--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel pretty stupid that I don't know…" description: "\"I feel pretty stupid that I don't know any foreign languages. I wish I knew French or Arabic or Chinese.\" — Bill Gates" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/bill-gates-137_chinese_i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-a_1287401.jpg" --- # I feel pretty stupid that I don't know any foreign… ![“I feel pretty stupid that I don't know any foreign languages. I wish I knew French or Arabic or Chinese.” quote by Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/bill-gates-137_chinese_i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-a_1287401.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/bill-gates-137_chinese_i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-a_1287401.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/bill-gates-137_chinese_i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-a_1287401.jpg) > “I feel pretty stupid that I don't know any foreign languages. I wish I knew French or Arabic or Chinese.” [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expresses regret over not knowing foreign languages and a desire to learn them. **In simple terms:** I wish I could speak other languages. Key Takeaway Start learning a new language. Themes learning regret curiosity Mood motivational reflective Type advice personal. When to use this quote - career development - personal growth Key Concepts linguistic skill global perspective Questions to Reflect On - What barriers prevent language learning? - How would multilingual ability change your life? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Foreign language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-language/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [He who does not know foreign languages does not know anything about his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/he-who-does-not-know-foreign-languages-does-not-know-anything-about/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [If you don't know foreign languages, you don't know anything about your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/if-you-don-t-know-foreign-languages-you-don-t-know-anything-about/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/those-who-know-nothing-of-foreign-languages-know-nothing-of-their-own/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I always knew the French had a penchant for criticism and abstract thought. Usually, that just meant they complained a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/i-always-knew-the-french-had-a-penchant-for-criticism-and-abstract/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [There is the fear, common to all English-only speakers, that the chief purpose of foreign languages is to make fun of us. Otherwise, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/there-is-the-fear-common-to-all-english-only-speakers-that-the-chief/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ When I \[first\] went to university, I was doing foreign languages, because I had done them since I was 13 years old. I had… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/when-i-first-went-to-university-i-was-doing-foreign-languages-because/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [I've had the privilege of learning foreign languages. Instead of merely speaking a watered-down form of my mother tongue, like most people, I'm also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/i-ve-had-the-privilege-of-learning-foreign-languages-instead-of/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [Give your mind a chance to travel through foreign languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/give-your-mind-a-chance-to-travel-through-foreign-languages/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [Foreign languages, I think they are important but I don't think it should be required because-actually I think they should be teaching you English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/foreign-languages-i-think-they-are-important-but-i-don-t-think-it/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Americans don't speak foreign languages, by and large. Their interest in anything beyond the borders of the country is limited. A European of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/americans-don-t-speak-foreign-languages-by-and-large-their-interest/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [He who knows no foreign languages knows nothing of his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/he-who-knows-no-foreign-languages-knows-nothing-of-his-own/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I realized very early in life what my abilities and limitations were, and foreign languages was definitely one of my limitations. With strenuous effort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/i-realized-very-early-in-life-what-my-abilities-and-limitations-were/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [There was writing and foreign languages. I always had an ease with foreign languages. So the both are related, both language related kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/there-was-writing-and-foreign-languages-i-always-had-an-ease-with/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Foreign languages are another favourite topic, and as these men are bilingual they have a fair notion of what it means to speak and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-millington-synge/foreign-languages-are-another-favourite-topic-and-as-these-men-are/) [John Millington Synge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-millington-synge/) > [Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiss nichts von seiner eigenen.He who is ignorant of foreign languages, knows not his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/wer-fremde-sprachen-nicht-kennt-weiss-nichts-von-seiner-eigenen-he/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) ## More by Bill Gates > [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-really-had-a-lot-of-dreams-when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-think-a-great/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/paper-is-no-longer-a-big-part-of-my-day-i-get-90-of-my-news-online/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Students deserve great teachers. And teachers deserve the support they need to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/students-deserve-great-teachers-and-teachers-deserve-the-support-they/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Over time, yes, countries will need to look at specific GMO products like they look at drugs today, where they don't approve them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/over-time-yes-countries-will-need-to-look-at-specific-gmo-products/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Competition is always a fantastic thing, and the computer industry is intensely competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/competition-is-always-a-fantastic-thing-and-the-computer-industry-is/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I don't think there's anything unique about human intellience. All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [At every juncture, advanced tools have been the key to a new wave of applications, and each wave of applications has been key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/at-every-juncture-advanced-tools-have-been-the-key-to-a-new-wave-of/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Software is more important than hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-is-more-important-than-hardware/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Talking to mothers, always brings it home because they're so anxious to do everything they can for their kids and so tragic for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/talking-to-mothers-always-brings-it-home-because-they-re-so-anxious/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) [Explore all 1,165 Bill Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) ## More Chinese quotes > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [My grandparents were far more English in their manners than they were Chinese. For example, we spoke English at home, had afternoon tea every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/my-grandparents-were-far-more-english-in-their-manners-than-they-were/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Remember, sex is like a Chinese dinner. It ain't over 'til you both get your cookie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/remember-sex-is-like-a-chinese-dinner-it-ain-t-over-til-you-both-get/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [The remarkable thing about the Chinese is that they've operated differently than the Russians, the Iranians, and the North Koreans. By and large, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-sanger/the-remarkable-thing-about-the-chinese-is-that-they-ve-operated/) [David E. Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-sanger/) > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The Pink Panther wasn't shown to the press for reasons that soon became apparent when I saw it at a public performance. Two people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-french/the-pink-panther-wasn-t-shown-to-the-press-for-reasons-that-soon/) [Philip French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-french/) > [Canada has become such a staging area for Chinese money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/canada-has-become-such-a-staging-area-for-chinese-money/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [There is a phrase in Chinese, 'Resolve is victory.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yao-ming/there-is-a-phrase-in-chinese-resolve-is-victory/) [Yao Ming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yao-ming/) > [One thing that really interests me is-and it comes out of Chinese and Japanese painting-where you have a number of different kinds of space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-heilmann/one-thing-that-really-interests-me-is-and-it-comes-out-of-chinese-and/) Mary Heilmann > [My Chinese zodiac is a dog. But I'm an exception because of how much I love cats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-wu/my-chinese-zodiac-is-a-dog-but-i-m-an-exception-because-of-how-much-i/) [Jason Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-wu/) > [This is an extraordinary illustrated collection of Chinese herbsaccompanied by concise and expert comments. Jing-Nuan Wu has succeeded incompiling this most unique and informative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-nakanishi/this-is-an-extraordinary-illustrated-collection-of-chinese/) Koji Nakanishi [Browse all 1,741 Chinese quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I feel pretty stupid that I don't know any foreign languages. I wish I knew French or Arabic or Chinese.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Gates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-any-foreign-languages-i-wish-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chinese" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-any-foreign-languages-i-wish-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/bill-gates-137_chinese_i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-a_1287401.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/bill-gates-137_chinese_i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-a_1287401.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/bill-gates-137_chinese_i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-a_1287401.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I feel pretty stupid that I don't know any foreign languages. I wish I knew French or Arabic or Chinese.” — Bill Gates", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bill Gates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I feel pretty stupid that I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-any-foreign-languages-i-wish-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-feel-pretty-stupid-that-i-don-t-know-any-foreign-languages-i-wish-i/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```