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In context
Evoking the world of Alan Turing — Mathematician and computer pioneer. Theme: "This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to 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 "This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to 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
The source
Work
Interview in The Times
Publication
11 June 1949
Location
The Times, p.4, column5; reproduced by the Bank of England.
only a foretaste
A brief literal excerpt from the fetched source; the explanation above identifies the full passage and its context.
Interview in The Times ↗ The Bank of England identifies both the exact sentence and its dated newspaper interview; Wikiquote independently supplies the article title and location.
Wikiquote’s sourced entry ↗ The sourced entry gives The Mechanical Brain. Answer Found to 300 Year Old Problem, The Times, 11 June 1949, p.4, column5.
The identified source is a publication from 1931 or later. The passage is treated as in copyright; only a brief source excerpt is reproduced here.
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
Why it mattered
The sentence looks forward to computers’ capabilities while recognizing that their possibilities would become clearer through experience. Its later use on the banknote is a commemoration, not the quotation’s original occasion.
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Filed under
More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.
Alan Turing developed foundational ideas about computation and machine intelligence. His practical computer work included programming at Manchester.
For writers & researchers
Cite this
The primary source (Chicago)
Alan Turing. Interview in The Times. 11 June 1949. The Times, p.4, column5; reproduced by the Bank of England.. Consulted via the linked source.
This verification page
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to be’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/this-is-only-a-foretaste-of-what-is-to-come-and-only-the/