--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An intellectual is usually someone who…" description: "\"“An intellectual is usually someone who isn't exactly distinguished by his intellect. He claims that label to compensate for his inadequacies. It's as ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_daily-bread_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_905398.jpg" --- # An intellectual is usually someone who isn't exactly… ![“An intellectual is usually someone who isn't exactly distinguished by his intellect. He claims that label to compensate for his inadequacies. It's as old as that saying: Tell me what you boast of and I'll tell you what you lack. Our daily bread. The incompetent always present themselves as…” quote by Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_daily-bread_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_905398.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_daily-bread_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_905398.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_daily-bread_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_905398.jpg) > ““An intellectual is usually someone who isn't exactly distinguished by his intellect. He claims that label to compensate for his inadequacies. It's as old as that saying: Tell me what you boast of and I'll tell you what you lack. Our daily bread. The incompetent always present themselves as experts, the cruel as pious, sinners as devout, usurers as benefactors, the small-minded as patriots, the arrogant as humble, the vulgar as elegant, and the feeble-minded as intellectual.”” [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often wear false titles to hide their shortcomings, presenting themselves as experts or virtuous when they are not. **In simple terms:** False titles mask real ability. Key Takeaway Question authenticity over appearance. Themes hypocrisy identity social perception Mood skeptical reflective Type critical observational When to use this quote - job interviews - political debates - online forums - leadership assessments Key Concepts self-deception status signaling ego defense Questions to Reflect On - What titles do you hold that hide your true self? - How can you recognize genuine expertise? A Different Perspective Labels can be misleading; true competence may be hidden. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Daily bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-bread/) [Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) ## Related quotes > [“An intellectual is usually someone who isn't exactly distinguished by his intellect," Corelli asserted. "he claims that label to compensate for his inadequacies. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-isn-t-exactly-distinguished-by-3/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“An intellectual is usually someone who isn't exactly distinguished by his intellect . . . He claims that label to compensate for his inadequacies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-isn-t-exactly-distinguished-by/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“An intellectual is some one who isn't exactly distinguished by his intellect. He claims that label to compensates for his inadequacies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/an-intellectual-is-some-one-who-isn-t-exactly-distinguished-by-his/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [He (Intellectuals) claims that label to compensate for his own inadequacies. It's as old as that saying: tell me what you boast of and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/he-intellectuals-claims-that-label-to-compensate-for-his-own/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“One conceivable way to discriminate between a scientific intellectual and a literary intellectual is by considering that a scientific intellectual can usually recognize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/one-conceivable-way-to-discriminate-between-a-scientific-intellectual/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [If a quotationist who plagiarizes the words and minds of others to make quotes is a 'Narrow intellectual'. Then a quotationist who makes quotes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-fowler/if-a-quotationist-who-plagiarizes-the-words-and-minds-of-others-to/) [Steve Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-fowler/) > [If a quotationist who uses the words and thoughts of others to make quotes is a 'Narrow intellectual', then a quotationist who uses their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-fowler/if-a-quotationist-who-uses-the-words-and-thoughts-of-others-to-make/) [Steve Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-fowler/) > [ This letter \[to the Romans\] is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/this-letter-to-the-romans-is-truly-the-most-important-piece-in-the/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“Our father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-holy-bible/our-father-who-art-in-heaven-hallowed-be-thy-name-thy-kingdom-come/) the holy bible > [“Modern Our Father, who is in heaven, blessed be your name. Give us our daily bread today. All three of these languages were rich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcwhorter/modern-our-father-who-is-in-heaven-blessed-be-your-name-give-us-our/) [John McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcwhorter/) > [“The undiscerning observer may think that this mixture of ideal and reality, of the human and spiritual, is most likely to be present where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-undiscerning-observer-may-think-that-this-mixture-of-ideal-and/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [We belong to an age where apocalypse is our daily bread, coffee's black, and we know we're part of the abyss. Red Spider White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/we-belong-to-an-age-where-apocalypse-is-our-daily-bread-coffee-s/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [Outdoors we are confronted everywhere with wonders; we see that the miraculous is not extraordinary, but the common mode of existence. It is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/outdoors-we-are-confronted-everywhere-with-wonders-we-see-that-the/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“He told me it was for men of desperate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superior fortune on the other, who when abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/he-told-me-it-was-for-men-of-desperate-fortunes-on-one-hand-or-of/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More by Carlos Ruiz Zafón > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“I carried the trace of her lips, of her breath on my skin through streets full of faceless people escaping from offices and shops.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-carried-the-trace-of-her-lips-of-her-breath-on-my-skin-through/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Nekada davno, u djetinjstvu, možda is toga što sam odrastao među knjigama i knjižarima, odlučio sam da želim postati pisac i živjeti životom punim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/nekada-davno-u-djetinjstvu-mo-da-is-toga-to-sam-odrastao-me-u/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“nations never see themselves clearly in the mirror, much less when war preys on their minds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/nations-never-see-themselves-clearly-in-the-mirror-much-less-when-war/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“But I couldn't absorb the idea that death could actually walk by my side, with a human face and a heart that was poisoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/but-i-couldn-t-absorb-the-idea-that-death-could-actually-walk-by-my/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Wise men think and speak alike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/wise-men-think-and-speak-alike/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Time plays for the other team.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/time-plays-for-the-other-team/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Once I'd worked out that I couldn't possibly expect people to enjoy a monstrous, 3000-page book, I realised I could in fact create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/once-i-d-worked-out-that-i-couldn-t-possibly-expect-people-to-enjoy-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [The haunting of history is ever present in Barcelona. I see cities as organisms, as living creatures. To me, Madrid is a man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/the-haunting-of-history-is-ever-present-in-barcelona-i-see-cities-as/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Waiting is the rust of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/waiting-is-the-rust-of-the-soul/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“The main pillar of organized religion, with few exceptions, is the subjugation, repression, even the annulment of women in the group. Woman must accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/the-main-pillar-of-organized-religion-with-few-exceptions-is-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/bea-says-that-the-art-of-reading-is-slowly-dying-that-it-s-an/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Human beings believe just as they breathe - in order to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/human-beings-believe-just-as-they-breathe-in-order-to-survive/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Darwin was a dreamer, I can assure you. No evolution or anything of the sort. For every one who can reason, I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/darwin-was-a-dreamer-i-can-assure-you-no-evolution-or-anything-of-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) [Explore all 785 Carlos Ruiz Zafón quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) ## More Daily bread quotes > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“He told me it was for men of desperate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superior fortune on the other, who when abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/he-told-me-it-was-for-men-of-desperate-fortunes-on-one-hand-or-of/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [Outdoors we are confronted everywhere with wonders; we see that the miraculous is not extraordinary, but the common mode of existence. It is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/outdoors-we-are-confronted-everywhere-with-wonders-we-see-that-the/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [We belong to an age where apocalypse is our daily bread, coffee's black, and we know we're part of the abyss. Red Spider White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/we-belong-to-an-age-where-apocalypse-is-our-daily-bread-coffee-s/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [“The undiscerning observer may think that this mixture of ideal and reality, of the human and spiritual, is most likely to be present where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-undiscerning-observer-may-think-that-this-mixture-of-ideal-and/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“Modern Our Father, who is in heaven, blessed be your name. Give us our daily bread today. All three of these languages were rich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcwhorter/modern-our-father-who-is-in-heaven-blessed-be-your-name-give-us-our/) [John McWhorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcwhorter/) > [“Our father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-holy-bible/our-father-who-art-in-heaven-hallowed-be-thy-name-thy-kingdom-come/) the holy bible > [ This letter \[to the Romans\] is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/this-letter-to-the-romans-is-truly-the-most-important-piece-in-the/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“9 “Therefore, you should pray like this:  Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy.  10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/9-therefore-you-should-pray-like-this-our-father-in-heaven-your-name/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nobody knew literature and history better than these people, nobody could write better Russian than they, nobody despised our times more profoundly. For these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/nobody-knew-literature-and-history-better-than-these-people-nobody/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“If our heart and mind are focused on experiencing food as a love note from God, eating becomes not only a way to nourish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-cousens/if-our-heart-and-mind-are-focused-on-experiencing-food-as-a-love-note/) [Gabriel Cousens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-cousens/) > [We’re supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharron-angle/we-re-supposed-to-depend-upon-god-for-our-protection-and-our/) [Sharron Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharron-angle/) > [The doctrine of vocation deals with how God works through human beings to bestow His gifts. God gives us this day our daily bread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-doctrine-of-vocation-deals-with-how-god-works-through-human/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The stage I chose--a subject fair and free-- 'Tis yours--'tis mine--'tis public property. All common exhibitions open lie, For praise or censure, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/the-stage-i-chose-a-subject-fair-and-free-tis-yours-tis-mine-tis/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple, like bread, or wine, a fine marriage, or air. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-cheever/at-first-an-ordeal-and-then-an-accomplishment-the-daily-run-becomes-a/) Benjamin Cheever [Browse all 181 Daily bread quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-bread/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“An intellectual is usually someone who isn't exactly distinguished by his intellect. He claims that label to compensate for his inadequacies. It's as old as that saying: Tell me what you boast of and I'll tell you what you lack. Our daily bread. 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