Summary
This quote, attributed to Henry David Thoreau, suggests that humans have become overly dependent on their technology and the tools they create. It implies that people have lost control and agency, becoming rather controlled by the very instruments they have devised. Instead of using these tools as means to enhance their lives, individuals have allowed themselves to be limited and defined by their technological creations, surrendering their autonomy and becoming subservient to the very things they originally meant to control.