--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was not too stupid to learn, but too…" description: "\"I was not too stupid to learn, but too smart. Some instinct must have warned me that a woman accomplished in the domestic arts is frequently enslaved b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/corra-may-harris-23340_accomplished_i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-sm_1862505.png" --- # I was not too stupid to learn, but too smart. Some… ![“I was not too stupid to learn, but too smart. Some instinct must have warned me that a woman accomplished in the domestic arts is frequently enslaved by them.” quote by Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/corra-may-harris-23340_accomplished_i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-sm_1862505.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/corra-may-harris-23340_accomplished_i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-sm_1862505.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/corra-may-harris-23340_accomplished_i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-sm_1862505.png) > “I was not too stupid to learn, but too smart. Some instinct must have warned me that a woman accomplished in the domestic arts is frequently enslaved by them.” [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A woman skilled in household tasks may become trapped by those very duties, limiting her freedom and potential. **In simple terms:** Domestic skill can become a prison. Key Takeaway Seek balance between skill and autonomy. Themes gender freedom domestic labor identity Mood reflective somber Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - marriage - career - home management - personal growth Key Concepts patriarchy self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - How can one redefine domestic roles? - What freedoms are sacrificed for mastery? A Different Perspective Even skilled women may feel confined by expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplished/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-is/) [Frequently Enslaved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frequently-enslaved-2516850/) [Housework](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housework/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Instinct Warned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct-warned-2516852/) [Learn Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-smart-1992489/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Smart Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart-instinct-2516851/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Stupid Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-learn-546075/) ## Related quotes > [I love to learn I am so smart and best o n the test](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kawana-gooding/i-love-to-learn-i-am-so-smart-and-best-o-n-the-test/) [Kawana Gooding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kawana-gooding/) > [I think that we can all learn from what smart companies are doing. My objective is to demonstrate what's possible, even during tough economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-champy/i-think-that-we-can-all-learn-from-what-smart-companies-are-doing-my/) [James A. Champy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-champy/) > [It took me better than a quarter century to learn, the hard way, that hard work at something you want to be doing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spider-robinson/it-took-me-better-than-a-quarter-century-to-learn-the-hard-way-that/) [Spider Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spider-robinson/) > [You don't learn from smart people, you learn from idiots. Watch what they do, and then don't do it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-wanderone/you-don-t-learn-from-smart-people-you-learn-from-idiots-watch-what/) [Rudolf Wanderone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-wanderone/) > [Too stupid to learn and too stupid to give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/too-stupid-to-learn-and-too-stupid-to-give-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In this world there isn't a single person from whom you cannot learn anything even from, a stupid you can learn how to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shubhanshu-tiwari/in-this-world-there-isn-t-a-single-person-from-whom-you-cannot-learn/) [Shubhanshu Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shubhanshu-tiwari/) > [I love, love, love music - have since I was a kid, and I'm still really into music - and I became a singer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-peterson/i-love-love-love-music-have-since-i-was-a-kid-and-i-m-still-really/) [Cassandra Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-peterson/) > [“Thomas Edison’s teachers told him he was “too stupid to learn anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/thomas-edison-s-teachers-told-him-he-was-too-stupid-to-learn-anything/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) > [Anybody who wants to learn everything is pretty stupid. You learn what you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/anybody-who-wants-to-learn-everything-is-pretty-stupid-you-learn-what/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [Sin has made us stupid, so that we can only learn the hard way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/sin-has-made-us-stupid-so-that-we-can-only-learn-the-hard-way/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [He who cannot learn by others' mistakes is stupid. He who cannot learn by his own errors is a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/he-who-cannot-learn-by-others-mistakes-is-stupid-he-who-cannot-learn/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [“The street signs”, she replied simply. I simply felt stupid. “When you learn how to read, you can read Stop, Go, and the colors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaritza-garcia/the-street-signs-she-replied-simply-i-simply-felt-stupid-when-you/) [Yaritza Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaritza-garcia/) > [A teacher sent the following note home with a six-year-old boy 'He is too stupid to learn.' That boy was Thomas A. Edison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/a-teacher-sent-the-following-note-home-with-a-six-year-old-boy-he-is/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I was born imagining myself with an apron on, with pies cooling on the window sill and babies crying upstairs. I thought that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-was-born-imagining-myself-with-an-apron-on-with-pies-cooling-on-the/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) ## More by Corra May Harris > [Once you grow accustomed to being famous, you do not realize it, but you are never quite your humble, honest self. No matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/once-you-grow-accustomed-to-being-famous-you-do-not-realize-it-but/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [Maybe I shall never achieve happiness, but one thing I have had - the terrible wisdom of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/maybe-i-shall-never-achieve-happiness-but-one-thing-i-have-had-the/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [As I have grown older I am more and more convinced that I have not grown up, that my powers have not come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/as-i-have-grown-older-i-am-more-and-more-convinced-that-i-have-not/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [There is something in the quality of the French mind to which I have always felt a reluctant kinship. They are the only people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/there-is-something-in-the-quality-of-the-french-mind-to-which-i-have/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [If you wish to collect complimentary material for a record of yourself, never appeal to your relations. They may be proud of you as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/if-you-wish-to-collect-complimentary-material-for-a-record-of/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [Not everything you hear about yourself can be considered good publicity. And if you have delicate sensibilities, the currycomb of public imagination frequently rubs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/not-everything-you-hear-about-yourself-can-be-considered-good/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [The deadly monotony of Christian country life where there are no beggars to feed, no drunkards to credit, which are among the moral duties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/the-deadly-monotony-of-christian-country-life-where-there-are-no/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [Invitations to speak upon public occasions are among my most grievous embarrassments. Why is it inferred that one is or can be a public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/invitations-to-speak-upon-public-occasions-are-among-my-most-grievous/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [Mere words will not do. They must convey the color, charm, and pulse of life. They must have a private twinkle of wit in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/mere-words-will-not-do-they-must-convey-the-color-charm-and-pulse-of/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [... to be human is to be on the defensive, somewhere, somehow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/to-be-human-is-to-be-on-the-defensive-somewhere-somehow/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [No one has yet had the courage to memorialize his wealth on his tombstone. A dollar mark would not look well there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/no-one-has-yet-had-the-courage-to-memorialize-his-wealth-on-his/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [I remember being very smart, which is a form of stupidity. I try not to remember it, but it occurs to me that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/i-remember-being-very-smart-which-is-a-form-of-stupidity-i-try-not-to/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [sanity, in my opinion, is an achievement. I have seen very few well-balanced people in my life who were not dunces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/sanity-in-my-opinion-is-an-achievement-i-have-seen-very-few-well/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [one trouble with all the churches is that they have too many incurable saints in them, men and women who pray too much and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/one-trouble-with-all-the-churches-is-that-they-have-too-many/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [war is a ferocious form of insanity. Nothing can justify it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/war-is-a-ferocious-form-of-insanity-nothing-can-justify-it/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) [Explore all 26 Corra May Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) ## More Accomplished quotes > [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [... even the most sublimely accomplished non-stop talker can't consistently please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger-2/even-the-most-sublimely-accomplished-non-stop-talker-can-t/) [J. D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger-2/) > [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I'm proud of what I've accomplished and that is empowering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/i-m-proud-of-what-i-ve-accomplished-and-that-is-empowering/) [Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/) > [We do not know today whether we are busy or idle. In times when we thought ourselves indolent, we have afterwards discovered that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-do-not-know-today-whether-we-are-busy-or-idle-in-times-when-we/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-gain-in-self-confidence-of-having-accomplished-a-tiresome-labour/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [With Epcot Center, the Disney corporation has accomplished something I didn't think possible in today's world. They have created a land of make-believe that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-accomplished-something-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Listing the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act could harm bear conservation efforts by eliminating revenues from the carefully-regulated sport hunting of polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ridenour/listing-the-polar-bear-under-the-endangered-species-act-could-harm/) [Amy Ridenour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ridenour/) > [“Great things can be accomplished, when it doesnt matter who gets the credit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/great-things-can-be-accomplished-when-it-doesnt-matter-who-gets-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [If I could inspire you for even a moment to be yourself and love yourself, and not let what anyone has to say hinder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-neal-hartry/if-i-could-inspire-you-for-even-a-moment-to-be-yourself-and-love/) [Joshua Neal Hartry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-neal-hartry/) [Browse all 1,379 Accomplished quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplished/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was not too stupid to learn, but too smart. Some instinct must have warned me that a woman accomplished in the domestic arts is frequently enslaved by them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Corra May Harris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-smart-some-instinct-must-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accomplished" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-smart-some-instinct-must-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/corra-may-harris-23340_accomplished_i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-sm_1862505.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/corra-may-harris-23340_accomplished_i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-sm_1862505.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/corra-may-harris-23340_accomplished_i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-sm_1862505.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was not too stupid to learn, but too smart. Some instinct must have warned me that a woman accomplished in…” — Corra May Harris", "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": "Corra May Harris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was not too stupid to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-smart-some-instinct-must-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/i-was-not-too-stupid-to-learn-but-too-smart-some-instinct-must-have/#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 } } ] } ```