[Ads-l] Motto Origin: Machines Should Work. People Should Think

[mr_peter_morris@outlook.com]

quoted, recorded in minutes of meeting held Feb 13 1968

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Annual_Report_of_the_Interdepartmental_C/8feqSU3DcXoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=people+think+%22machines+should+work%22&pg=RA7-PA24&printsec=frontcover

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Here's the actual IBM advert containing the phrase.  Or at least a 
snippet of it.

The following links all appear to be from 1967,   usual caveats.

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/News_in_Engineering/m2cnAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22machines+should+work%22+%22people+should+think+%22&dq=%22machines+should+work%22+%22people+should+think+%22&printsec=frontcover


https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Business_Week/9popAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22machines+should+work%22+%22people+should+think+%22&dq=%22machines+should+work%22+%22people+should+think+%22&printsec=frontcover


https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/U_S_News_World_Report/5-ApAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=people+think+%22machines+should+work%22&dq=people+think+%22machines+should+work%22&printsec=frontcover


https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Forbes/lT4sGCr6OGoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=people+think+%22machines+should+work%22&dq=people+think+%22machines+should+work%22&printsec=frontcover


https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Newsweek/TRLkAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=people+think+%22machines+should+work%22&dq=people+think+%22machines+should+work%22&printsec=frontcover


------ Original Message ------
From "ADSGarson O'Toole" 
<00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 01/09/2025 16:30:42
Subject Motto Origin: Machines Should Work. People Should Think

>I received a request to explore the saying in the subject line. The
>earliest match I found in 1968 indicated that the phrase was an IBM motto.
>Here is a link to the QI article:
>
>https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/09/01/people-think/
>
>Another recent QI article discussed a remark from Peter Ustinov:
>
>Unfortunately, the Balance of Nature Decrees That a Superabundance of
>Dreams Is Paid for by a Growing Potential for Nightmares
>
>https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/08/28/balance-dreams/
>
>Feedback welcome
>
>Garson
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org