"The intelligent minority of this world will mark 1 January 2001 as the real beginning of the 21st century and the Third Millennium"

This quote by Arthur C. Clarke suggests that a select group of individuals, the intelligent minority, will recognize the start of the 21st century and the Third Millennium as 1 January 2001. This implies that the majority of people may not acknowledge this date as the start of the new century and millennium. Clarke's quote recommends that the intelligent minority will be the ones to recognize the significance of this date and will be the ones to usher in the new century and millennium. This might be interpreted as a call to action for the intelligent minority to take the lead in introducing the new century and millennium. It might also be translated as a warning to the majority of individuals to be familiar with the significance of this date and to be gotten ready for the changes that will feature the brand-new century and millennium.