--- title: "10 Public Intellectual Quotes by 10 authors" description: "Browse 10 Public Intellectual quotes by 10 authors. Discover the best Public Intellectual sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c7/j-d-vance-2-3852_head_i-never-wanted-to-be-a-public-intellectu_971197.jpg" --- > [I never wanted to be a public intellectual or a talking head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/i-never-wanted-to-be-a-public-intellectual-or-a-talking-head/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c7/j-d-vance-2-3852_head_i-never-wanted-to-be-a-public-intellectu_971197.jpg) > [I won a Marshall scholarship to read philosophy at Oxford, and what I most wanted to do was strengthen public intellectual culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/i-won-a-marshall-scholarship-to-read-philosophy-at-oxford-and-what-i/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ff/reid-hoffman-1342_books_i-won-a-marshall-scholarship-to-read-phi_641908.png) > [“A philosopher operates with deductions. A sophist operates with paradoxes. A "public intellectual" operates with buzzwords.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakub-bo-ydar-wi-niewski/a-philosopher-operates-with-deductions-a-sophist-operates-with/) [Jakub Bożydar Wiśniewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakub-bo-ydar-wi-niewski/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/jakub-bo-ydar-wi-niewski-73876_logic_a-philosopher-operates-with-deductions-a_1901748.jpg) > [I guess I understand a public intellectual to be somebody who moves public discourse forward: someone who either says something new or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-guess-i-understand-a-public-intellectual-to-be-somebody-who-moves/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/lionel-shriver-744_forward_i-guess-i-understand-a-public-intellectu_2714937.jpg) > [“I am sometimes asked about the concept or definition of a 'public intellectual,' and though I find the whole idea faintly silly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-am-sometimes-asked-about-the-concept-or-definition-of-a-public/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/christopher-hitchens-117_intellectual_i-am-sometimes-asked-about-the-concept-o_798321.jpg) > [What is the role of a public intellectual in the age of Twitter and soundbites? Is it to share your thoughts for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/what-is-the-role-of-a-public-intellectual-in-the-age-of-twitter-and/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/614/anthea-butler-7679_age_what-is-the-role-of-a-public-intellectua_802482.jpg) > [Thomas Sowell is America's foremost public intellectual and for good reason. His work covers almost every subject imaginable- race, economics, Marxism, ethnic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-barnes/thomas-sowell-is-america-s-foremost-public-intellectual-and-for-good/) [Fred Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-barnes/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/fred-barnes-31502_america_thomas-sowell-is-america-s-foremost-publ_2404318.jpg) > [ “\[The public intellectual\] will also describe how she can work a pop culture reference into her essay, comparing the Supreme Court to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/the-public-intellectual-will-also-describe-how-she-can-work-a-pop/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/david-brooks-644_pop-culture_the-public-intellectual-will-also-descri_637408.jpg) > [Being able to provoke a different point of view to the standard current ideological or political perspective as played out in conventional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-orbach/being-able-to-provoke-a-different-point-of-view-to-the-standard/) [Susie Orbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-orbach/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/susie-orbach-14175_able_being-able-to-provoke-a-different-point_239807.jpg) > [Tad Homer-Dixon is a rare kind of public intellectual, who combines real expertise with a commitment to communicate to the widest possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/tad-homer-dixon-is-a-rare-kind-of-public-intellectual-who-combines/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/michael-ignatieff-3146_blithe_tad-homer-dixon-is-a-rare-kind-of-public_942217.jpg) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-intellectual/#itemlist", "name": "Public Intellectual Quotes", "numberOfItems": 10, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never wanted to be a public intellectual or a talking head.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J. D. Vance" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/i-never-wanted-to-be-a-public-intellectual-or-a-talking-head/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c7/j-d-vance-2-3852_head_i-never-wanted-to-be-a-public-intellectu_971197.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c7/j-d-vance-2-3852_head_i-never-wanted-to-be-a-public-intellectu_971197.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c7/j-d-vance-2-3852_head_i-never-wanted-to-be-a-public-intellectu_971197.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I never wanted to be a public intellectual or a talking head.” — J. D. Vance", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I won a Marshall scholarship to read philosophy at Oxford, and what I most wanted to do was strengthen public intellectual culture - I'd write books and essays to help us figure out who we wanted to be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Reid Hoffman" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/i-won-a-marshall-scholarship-to-read-philosophy-at-oxford-and-what-i/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ff/reid-hoffman-1342_books_i-won-a-marshall-scholarship-to-read-phi_641908.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ff/reid-hoffman-1342_books_i-won-a-marshall-scholarship-to-read-phi_641908.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ff/reid-hoffman-1342_books_i-won-a-marshall-scholarship-to-read-phi_641908.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I won a Marshall scholarship to read philosophy at Oxford, and what I most wanted to do was strengthen…” — Reid Hoffman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A philosopher operates with deductions. A sophist operates with paradoxes. A \"public intellectual\" operates with buzzwords.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jakub Bożydar Wiśniewski" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakub-bo-ydar-wi-niewski/a-philosopher-operates-with-deductions-a-sophist-operates-with/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/jakub-bo-ydar-wi-niewski-73876_logic_a-philosopher-operates-with-deductions-a_1901748.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/jakub-bo-ydar-wi-niewski-73876_logic_a-philosopher-operates-with-deductions-a_1901748.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b6/jakub-bo-ydar-wi-niewski-73876_logic_a-philosopher-operates-with-deductions-a_1901748.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A philosopher operates with deductions. A sophist operates with paradoxes. 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Susan was pre-eminently one such.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Hitchens" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-am-sometimes-asked-about-the-concept-or-definition-of-a-public/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/christopher-hitchens-117_intellectual_i-am-sometimes-asked-about-the-concept-o_798321.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/christopher-hitchens-117_intellectual_i-am-sometimes-asked-about-the-concept-o_798321.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fd/christopher-hitchens-117_intellectual_i-am-sometimes-asked-about-the-concept-o_798321.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am sometimes asked about the concept or definition of a 'public intellectual,' and though I find the whole…” — Christopher Hitchens", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is the role of a public intellectual in the age of Twitter and soundbites? Is it to share your thoughts for the public good, or is it to curate the heaps of hate emails, tweets, and right-wing articles that trash your intellectual and social work?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthea Butler" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/what-is-the-role-of-a-public-intellectual-in-the-age-of-twitter-and/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/614/anthea-butler-7679_age_what-is-the-role-of-a-public-intellectua_802482.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/614/anthea-butler-7679_age_what-is-the-role-of-a-public-intellectua_802482.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/614/anthea-butler-7679_age_what-is-the-role-of-a-public-intellectua_802482.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is the role of a public intellectual in the age of Twitter and soundbites? Is it to share your thoughts…” — Anthea Butler", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Thomas Sowell is America's foremost public intellectual and for good reason. His work covers almost every subject imaginable- race, economics, Marxism, ethnic groups, immigration patterns, just to name a few. He is persuasive and provocative and always scintillating. I've read all his books and never been even faintly disappointed. Black Rednecks & White Liberals is no exception.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fred Barnes" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-barnes/thomas-sowell-is-america-s-foremost-public-intellectual-and-for-good/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/fred-barnes-31502_america_thomas-sowell-is-america-s-foremost-publ_2404318.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/fred-barnes-31502_america_thomas-sowell-is-america-s-foremost-publ_2404318.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/fred-barnes-31502_america_thomas-sowell-is-america-s-foremost-publ_2404318.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Thomas Sowell is America's foremost public intellectual and for good reason. His work covers almost every…” — Fred Barnes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“[The public intellectual] will also describe how she can work a pop culture reference into her essay, comparing the Supreme Court to the creature in the number-one box office movie of the moment. Editors like this sort of mass-media integration, first, because it gives them a way to illustrate the piece, and second because they are under the delusion that pop-culture references will propel a piece's readership into the five-digit area.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Brooks" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/the-public-intellectual-will-also-describe-how-she-can-work-a-pop/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/david-brooks-644_pop-culture_the-public-intellectual-will-also-descri_637408.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/david-brooks-644_pop-culture_the-public-intellectual-will-also-descri_637408.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/689/david-brooks-644_pop-culture_the-public-intellectual-will-also-descri_637408.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[The public intellectual] will also describe how she can work a pop culture reference into her essay…” — David Brooks", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being able to provoke a different point of view to the standard current ideological or political perspective as played out in conventional newspaper or radio reportage is what a public intellectual does. But it's not merely about being oppositional, because that's too negative.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susie Orbach" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-orbach/being-able-to-provoke-a-different-point-of-view-to-the-standard/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/susie-orbach-14175_able_being-able-to-provoke-a-different-point_239807.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/susie-orbach-14175_able_being-able-to-provoke-a-different-point_239807.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/susie-orbach-14175_able_being-able-to-provoke-a-different-point_239807.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being able to provoke a different point of view to the standard current ideological or political perspective…” — Susie Orbach", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Tad Homer-Dixon is a rare kind of public intellectual, who combines real expertise with a commitment to communicate to the widest possible readership. In The Ingenuity Gap he wants us all to wake-up to the fearful possibility that our blithe trust in science and technology may be misplaced. Human ingenuity may not be capable of coping with two emerging crises of this century and the next: population growth and environmental despoliation. Read Homer Dixon's wake-up call and you will see the future very differently.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Ignatieff" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/tad-homer-dixon-is-a-rare-kind-of-public-intellectual-who-combines/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/michael-ignatieff-3146_blithe_tad-homer-dixon-is-a-rare-kind-of-public_942217.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/michael-ignatieff-3146_blithe_tad-homer-dixon-is-a-rare-kind-of-public_942217.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aed/michael-ignatieff-3146_blithe_tad-homer-dixon-is-a-rare-kind-of-public_942217.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Tad Homer-Dixon is a rare kind of public intellectual, who combines real expertise with a commitment to…” — Michael Ignatieff", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-intellectual/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-intellectual/", "name": "Public Intellectual Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-intellectual/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c7/j-d-vance-2-3852_head_i-never-wanted-to-be-a-public-intellectu_971197.jpg" }, "description": "Browse 10 Public Intellectual quotes by 10 authors. 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