Who really said it
Credited to Arthur C. Clarke in “Electronic Tutors” (1980). Wikiquote prints this wording, but the original magazine passage was not independently inspected.
Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?
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Unconfirmed quote & credit
“Any teacher that can be replaced by a machine should be” — Attributed to Arthur C. Clarke, “Electronic Tutors” (1980); primary magazine text not independently checked.
Can you use it?
Still under copyright (rights held by Arthur C. Clarke and/or the relevant publisher or estate). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.
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In context
Evoking the world of Arthur C. Clarke — Science-fiction writer and futurist. Theme: "Any teacher that can be replaced by a machine should be". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Minimalist
Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "Any teacher that can be replaced by a machine should be". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
Provenance
Any teacher that can be replaced by a machine should be.
Wikiquote: Clarke's sourced quotationsHow we verified this
The cited essay appeared in 1980 and is treated as copyrighted. The short sentence is reproduced for attribution analysis.
Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.
Context
Clarke's quip belongs to a discussion of electronic tutoring, rather than a general prediction that human teachers would disappear. The ERIC bibliography ↗ identifies a 1980 Omni essay, while the exact passage remains checked through secondary quotation sources.
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The sourced 1980s section prints the teacher sentence and cites Electronic Tutors (1980).
Quotes the same sentence and assigns it to Electronic Tutors (1980).
A bibliography identifies Clarke's Electronic Tutors in Omni, June 1980, pp. 77–78 and 96; metadata, not passage verification.
Biographical context for the science-fiction author and discussion of the teacher remark.
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The author
For writers & researchers
Clarke, Arthur C. “Electronic Tutors.” Omni, June 1980, 77–78, 96. Bibliographic details from ERIC; wording cited through Wikiquote.
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Any teacher that can be replaced by a machine should be’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/any-teacher-that-can-be-replaced-by-a-machine-should-be/