Smart Quotes

“Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

“Because you can't argue with all the fools in the world. It's easier to let them have their way, then trick them when they're not paying attention.”
― Christopher Paolini

“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.”
― Bertrand Russell

“A stupid man's report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.”
― Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy

“She's kind of a walking poem, she's this perfect beauty...but at the same time very deep, very smart.”
― Johnny Depp

“To generalize is to be an idiot.”
― William Blake

“I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.”
― Hippolyte A. Taine

“‎I know you're still young but I want you to understand and learn this now. Marriage can wait, education cannot. You're a very very bright girl. Truly you are. You can be anything you want Laila. I know this about you. And I also know that when this war is over Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men maybe even more. Because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated Laila. No chance.”
― Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns

“It's like the smarter you are, the more things can scare you.”
― Katherine Paterson, Bridge to Terabithia

“We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.”
― H.L. Mencken, Minority Report

“Nobody is smarter than you are. And what if they are? What good is their understanding doing you?”
― Terence McKenna

“I am not shy about admitting my modest talents. For example, I am happy to admit that I am better than average at clever remarks, and I also have a flair for getting people to like me. But to be perfectly fair to myself, I am ever-ready to confess my shortcomings, too, and a quick round of soul-searching forced me to admit that I had never been any good at all at breathing water. As I hung there from the seat belt, dazed and watching the water pour in and swirl around my head, this began to seem like a very large character flaw.”
― Jeff Lindsay, Dearly Devoted Dexter

“Hugh consoled me, saying, "Don't let it get to you. There are plenty of things you're good at."

When asked for some examples, he listed vacuuming and naming stuffed animals. He says he can probably come up with a few more, but he'll need some time to think.”
― David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day

“Your mind will serve you better than any trinket under the suns...It is a weapon...and like any weapon, you need practice to be any good at wielding it.”
― Jay Kristoff, Nevernight

“But I think that no matter how smart, people usually see what they're already looking for, that's all.”
― Veronica Roth, Allegiant

“No matter how strong you are, no matter how smart you are or tough you can be, the world will find a way to break you. And when it does, the only thing you can do is hold on.”
― Taylor Jenkins Reid, Forever, Interrupted

“As Alaska zipped through something obvious about linear equations, stoner/baller Hank Walsten said, "Wait, wait. I don't get it."

"That's because you have eight functioning brain cells."

"Studies show that Marijuana is better for your health than those cigarettes," Hank said.

Alaska swallowed a mouthful of fries, took a drag on her cigarette, and blew a smoke at Hank. "I may die young," she said. "But at least I'll die smart. Now, back to tangents.”
― John Green, Looking for Alaska

“The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart. And being thoughtful. And being generous. Everything else is crap! I promise you! It's just crap that people try to sell to you to make you feel like less. So don't buy it. Be smart, be thoughtful, and be generous.”
― Ashton Kutcher

“Giving up is always an option, but not always a failure.”
― Cameron Conaway, Caged: Memoirs of a Cage-Fighting Poet

“People are not who they say but rather who their actions reveal them to be....Be smart about it. Don't fall for the bullshit.”
― Ziad K. Abdelnour, Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics

“Only a mind free of impediment is capable of grasping the chaotic beauty of the world. This is our greatest asset.”
― Oliver Bowden, Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade

“If you think you're smart,
think twice to be smarter.”
― Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity

“I'd had years of practise looking dumb when people threw out Greek names I didn't know. It's a skill of mine. Annabeth keeps telling me to read a book of Greek myths, but I don't see the need. It's easier just to have folks explain stuff.”
― Rick Riordan, The Demigod Diaries

“I'm lazy! I hate work! Hate hard work in all its forms! Clever shortcuts, that's all I'm about!”
― Eliezer Yudkowsky, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

“It is not our right to punish one for thinking as he does, no matter how much we disagree.”
― Oliver Bowden, Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade

“You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. - Christopher Robin”
― A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“I lack formal education. So I'm left with the feeling that I'm smarter than everyone around me but that if I ever got around really smart people—people who went to universities and drank wine and spoke Latin—that they’d be bored as hell by me. It’s a lonely way to go through life.”
― Gillian Flynn, The Grownup

“When did you get so clever?"
"When I realized I wasn't as clever as I thought.”
― John Connolly, The Infernals

“Why is it”—she shivered as he kissed the top of her spine, went lower—“that I always end up naked while you remain dressed?”
A husky masculine chuckle, his lips moving over her shoulder, his hands on her hips. “Because I'm a smart man.”
― Nalini Singh, Bonds of Justice

“Why do smart people exist, if not to figure out convoluted problems?”
― Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita