--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why is being a nerd bad? Saying I notice…" description: "\"Why is being a nerd bad? Saying I notice youre a nerd is like saying, Hey, I notice that youd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that youd rather be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/john-green-12_nerd_why-is-being-a-nerd-bad-saying-i-notice_398885.jpg" --- # Why is being a nerd bad? Saying I notice youre a nerd is… ![“Why is being a nerd bad? Saying I notice youre a nerd is like saying, Hey, I notice that youd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that youd rather be thoughtful than be vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Linsey Lohan. Why is that?” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/john-green-12_nerd_why-is-being-a-nerd-bad-saying-i-notice_398885.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/john-green-12_nerd_why-is-being-a-nerd-bad-saying-i-notice_398885.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f43/john-green-12_nerd_why-is-being-a-nerd-bad-saying-i-notice_398885.jpg) > “Why is being a nerd bad? Saying I notice youre a nerd is like saying, Hey, I notice that youd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that youd rather be thoughtful than be vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Linsey Lohan. Why is that?” [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. The speaker questions the negative stigma attached to being a nerd, suggesting it reflects a bias that values intelligence and thoughtfulness over superficial judgments. **In simple terms:** Being a nerd is unfairly judged despite its value. Key Takeaway Challenge stereotypes about intelligence. Themes stigma intelligence identity bias selfesteem Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type observational analytical philosophical When to use this quote - school environments - online communities - career discussions - personal relationships Key Concepts social perception value judgments cultural norms Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling someone a nerd affect their confidence? - What can we do to celebrate intellectual curiosity? A Different Perspective Not everyone sees intelligence as a positive trait; some may feel threatened. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nerd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerd/) [Things that matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-that-matter/) ## Related quotes > [“Why is being a nerd bad? Saying I notice you’re a nerd is like saying, ‘Hey, I notice that you’d rather be intelligent than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/why-is-being-a-nerd-bad-saying-i-notice-you-re-a-nerd-is-like-saying/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Saying 'I notice you're a nerd' is like saying, 'Hey, I notice that you'd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you'd rather be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/saying-i-notice-you-re-a-nerd-is-like-saying-hey-i-notice-that-you-d/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [When I grew up, being a nerd was a bad thing. You didn't want to be one. Now everybody calls themselves that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-dore/when-i-grew-up-being-a-nerd-was-a-bad-thing-you-didn-t-want-to-be-one/) [Jimmy Dore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-dore/) > [Being a nerd is not always a bad thing. It's actually cool to be a nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grizz-chapman/being-a-nerd-is-not-always-a-bad-thing-it-s-actually-cool-to-be-a-nerd/) [Grizz Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grizz-chapman/) > [You can go back 150 years and literally find the same people saying the same thing in the same way. "If we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hanauer/you-can-go-back-150-years-and-literally-find-the-same-people-saying/) [Nick Hanauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hanauer/) > [When we got into office, the thing that surprised me most was to find that things were just as bad as we'd been saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/when-we-got-into-office-the-thing-that-surprised-me-most-was-to-find/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“I'm not saying I'm not bad. I'm not saying I'm special. But I'm not like the Allport Street girls, who stand in doorways and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros-author/i-m-not-saying-i-m-not-bad-i-m-not-saying-i-m-special-but-i-m-not/) [Sandra Cisneros (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros-author/) > [“Good luck with that." I turn to face him. "She's predisposed to hate you. Convinced you'll be my downfall. Says you've got heartbreaker written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-noel/good-luck-with-that-i-turn-to-face-him-she-s-predisposed-to-hate-you/) [Alyson Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-noel/) > [There's something going on and it's bad. And I'm saying we have to get to the bottom of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/there-s-something-going-on-and-it-s-bad-and-i-m-saying-we-have-to-get/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I was a total nerd and had, like, two friends, and then I left my school and got signed to a record deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-jonas/i-was-a-total-nerd-and-had-like-two-friends-and-then-i-left-my-school/) [Kevin Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-jonas/) > [I'm kind of a bit of a space nerd. I like all of that kind of stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-ritchie/i-m-kind-of-a-bit-of-a-space-nerd-i-like-all-of-that-kind-of-stuff/) [Charlotte Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-ritchie/) > [People call me a nerd because I like to spend time on the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nonito-donaire/people-call-me-a-nerd-because-i-like-to-spend-time-on-the-computer/) [Nonito Donaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nonito-donaire/) > [That's how I prepare for anything - I read whatever I can get my hands on, talk to people. I'm a bit of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-adams/that-s-how-i-prepare-for-anything-i-read-whatever-i-can-get-my-hands/) [Amy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-adams/) > [I'm a nerd. I like to sit in the library. I don't like to sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-amaechi/i-m-a-nerd-i-like-to-sit-in-the-library-i-don-t-like-to-sweat/) [John Amaechi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-amaechi/) > [Call me a nerd if you like, but I do find it hard to leave home without my laptop and a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/call-me-a-nerd-if-you-like-but-i-do-find-it-hard-to-leave-home/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) ## 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 Nerd quotes > [In our society we have hard nerds and soft nerds. The hard nerds are the ones who used to have the slide rules at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/in-our-society-we-have-hard-nerds-and-soft-nerds-the-hard-nerds-are/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [“Adam could imagine what he looked like: a debauched nerd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullinan/adam-could-imagine-what-he-looked-like-a-debauched-nerd/) [Heidi Cullinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullinan/) > [Being a geek is extremely liberating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/being-a-geek-is-extremely-liberating/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [“You’re the witch, dude.  I’m the data geek. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debora-geary/you-re-the-witch-dude-i-m-the-data-geek/) [Debora Geary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debora-geary/) > [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Yeah, I'm a geek. I read sci-fi and I watch sci-fi films. I love my computer and I love to fix it. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/yeah-i-m-a-geek-i-read-sci-fi-and-i-watch-sci-fi-films-i-love-my/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) > [I used to work in a record store. I'm kind of a record nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/i-used-to-work-in-a-record-store-i-m-kind-of-a-record-nerd/) [Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I am a geek. I am an otaku.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masi-oka/i-am-a-geek-i-am-an-otaku/) [Masi Oka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masi-oka/) > [I shopped at J. Crew in high school, I studied computer science. I was a nerd-nerd, now I'm a music-nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/i-shopped-at-j-crew-in-high-school-i-studied-computer-science-i-was-a/) [Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/) > [I'm a nerd. Total geek. I never went to homecoming or prom or anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-hayes/i-m-a-nerd-total-geek-i-never-went-to-homecoming-or-prom-or-anything/) [Hunter Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-hayes/) > [I was a super nerd in school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-bridges/i-was-a-super-nerd-in-school/) [Chloe Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-bridges/) > [Any nerd who grew up around the time that I did, BBC programming was a treasure chest for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hardwick/any-nerd-who-grew-up-around-the-time-that-i-did-bbc-programming-was-a/) [Chris Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hardwick/) > [I loved the idea of the Nerd as Hero, which Ghost World also had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/illeana-douglas/i-loved-the-idea-of-the-nerd-as-hero-which-ghost-world-also-had/) [Illeana Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/illeana-douglas/) > [At the age of 11 I was about 6 ft. tall and my voice had completely broken. That caused problems. I was this gangly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-stevens/at-the-age-of-11-i-was-about-6-ft-tall-and-my-voice-had-completely/) [Dan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-stevens/) [Browse all 919 Nerd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerd/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why is being a nerd bad? Saying I notice youre a nerd is like saying, Hey, I notice that youd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that youd rather be thoughtful than be vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Linsey Lohan. 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