"Modern people are only willing to believe in their computers, while I believe in myself"
About this Quote
Alain Robert’s line lands like a provocation aimed at the soft, glowing altar of modern life: the screen. Coming from a man famous for climbing skyscrapers with little more than chalk and nerve, it’s not a TED Talk about “mindset.” It’s a jab at a culture that treats technology as both referee and comfort blanket, outsourcing judgment to devices because they feel objective, clean, and safe.
The phrasing matters. “Only willing” accuses, not observes. It suggests a shrinking of human courage: belief has been rerouted from the messy interior world (instinct, risk, self-trust) into machines that promise certainty. “Their computers” is deliberately possessive, framing tech as a personal security object rather than a neutral tool. And then Robert pivots: “while I believe in myself.” It’s blunt, almost adolescent in its confidence, which is precisely why it works. On a cliff face or a glass tower, you don’t get to hide behind data. You either commit or you don’t.
The subtext isn’t anti-technology so much as anti-dependence. Robert’s career is built on rejecting the safety nets most of us demand: harnesses, permissions, insurance-grade guarantees. In that context, “believe” means something more physical than optimism. It’s trust tested under consequence. The line flatters his own bravado, yes, but it also needles the rest of us: when your life is mediated by devices designed to remove friction, what muscles of agency are you letting atrophy?
The phrasing matters. “Only willing” accuses, not observes. It suggests a shrinking of human courage: belief has been rerouted from the messy interior world (instinct, risk, self-trust) into machines that promise certainty. “Their computers” is deliberately possessive, framing tech as a personal security object rather than a neutral tool. And then Robert pivots: “while I believe in myself.” It’s blunt, almost adolescent in its confidence, which is precisely why it works. On a cliff face or a glass tower, you don’t get to hide behind data. You either commit or you don’t.
The subtext isn’t anti-technology so much as anti-dependence. Robert’s career is built on rejecting the safety nets most of us demand: harnesses, permissions, insurance-grade guarantees. In that context, “believe” means something more physical than optimism. It’s trust tested under consequence. The line flatters his own bravado, yes, but it also needles the rest of us: when your life is mediated by devices designed to remove friction, what muscles of agency are you letting atrophy?
Quote Details
| Topic | Confidence |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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