--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My father also happened to be an…" description: "\"My father also happened to be an intellectual, as learned, literate, informed, and curious as anyone I have known. Unobtrusively and casually, he was m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/james-tobin-35957_also_my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intelle_1777092.jpg" --- # My father also happened to be an intellectual, as learned… ![“My father also happened to be an intellectual, as learned, literate, informed, and curious as anyone I have known. Unobtrusively and casually, he was my wise and gentle teacher.” quote by James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/james-tobin-35957_also_my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intelle_1777092.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/james-tobin-35957_also_my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intelle_1777092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/james-tobin-35957_also_my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intelle_1777092.jpg) > “My father also happened to be an intellectual, as learned, literate, informed, and curious as anyone I have known. Unobtrusively and casually, he was my wise and gentle teacher.” [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An intellectual parent can teach through quiet example, fostering curiosity and lifelong learning without formal instruction. **In simple terms:** Quiet example inspires curiosity and learning. Key Takeaway Seek mentors who model learning. Themes education family curiosity Mood reflective warm Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - academic mentorship - self‑directed study - career development Key Concepts role modeling informal teaching Questions to Reflect On - How can you recognize quiet mentorship? - What environments support informal learning? A Different Perspective Not all children respond to subtle teaching styles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Also](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/also/) [Anyone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anyone/) [Casually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/casually/) [Curious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curious/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Gentle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentle/) [Gentle Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentle-teacher-1830000/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Happened Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened-intellectual-1830001/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Informed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/informed/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-learned-1829999/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned/) [Learned Literate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned-literate-1830002/) [Literate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literate/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) ## Related quotes > [Some people like a harsh teacher. They feel the demands make them learn more quickly. Some like a gentle teacher because they feel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/some-people-like-a-harsh-teacher-they-feel-the-demands-make-them/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [My father was a classic intellectual. From him I learned devotion, and I also learned about the life of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-dennehy/my-father-was-a-classic-intellectual-from-him-i-learned-devotion-and/) [Brian Dennehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-dennehy/) > [“Can the word "love" be thrown around so casually like that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sohn-won-pyung/can-the-word-love-be-thrown-around-so-casually-like-that/) [Sohn Won-Pyung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sohn-won-pyung/) > [What happened casually remains -](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/what-happened-casually-remains/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [“So, what’s she done?” he asked casually while taking out a tray of wet”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-folsom/so-what-s-she-done-he-asked-casually-while-taking-out-a-tray-of-wet/) [Tina Folsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-folsom/) > [We treat sex so casually and use it for everything but what it is - which is ultimately making another human being with thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kudrow/we-treat-sex-so-casually-and-use-it-for-everything-but-what-it-is/) [Lisa Kudrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kudrow/) > [Quite casually I wander into my plot, poke around with my characters for a while, then amble off, leaving no moral proved and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorne-smith/quite-casually-i-wander-into-my-plot-poke-around-with-my-characters/) [Thorne Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorne-smith/) > [“Key is being open to loving ourselves.  Once we do that, life casually takes care of the next steps.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-ravikant/key-is-being-open-to-loving-ourselves-once-we-do-that-life-casually/) [Kamal Ravikant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-ravikant/) > [In an age when many of our citizens casually reveal information about themselves in social media wildly beyond anything imaginable only a decade ago,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-veniste/in-an-age-when-many-of-our-citizens-casually-reveal-information-about/) [Richard Ben-Veniste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-veniste/) > [California club pop chirper Dev's debut is as stark as it is sweet. This is owed partly to the casually giddy lightness of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-eddy/california-club-pop-chirper-dev-s-debut-is-as-stark-as-it-is-sweet/) [Chuck Eddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-eddy/) > [Here's my tip: Have your production hire the best hair stylists on the planet to do your films and commercials, then casually hint about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-romanek/here-s-my-tip-have-your-production-hire-the-best-hair-stylists-on-the/) [Mark Romanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-romanek/) > [In China, where you can be arrested and imprisoned for your faith, getting together with other Christians is a lifeline and you'll risk anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/in-china-where-you-can-be-arrested-and-imprisoned-for-your-faith/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Hi,” Piper said, as casually as she could. “We’re back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hi-piper-said-as-casually-as-she-could-we-re-back/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [When it's time to make music, that's about getting lost for me. To be a control freak is not half as good as being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-homme/when-it-s-time-to-make-music-that-s-about-getting-lost-for-me-to-be-a/) [Josh Homme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-homme/) > [I do not like talking casually to people - it does not interest me - and most of them are unwilling to talk at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-do-not-like-talking-casually-to-people-it-does-not-interest-me-and/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) ## More by James Tobin > [The crisis triggered a fertile period of scientific ferment and revolution in economic theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/the-crisis-triggered-a-fertile-period-of-scientific-ferment-and/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [At the time, my personal research objectives were to provide Keynesian economics with more rigorous foundations and to tighten and elaborate the logic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/at-the-time-my-personal-research-objectives-were-to-provide-keynesian/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [The miserable failures of capitalist economies in the Great Depression were root causes of worldwide social and political disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/the-miserable-failures-of-capitalist-economies-in-the-great/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [The greatest good fortune of my return to Cambridge in 1946 was that there, in the spring, I met Elizabeth Fay Ringo. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/the-greatest-good-fortune-of-my-return-to-cambridge-in-1946-was-that/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [From 1966 to 1970 I served as Chairman of the New Haven City Plan Commission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/from-1966-to-1970-i-served-as-chairman-of-the-new-haven-city-plan/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [I was born in Champaign in 1918. From the neighborhood elementary and intermediate schools, I went to the University High School in the twin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/i-was-born-in-champaign-in-1918-from-the-neighborhood-elementary-and/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [After the United States entered the war, I joined the Naval Reserve and spent ninety days in a Columbia University dormitory learning to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/after-the-united-states-entered-the-war-i-joined-the-naval-reserve/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [I studied economics and made it my career for two reasons. The subject was and is intellectually fascinating and challenging, particularly to someone with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/i-studied-economics-and-made-it-my-career-for-two-reasons-the-subject/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [“Eleanor Roosevelt and others said polio changed Roosevelt, that it made him more compassionate. That may be so. But the first impact of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/eleanor-roosevelt-and-others-said-polio-changed-roosevelt-that-it/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [Yale places great stress on undergraduate and graduate teaching. I like teaching, and I do a lot of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/yale-places-great-stress-on-undergraduate-and-graduate-teaching-i/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [Most important, I have learned from my colleagues and students.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/most-important-i-have-learned-from-my-colleagues-and-students/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) > [At the same time it offered the hope, as it still does, that improved understanding could better the lot of mankind. For me, growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/at-the-same-time-it-offered-the-hope-as-it-still-does-that-improved/) [James Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) [Explore all 13 James Tobin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/) ## More Also quotes > [I'm a workaholic, but I also like to vacation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karrueche-tran/i-m-a-workaholic-but-i-also-like-to-vacation/) [Karrueche Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karrueche-tran/) > [I've also directed, shot, and edited several music videos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-king/i-ve-also-directed-shot-and-edited-several-music-videos/) [Richard King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-king/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [With all the technology we're inventing and what they're coming up with scientifically, people are having longer lifetimes. It's scary, but in the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-murphy/with-all-the-technology-we-re-inventing-and-what-they-re-coming-up/) [Brittany Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-murphy/) > [I like 'The Usual Suspects'. Great film. I also like 'Scarface', films like that. Lots of gangster films. I really like watching all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barkhad-abdi/i-like-the-usual-suspects-great-film-i-also-like-scarface-films-like/) [Barkhad Abdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barkhad-abdi/) > [I'm in 'Madagascar 2.' I'm Testy the Lion. The franchise moves to Africa, and Bernie Mac is also in the film. I loved working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lister-jr/i-m-in-madagascar-2-i-m-testy-the-lion-the-franchise-moves-to-africa/) [Tom Lister, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lister-jr/) > [I was born with a silver microphone in my mouth, and that was an advantage. My father wrote books and was also a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dimbleby/i-was-born-with-a-silver-microphone-in-my-mouth-and-that-was-an/) [Jonathan Dimbleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dimbleby/) > [I always like to look for adventure when I go away. I have gone on several horse adventures with my wife - from Guangxi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-always-like-to-look-for-adventure-when-i-go-away-i-have-gone-on/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [It is true that from a behavioral economics perspective we are fallible, easily confused, not that smart, and often irrational. We are more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-is-true-that-from-a-behavioral-economics-perspective-we-are/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/especially-for-those-of-us-who-lived-in-single-cells-you-had-the-time/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) [Browse all 3,822 Also quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/also/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My father also happened to be an intellectual, as learned, literate, informed, and curious as anyone I have known. Unobtrusively and casually, he was my wise and gentle teacher.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Tobin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intellectual-as-learned-literate/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Also" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intellectual-as-learned-literate/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/james-tobin-35957_also_my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intelle_1777092.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/james-tobin-35957_also_my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intelle_1777092.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/james-tobin-35957_also_my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intelle_1777092.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My father also happened to be an intellectual, as learned, literate, informed, and curious as anyone I have…” — James Tobin", "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": "James Tobin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tobin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My father also happened to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intellectual-as-learned-literate/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tobin/my-father-also-happened-to-be-an-intellectual-as-learned-literate/#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 } } ] } ```