a detached quote card: it can show the subject under discussion and the surrounding remarks. When quoting from it, check the page for the exact wording and retain enough context to avoid changing the point.
How to check who said a technology quote
- Find the earliest identifiable source. Look for an original speech transcript, interview, recording, book, or dated report rather than relying only on an image or quotation list.
- Confirm the wording. Distinguish a verbatim quotation from a paraphrase or an edited excerpt. If the original wording cannot be checked, do not present it as verified verbatim.
- Check the speaker and occasion. Record the person’s role at the time, the date, the event or publication, and the audience or subject when available.
- Read around the line. The preceding and following remarks may show whether a statement was a forecast, a response to a question, or part of a narrower argument.
- State the evidence level plainly. If only a secondary attribution is available, say that the attribution is unverified rather than treating circulation as proof.
Why popular attributions can be uncertain
A secondary page titled “Quotes” attributes a passage beginning “Technology is nothing” to Steve Jobs and points to Jeff Goodell’s 1994 Rolling Stone interview. The quote index is a lead to the cited interview, not the interview itself. Without checking the original text, the attribution and full wording should not be described as verified.
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This distinction matters especially for quotes shared without a date or source. Repetition can make a line familiar, but it cannot establish who first said it or whether the circulated version preserves the original wording.
A consistent way to present and compare quotes
For each quotation, give readers the same essentials: the speaker and their role at the time, the original source and date, whether the wording is exact or paraphrased, the subject and audience, and the context that shapes the meaning. If the primary source is missing, label the attribution’s status instead of ranking the quote as authenticated.
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Further reading on Bill Gates
Scientific American’s excerpt from Impatient Optimist: Bill Gates in His Own Words presents the book as a collection of memorable Gates quotations and reflections on his philosophy. It may be useful for further reading about Gates, but it should not be treated as a definitive reference that verifies every quotation attributed to technology figures.
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