--- 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'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_intellect_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_254678.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.” quote by Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_intellect_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_254678.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_intellect_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_254678.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_intellect_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_254678.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.”” [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. Intellectuals may overstate their abilities to hide insecurities. **In simple terms:** Intellectuals overcompensate for doubts. Key Takeaway Beware of empty bravado. Themes self‑image confidence intellectualism insecurity communication Mood critical reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - academic circles - online debates - career advancement - personal relationships - public speaking Key Concepts self‑presentation psychology social perception Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports your claims? - How do you handle uncertainty? A Different Perspective Genuine expertise is more valuable than boastful claims. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [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. He claims that label to compensate for his inadequacies. It's as old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-isn-t-exactly-distinguished-by-2/) [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/) > [“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/) > [Tell me what you brag about and Ill tell you what you lack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spanish-proverb/tell-me-what-you-brag-about-and-ill-tell-you-what-you-lack/) Spanish Proverb > [“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/) > [“Upon the one thing every writer absolutely must have, and that is intellectual curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-athans/upon-the-one-thing-every-writer-absolutely-must-have-and-that-is/) Phillip Athans > [But beauty, real beauty, ends where an intellectual expression begins. Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/but-beauty-real-beauty-ends-where-an-intellectual-expression-begins/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Being a fool is a billion times better than being blinded by the illusion of intellect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/being-a-fool-is-a-billion-times-better-than-being-blinded-by-the/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Intelligence is a way of thinking, not a choice of words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/intelligence-is-a-way-of-thinking-not-a-choice-of-words/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Of course, I don't know everything. Considering the infinite amount of knowledge that one could acquire in a virtually innumerable array of intellectual disciplines,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/of-course-i-don-t-know-everything-considering-the-infinite-amount-of/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I think good art has good concept behind it. Nothing can always articulate fully the way a Ph.D. candidate can articulate their thesis, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-think-good-art-has-good-concept-behind-it-nothing-can-always/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [The intellect searches out the Absolute order of things as they stand in the mind of God, and without the colors of affection. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-intellect-searches-out-the-absolute-order-of-things-as-they-stand/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I couldn't stand being identified by my sexuality, I retaliated by insisting that people regard me for my intellectual worth. My intellect became a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leora-tanenbaum/i-couldn-t-stand-being-identified-by-my-sexuality-i-retaliated-by/) [Leora Tanenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leora-tanenbaum/) > [Intellectual activity is a danger to the building of character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/intellectual-activity-is-a-danger-to-the-building-of-character/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) ## 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 Intellect quotes > [“Your mind has the intellect to lift the world, your heart has the wisdom to better the world, and your soul has the genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/your-mind-has-the-intellect-to-lift-the-world-your-heart-has-the/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [We do not claim that punning is legitimate wit. Wit consists in combination of ideas, punning in combination of words only. We wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-hosmer/we-do-not-claim-that-punning-is-legitimate-wit-wit-consists-in/) [Harriet Hosmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-hosmer/) > [“Whenever we think, we construct a world that is centred upon the object of our thinking; whenever we act, we reconstruct a world that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/whenever-we-think-we-construct-a-world-that-is-centred-upon-the/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [Photography's potential as a great image-maker and communicator is really no different from the same potential in the best poetry where familiar, everyday words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-caponigro/photography-s-potential-as-a-great-image-maker-and-communicator-is/) [Paul Caponigro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-caponigro/) > [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [There's nothing more special than intellect and labour that makes painting work. There's no magic there; it's information, and it's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/there-s-nothing-more-special-than-intellect-and-labour-that-makes/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-collect-my-tools-sight-smell-touch-taste-hearing-intellect-night/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [Plato compared the intellect to a charioteer guiding the powerful horses of the passions, i.e., he gave it both the power of perception and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-cattell/plato-compared-the-intellect-to-a-charioteer-guiding-the-powerful/) [Raymond Cattell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-cattell/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“There are many different kinds of knowledge. The way of the heart and spirit can guide us in a more trustworthy way than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lakota-sioux-buck-ghosthorse/there-are-many-different-kinds-of-knowledge-the-way-of-the-heart-and/) Lakota Sioux Buck Ghosthorse > [“Jesus is a teacher who doesn’t just inform our intellect but forms our very loves. He isn’t content to simply deposit new ideas into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-k-a-smith/jesus-is-a-teacher-who-doesn-t-just-inform-our-intellect-but-forms/) [James K.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-k-a-smith/) > [To write well is to think well, to feel well, and to render well; it is to possess at once intellect, soul, and taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/to-write-well-is-to-think-well-to-feel-well-and-to-render-well-it-is/) [Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-louis-leclerc-comte-de-buffon/) > [I rejoice that the reign of Christ is such, while it thrills the soul with emotions, and opens before the highest intellect the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-simpson/i-rejoice-that-the-reign-of-christ-is-such-while-it-thrills-the-soul/) [Matthew Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-simpson/) > [The ensouled is distinguished from the unsouled by its being alive. Now since being alive is spoken of in many ways, even if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-ensouled-is-distinguished-from-the-unsouled-by-its-being-alive/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) [Browse all 2,026 Intellect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) ```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.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carlos Ruiz Zafón" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-isn-t-exactly-distinguished-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Intellect" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-isn-t-exactly-distinguished-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_intellect_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_254678.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_intellect_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_254678.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_intellect_an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-i_254678.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An intellectual is usually someone who isn't exactly distinguished by his intellect . . . He claims that…” — Carlos Ruiz Zafón", "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": "Carlos Ruiz Zafón", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“An intellectual is usually someone who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-isn-t-exactly-distinguished-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/an-intellectual-is-usually-someone-who-isn-t-exactly-distinguished-by/#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 } } ] } ```