--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it is time for a new pride in the…" description: "\"I think it is time for a new pride in the intellectual life, and a new impatience with people who take pride in ignorance, or somehow use \"elite\" to me..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ead/george-saunders-317_conditions_i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-th_1820827.jpg" --- # I think it is time for a new pride in the intellectual… ![“I think it is time for a new pride in the intellectual life, and a new impatience with people who take pride in ignorance, or somehow use "elite" to mean "person who has taken the time to know" and then are eager to dismiss, say, striving, or the notion that improving one's self out of difficult…” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ead/george-saunders-317_conditions_i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-th_1820827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ead/george-saunders-317_conditions_i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-th_1820827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ead/george-saunders-317_conditions_i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-th_1820827.jpg) > “I think it is time for a new pride in the intellectual life, and a new impatience with people who take pride in ignorance, or somehow use "elite" to mean "person who has taken the time to know" and then are eager to dismiss, say, striving, or the notion that improving one's self out of difficult conditions is a noble thing.” [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates valuing deep knowledge and self‑improvement while criticizing those who flaunt ignorance as a badge of honor. **In simple terms:** Celebrate learning, reject ignorance as status. Key Takeaway Pursue knowledge, challenge elitist ignorance. Themes intellectualism self‑improvement elitism humility Mood thoughtful challenging Type essay opinion philosophical When to use this quote - academic debate - personal development - public discourse - media analysis Key Concepts critical thinking social critique education reform Questions to Reflect On - How can we make intellectual growth inclusive? - What role does humility play in learning? A Different Perspective May overlook structural barriers that limit access to education. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Impatience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impatience/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mean person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean-person/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“He sneered with the impatience of people listening to the obvious lies of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/he-sneered-with-the-impatience-of-people-listening-to-the-obvious/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Black Consciousness seeks to infuse the black community with a new-found pride in themselves, their efforts, their value systems, their culture, their religion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/black-consciousness-seeks-to-infuse-the-black-community-with-a-new/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [I would love to be able to swim in the ocean in Malibu. But that is asking for a bikini shot. That's inviting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kate-olsen/i-would-love-to-be-able-to-swim-in-the-ocean-in-malibu-but-that-is-2/) [Mary-Kate Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kate-olsen/) > [I'm not a mean person, so it kind of hurts when people are mean to me, but that's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-brown/i-m-not-a-mean-person-so-it-kind-of-hurts-when-people-are-mean-to-me/) [Kane Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-brown/) > [My previous visits to Australia created fantastic memories, so I'm definitely looking forward to another visit. It is one of the most beautiful places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-nichols/my-previous-visits-to-australia-created-fantastic-memories-so-i-m/) [Joe Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-nichols/) > [I’m not a mean person, but I have a capacity for it. I have the biting comment formed somewhere in the back of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-m-not-a-mean-person-but-i-have-a-capacity-for-it-i-have-the-biting/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Ugly live up on the inside. Ugly be a hurtful, mean person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/ugly-live-up-on-the-inside-ugly-be-a-hurtful-mean-person/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“The first time I was ever called ugly, I was thirteen. It was a rich friend of my brother Carlton's over to shoot guns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/the-first-time-i-was-ever-called-ugly-i-was-thirteen-it-was-a-rich/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“Or let’s say you have an anger problem. You get pissed off at the stupidest, most inane stuff, and you have no idea why.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/or-let-s-say-you-have-an-anger-problem-you-get-pissed-off-at-the/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [Sincerity doesn't mean anything. A person can be sincere and be more destructive than a person who is insincere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/sincerity-doesn-t-mean-anything-a-person-can-be-sincere-and-be-more/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [To me, the most important thing was to treat people the way you want to be treated. Some people say that I'm a mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mustaine/to-me-the-most-important-thing-was-to-treat-people-the-way-you-want/) [Dave Mustaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mustaine/) > [“It's so difficult to be a mean person when u were born to make people laugh…. when people are mean towards u and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peekey/it-s-so-difficult-to-be-a-mean-person-when-u-were-born-to-make-people/) peekey > [I don't care if someone makes fun of me, but if someone calls me a mean person or something, I reply. If you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-charles/i-don-t-care-if-someone-makes-fun-of-me-but-if-someone-calls-me-a/) [James Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-charles/) > [Patience, I AM NOT A MEAN PERSON-OH MY GOSH. I AM NOT A MEAN AND NASTY PERSON TO OTHER PEOPLE. I DO NOT CALL…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare/patience-i-am-not-a-mean-person-oh-my-gosh-i-am-not-a-mean-and-nasty/) [CLARE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare/) > [Your value is nothing if you cannot honor your word. If you do not mean what you say, you are the most mean person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/your-value-is-nothing-if-you-cannot-honor-your-word-if-you-do-not/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) ## More by George Saunders > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. If you're not careful, it will take up your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/success-is-like-a-mountain-in-front-of-you-that-keeps-growing-if-you/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Wow wow wow is all I can say! Remember how I always buy lunchtime Scratch-Off ticket? Have I said? Maybe did not say? Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/wow-wow-wow-is-all-i-can-say-remember-how-i-always-buy-lunchtime/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“None of it was real; nothing was real. Everything was real; inconceivably real, infinitely dear. These and all things started as nothing, latent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/none-of-it-was-real-nothing-was-real-everything-was-real/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“We must see God not as a Him (some linear rewarding fellow) but an IT, a great beast beyond our understanding, who wants something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-must-see-god-not-as-a-him-some-linear-rewarding-fellow-but-an-it-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [America, to me, should be shouting all the time, a bunch of shouting voices, most of them wrong, some of them nuts, but please,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/america-to-me-should-be-shouting-all-the-time-a-bunch-of-shouting/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [In my case, when I am trying to be "kind" I often default in a sort of toothless loving-all stance that is, actually, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-my-case-when-i-am-trying-to-be-kind-i-often-default-in-a-sort-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Whatever your supposed politics are - left, right - if you put it in a human connection, most people will rise to the occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/whatever-your-supposed-politics-are-left-right-if-you-put-it-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“A Clinton staffer tells me his theory. Think about Frank Sinatra, he says: born to sing. Think about Willie Mays: born to play ball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/a-clinton-staffer-tells-me-his-theory-think-about-frank-sinatra-he/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We try, we fail, we posture, we aspire, we pontificate - and then we age, shrink, die, and vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-try-we-fail-we-posture-we-aspire-we-pontificate-and-then-we-age/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What America is, to me, is a guy doesn't want to buy, you let him not buy, you respect his not buying. A guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-america-is-to-me-is-a-guy-doesn-t-want-to-buy-you-let-him-not/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What good the prophet in the wilderness may do is incremental and personal. It's good for us to hear someone speak the irrational truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-good-the-prophet-in-the-wilderness-may-do-is-incremental-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We're in the transition between birth and death. But the one that people often know about is the transition between the moment of death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-re-in-the-transition-between-birth-and-death-but-the-one-that/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [You don't want to be that parent - the one who dresses his kid in a cloth sack when all the other kids are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-don-t-want-to-be-that-parent-the-one-who-dresses-his-kid-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) [Explore all 690 George Saunders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## More Conditions quotes > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [History is, in its essentials, the science of change. It knows and it teaches that it is impossible to find two events that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bloch/history-is-in-its-essentials-the-science-of-change-it-knows-and-it/) [Marc Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bloch/) > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [The so-called evils are evils only in relation to a certain thing, and that which is evil in relation to a certain existing thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/the-so-called-evils-are-evils-only-in-relation-to-a-certain-thing-and/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [Experiences in order to be educative must lead out into an expanding world of subject matter, a subject matter of facts or information and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/experiences-in-order-to-be-educative-must-lead-out-into-an-expanding/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [A social group can, indeed must, already exercise 'leadership' before winning governmental power (this is indeed one of the principal conditions for the winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/a-social-group-can-indeed-must-already-exercise-leadership-before/) [Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/) > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Changes in human conditions are brought about by the pioneering of the cleverest and most energetic men. They take the lead and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/changes-in-human-conditions-are-brought-about-by-the-pioneering-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) Browse all 4,249 Conditions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it is time for a new pride in the intellectual life, and a new impatience with people who take pride in ignorance, or somehow use \"elite\" to mean \"person who has taken the time to know\" and then are eager to dismiss, say, striving, or the notion that improving one's self out of difficult conditions is a noble thing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Saunders" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-the-intellectual-life-and-a-new/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conditions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-the-intellectual-life-and-a-new/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ead/george-saunders-317_conditions_i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-th_1820827.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ead/george-saunders-317_conditions_i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-th_1820827.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ead/george-saunders-317_conditions_i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-th_1820827.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it is time for a new pride in the intellectual life, and a new impatience with people who take pride…” — George Saunders", "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": "George Saunders", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think it is time for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-the-intellectual-life-and-a-new/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-think-it-is-time-for-a-new-pride-in-the-intellectual-life-and-a-new/#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 } } ] } ```