Quotes about Intelligence

She could make fascinating and almost brilliant conversation out of the thinnest air that ever floated through a drawing-room.

A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.

My wife thinks she's better than me at puzzles. I haven't given in on that one yet.

Smart people tend to know what is happening in a group situation and how to deal with others in the most effective way. They ask good questions, listen to what others are saying, and stay engaged in conversations intently.

I went to a public school through sixth grade, and being good at tests wasn't cool.

Certainly the prefrontal cortex is an important thing; I'm as proud of mine as the next guy.

The distinction was nicely drawn by a study in which both men and women were asked about the minimal level of intelligence they would accept in a person they were "dating." The average response, for both male and female, was: average intelligence. They were also asked how smart a person would have to be before they would consent to sexual relations. The women said: Oh, in that case, markedly above average. The men said: Oh, in that case, markedly below average.

If one function of low self-esteem is to keep high-status people satisfied with your deference, then its level, strictly speaking, should depend on how much deference it takes to do that; you may, in the presence of someone powerful, feel a deeper humility—about your intelligence, for example—than an objective observer would see as warranted.

The best minds are not in government.

The only intelligent tactical response to life's horror is to laugh defiantly at it

The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination, as are intelligence and necessity when unblunted by formal education.

A government for the people must depend for its success on the intelligence, the morality, the justice, and the interest of the people themselves.