Ch. 28 : Inventions and the Decline of Language
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The "medium is the message" is one of the world's silliest remarks. The message is the message, and it doesn't matter whether you send it by e-mail, a note in a bottle or on a picture postcard. The book, or the poem, or the play is what counts and it doesn't matter if it's written with a pen on a long sheet of ruled paper, as I am writing now, or on the most highly developed word processor. No machine can help with the rhythms of your prose, even if it can spell better than you can.
— John Mortimer
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The "medium is the message" is one of the world's silliest remarks. The message is the message, and it doesn't matter whether you send it by e-mail, a note in a bottle or on a picture postcard. The book, or the poem, or the play is what counts and it doesn't matter if it's written with a pen on a long sheet of ruled paper, as I am writing now, or on the most highly developed word processor. No machine can help with the rhythms of your prose, even if it can spell better than you can." in the context of "Ch. 28 : Inventions and the Decline of Language" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "John Mortimer" (Quotes, Where There's a Will: Thoughts on the Good Life (2003))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About John Mortimer
John Mortimer QC (21 April 1923 – 16 January 2009) was an English barrister and writer, best known for his Rumpole of the Bailey television drama series and books.
About John Mortimer
John Mortimer QC (21 April 1923 – 16 January 2009) was an English barrister and writer, best known for his Rumpole of the Bailey television drama series and books.
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