--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because you may be smart, but I’ve been…" description: "\"“Because you may be smart, but I’ve been smart longer”\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/john-green-12_humor-inspirational_because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-s_633020.jpg" --- # Because you may be smart, but I’ve been smart longer ![“Because you may be smart, but I’ve been smart longer” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/john-green-12_humor-inspirational_because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-s_633020.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/john-green-12_humor-inspirational_because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-s_633020.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/john-green-12_humor-inspirational_because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-s_633020.jpg) > ““Because you may be smart, but I’ve been smart longer”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being smart is not enough; experience adds deeper insight. **In simple terms:** Experience outweighs raw intelligence. Key Takeaway Value learning over time. Themes wisdom experience humility Mood thoughtful inspirational Type personal educational When to use this quote - career development - life lessons - advice seeking - reflection Key Concepts personal growth mentorship Questions to Reflect On - How does experience shape your decisions? - What can you learn from seasoned individuals? A Different Perspective May undervalue innate talent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humor-inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor-inspirational/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longer/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Smart Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart-longer-2122884/) [Smart Ve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart-ve-2122886/) [Ve Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ve-smart-2122885/) ## Related quotes > [You may be smart, but I've been smart longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-smart-longer/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And in my classes, I will talk most of the time, and you will listen most of the time. Because you may be smart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-in-my-classes-i-will-talk-most-of-the-time-and-you-will-listen/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“After all, her motto is "Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-banks/after-all-her-motto-is-better-to-ask-for-forgiveness-than-permission/) [Anna Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-banks/) > [“Getting inspired is simple: it just requires hard work. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-kummerow/getting-inspired-is-simple-it-just-requires-hard-work/) [Marion Kummerow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-kummerow/) > [“Despite wearing a Rolex, I have no time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faraaz-kazi/despite-wearing-a-rolex-i-have-no-time/) [Faraaz Kazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faraaz-kazi/) > [“How can you possibly do everything you want to do in life if you start doing a bunch of things twice?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/how-can-you-possibly-do-everything-you-want-to-do-in-life-if-you/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“Love isn't something you can put a timeline on, you know that right?As it would seem, fate had other plans for us. Wouldn't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-pastore/love-isn-t-something-you-can-put-a-timeline-on-you-know-that-right-as/) [Christy Pastore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-pastore/) > [“Holy ripened fuckcheese!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/holy-ripened-fuckcheese/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“History, of course, is never real. People either glorify it or horrify it. Or at the very least color it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-wall/history-of-course-is-never-real-people-either-glorify-it-or-horrify/) [Paula Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-wall/) > [“I decided to irritate him, on the premise that it couldn't make my situation any worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-somers/i-decided-to-irritate-him-on-the-premise-that-it-couldn-t-make-my/) [Jeff Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-somers/) > [“... an artist should paint from the heart, and not always what people expect. Predictability often leads to the dullest work, in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-artist-should-paint-from-the-heart-and-not-always-what-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I hope you aren't planning to order me back to bed." "No, you have far too much crockery at your disposal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamund-hodge/i-hope-you-aren-t-planning-to-order-me-back-to-bed-no-you-have-far/) [Rosamund Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamund-hodge/) > [“You know as well as I do, damn you. Like it or not I seem to have grown a heart. I have absolutely no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/you-know-as-well-as-i-do-damn-you-like-it-or-not-i-seem-to-have-grown/) [Anne Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stuart/) > [“My life is interesting enough with out you adding drama, thank you very much. Now can you please leave?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-a-fritz/my-life-is-interesting-enough-with-out-you-adding-drama-thank-you/) [Bryan A. Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-a-fritz/) > [“Friends are the support bras of life. We don't let each other down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/friends-are-the-support-bras-of-life-we-don-t-let-each-other-down/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Humor-inspirational quotes > [“Friends are the support bras of life. We don't let each other down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/friends-are-the-support-bras-of-life-we-don-t-let-each-other-down/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“My life is interesting enough with out you adding drama, thank you very much. Now can you please leave?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-a-fritz/my-life-is-interesting-enough-with-out-you-adding-drama-thank-you/) [Bryan A. Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-a-fritz/) > [“You know as well as I do, damn you. Like it or not I seem to have grown a heart. I have absolutely no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/you-know-as-well-as-i-do-damn-you-like-it-or-not-i-seem-to-have-grown/) [Anne Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stuart/) > [“I hope you aren't planning to order me back to bed." "No, you have far too much crockery at your disposal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamund-hodge/i-hope-you-aren-t-planning-to-order-me-back-to-bed-no-you-have-far/) [Rosamund Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamund-hodge/) > [“... an artist should paint from the heart, and not always what people expect. Predictability often leads to the dullest work, in my opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-artist-should-paint-from-the-heart-and-not-always-what-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I decided to irritate him, on the premise that it couldn't make my situation any worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-somers/i-decided-to-irritate-him-on-the-premise-that-it-couldn-t-make-my/) [Jeff Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-somers/) > [“History, of course, is never real. People either glorify it or horrify it. Or at the very least color it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-wall/history-of-course-is-never-real-people-either-glorify-it-or-horrify/) [Paula Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-wall/) > [“Holy ripened fuckcheese!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/holy-ripened-fuckcheese/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Love isn't something you can put a timeline on, you know that right?As it would seem, fate had other plans for us. Wouldn't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-pastore/love-isn-t-something-you-can-put-a-timeline-on-you-know-that-right-as/) [Christy Pastore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-pastore/) > [“How can you possibly do everything you want to do in life if you start doing a bunch of things twice?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/how-can-you-possibly-do-everything-you-want-to-do-in-life-if-you/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“Despite wearing a Rolex, I have no time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faraaz-kazi/despite-wearing-a-rolex-i-have-no-time/) [Faraaz Kazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faraaz-kazi/) > [“Getting inspired is simple: it just requires hard work. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-kummerow/getting-inspired-is-simple-it-just-requires-hard-work/) [Marion Kummerow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-kummerow/) > [“After all, her motto is "Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-banks/after-all-her-motto-is-better-to-ask-for-forgiveness-than-permission/) [Anna Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-banks/) > [“Give your brain a break and read a book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lyon/give-your-brain-a-break-and-read-a-book/) [Jeff Lyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lyon/) > [No one ever excused his way to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-del-dotto/no-one-ever-excused-his-way-to-success/) [Dave Del Dotto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-del-dotto/) [Browse all 213 Humor-inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor-inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Because you may be smart, but I’ve been smart longer”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-smart-longer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Humor-inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-smart-longer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/john-green-12_humor-inspirational_because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-s_633020.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/john-green-12_humor-inspirational_because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-s_633020.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/john-green-12_humor-inspirational_because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-s_633020.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because you may be smart, but I’ve been smart longer” — John Green", "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": "John Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Because you may be smart, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-smart-longer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/because-you-may-be-smart-but-i-ve-been-smart-longer/#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 } } ] } ```