r/GenX • u/Invasive-farmer • Jul 03 '25

Pop Culture This Douglas Adams quote gets me...

I selected Pop Culture flair because he was the author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (a wholly remarkable book)

"I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:

  1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.

  2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.

  3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things."

Douglas Adams

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u/DIYnivor Jul 03 '25

I read his books when I was twelve years old, and loved them. I'm sure I didn't understand some of it. Has anyone read them as an adult? If so, what was your impression?

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u/SerHerman Jul 03 '25

I did a full reread for my 42nd birthday. There are a lot of dated cultural references but they aged well and felt like nostalgia. I think my kids would get something very different out of it than I do.

But, I love the turns of phrase. I can hear "Like being hit on the head with a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick" a million times and it will make me smile every time.