“First we build the tools, then they build us.”
Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980) Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar-- a professor of English literature, a literary critic, and a …
Source: The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849), Chapter VI: The Lamp of Memory, section 10.
“First we build the tools, then they build us.”
Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980) Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar-- a professor of English literature, a literary critic, and a …
“We used to build civilizations. Now we build shopping malls.”
Bill Bryson book Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe
Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe (1991)
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
2015, State of the Union Address (January 2015)
Context: When we make rash decisions, reacting to the headlines instead of using our heads; when the first response to a challenge is to send in our military -- then we risk getting drawn into unnecessary conflicts, and neglect the broader strategy we need for a safer, more prosperous world. That’s what our enemies want us to do. I believe in a smarter kind of American leadership. We lead best when we combine military power with strong diplomacy; when we leverage our power with coalition building; when we don’t let our fears blind us to the opportunities that this new century presents. That’s exactly what we’re doing right now. And around the globe, it is making a difference. [... ] That’s how America leads -- not with bluster, but with persistent, steady resolve.
“We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.”
Winston S. Churchill book The Second World War
Speech to the House of Commons (October 28, 1943), on plans for the rebuilding of the Chamber (destroyed by an enemy bomb May 10, 1941), in Never Give In! : The best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches (2003), Hyperion, p. 358 ISBN 1401300561
The Second World War (1939–1945)
Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) Russian politician, led the October Revolution
"The Importance of Gold Now and After the Complete Victory of Socialism" (5 November 1921) http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1921/nov/05.htm, Collected Works, Vol. 33, p. 113. <br class="br">1920s
Gilbert O'Sullivan (1946) Irish singer-songwriter
"Me (reprise)" (song) <br class="br">Song lyrics <br class="br">Source: Gilbert O'Sullivan, "Me (reprise)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAyN2Q_j1po (song on YouTube)
George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States
1990s, A Period of Consequences (September 1999)
Hillary Clinton (1947) American politician, senator, Secretary of State, First Lady
Presidential campaign (April 12, 2015 – 2016), (July 28, 2016)
“We don't need to build more prisons! We must build more graveyards!”
Luiz Carlos Alborghetti (1945–2009) Italian-Brazilian radio commenter, showman and political figure
Original: (pt) Não precisamos construir mais cadeias! Temos de construir mais cemitérios!
Original: (pt) Source: [9 December 2009, Morre Luiz Carlos Alborghetti, dono do bordão 'bandido bom é bandido morto', https://extra.globo.com/tv-e-lazer/morre-luiz-carlos-alborghetti-dono-do-bordao-bandido-bom-bandido-morto-209786.html, Portuguese, Extra, Editora Globo S/A, 31 March 2019]