--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans are very smart about the things…" description: "\"Americans are very smart about the things they care about, and ignorant about the things they don't.\" — Jonah Goldberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/jonah-goldberg-2339_america_americans-are-very-smart-about-the-thing_2205299.png" --- # Americans are very smart about the things they care about… ![“Americans are very smart about the things they care about, and ignorant about the things they don't.” quote by Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/jonah-goldberg-2339_america_americans-are-very-smart-about-the-thing_2205299.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/jonah-goldberg-2339_america_americans-are-very-smart-about-the-thing_2205299.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/937/jonah-goldberg-2339_america_americans-are-very-smart-about-the-thing_2205299.png) > “Americans are very smart about the things they care about, and ignorant about the things they don't.” [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People tend to be knowledgeable about topics they care about, but remain ignorant about those they ignore. **In simple terms:** We know what we care about, ignore the rest. Key Takeaway Broaden your curiosity beyond comfort zones. Themes knowledge bias learning attention psychology Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - education - media consumption - personal development - critical thinking Key Concepts cognitive bias selective attention information theory Questions to Reflect On - What topics do you avoid? - How can you stay informed about them? A Different Perspective Changing focus can be uncomfortable and time‑consuming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) ## Related quotes > [I have very little patience for ignorant, incompetent people who don’t care that they’re ignorant and incompetent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-leffel/i-have-very-little-patience-for-ignorant-incompetent-people-who-don-t/) Tim Leffel > [We are ignorant of things necessary, because we learn things superfluous and unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/we-are-ignorant-of-things-necessary-because-we-learn-things/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [It is one of the most ignorant things you can do to a person, to say they're nuts or they're crazy. It diminishes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-brewer/it-is-one-of-the-most-ignorant-things-you-can-do-to-a-person-to-say/) [Madeline Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-brewer/) > [It's extremely difficult for me to be friends with someone who is pro-life, because that is one of the most ignorant things someone can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-extremely-difficult-for-me-to-be-friends-with-someone-who-is-pro/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yes some people say ignorant things about autism but silencing them solves nothing. They need to be educated. That's how things change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-duncan/yes-some-people-say-ignorant-things-about-autism-but-silencing-them/) [Stuart Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-duncan/) > [I try to be as ignorant about things as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-sparks/i-try-to-be-as-ignorant-about-things-as-i-can/) [Hal Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-sparks/) > [Most people in this country, while they might not be happy about things, also are woefully ignorant about many things. Sometimes people can learn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/most-people-in-this-country-while-they-might-not-be-happy-about/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Europeans think Americans are fat, vulgar, greedy, stupid, ambitious and ignorant and so on. And they've taken as their own, as their representative American,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/europeans-think-americans-are-fat-vulgar-greedy-stupid-ambitious-and/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [(I)f France's righteous bloviating against war makes them your Dashboard Saint of International Integrity, it's either because you are sand-poundingly ignorant of how the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-f-france-s-righteous-bloviating-against-war-makes-them-your/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [I prefer to make up my own quotes and attribute them to very smart people, so that I can use them to win arguments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-prefer-to-make-up-my-own-quotes-and-attribute-them-to-very-smart/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [How do you measure whether or not a strategy of economic growth that is articulated by a very smart, capable economist actually yields growth?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/how-do-you-measure-whether-or-not-a-strategy-of-economic-growth-that/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I had seen Shawn Levy's movie just before, Just Married. And I think when I met him too, he's very smart and together and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-perabo/i-had-seen-shawn-levy-s-movie-just-before-just-married-and-i-think/) [Piper Perabo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-perabo/) > [I'm not anti-Muslim, I'm not anti-immigration; I'm saying we've got big problems in our cities. It's not very smart to make the problem bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pim-fortuyn/i-m-not-anti-muslim-i-m-not-anti-immigration-i-m-saying-we-ve-got-big/) [Pim Fortuyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pim-fortuyn/) > [I don't analyze what I'm doing. I've read convincing interpretations of my work, and sometimes I've noticed something that I wasn't aware of, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sherman/i-don-t-analyze-what-i-m-doing-i-ve-read-convincing-interpretations/) [Cindy Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sherman/) > [Marilyn was a great actress, not a dumb blond bombshell. She was very smart, very astute and a good businesswoman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-schiller/marilyn-was-a-great-actress-not-a-dumb-blond-bombshell-she-was-very/) [Lawrence Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-schiller/) ## More by Jonah Goldberg > [Not reassuring when weathermen say 'Today will be terrible but don't worry it won't be as terrible as tomorrow or Friday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/not-reassuring-when-weathermen-say-today-will-be-terrible-but-don-t/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [Are you a producer or a looter? If diversity were always and everywhere good we would be clamoring for more midgets in the NBA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/are-you-a-producer-or-a-looter-if-diversity-were-always-and/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [You can make a very good argument that society would be much worse off if you let 10 rapists and murderers free rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/you-can-make-a-very-good-argument-that-society-would-be-much-worse/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [“The nasty racism that infused the progressive eugenics of Margaret Sanger and others has largely melted away. But liberal fascists are still racist in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/the-nasty-racism-that-infused-the-progressive-eugenics-of-margaret/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [Liberals are Nazis, and Nazis are liberals. And if you don't agree with me, you're a Nazi too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/liberals-are-nazis-and-nazis-are-liberals-and-if-you-don-t-agree-with/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [I have always seen the Clinton Foundation - yes, they do a lot of charitable good works. But by my lights, the charitable good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-have-always-seen-the-clinton-foundation-yes-they-do-a-lot-of/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [(I)f France's righteous bloviating against war makes them your Dashboard Saint of International Integrity, it's either because you are sand-poundingly ignorant of how the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-f-france-s-righteous-bloviating-against-war-makes-them-your/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [(I)t is simply wrong to confuse cowardice with appeasement. Cowardice is a failing of character. Appeasement is a failure of policy. Stalin appeased Hitler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-t-is-simply-wrong-to-confuse-cowardice-with-appeasement-cowardice/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [Social distinctions tend to matter only at your own level and above.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/social-distinctions-tend-to-matter-only-at-your-own-level-and-above/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [The logical upshot of liberalism's hatred of hypocrisy is that it is better for the liar to champion lying, the glutton to advocate gluttony,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/the-logical-upshot-of-liberalism-s-hatred-of-hypocrisy-is-that-it-is/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [“No nation influenced American thinking more profoundly than Germany, W.E.B. DuBois, Charles Beard, Walter Weyl, Richard Ely, Richard Ely, Nicholas Murray Butler, and countless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/no-nation-influenced-american-thinking-more-profoundly-than-germany-w/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [In Europe and America alike, voters increasingly recognize that the benefits of the green revolution aren't worth the costs, particularly when the revolutionaries don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/in-europe-and-america-alike-voters-increasingly-recognize-that-the/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [“Tom Friedman says China is so awesome they make kosher pigs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/tom-friedman-says-china-is-so-awesome-they-make-kosher-pigs/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [Facts are mere speed bumps on the road to lefty moral outrage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/facts-are-mere-speed-bumps-on-the-road-to-lefty-moral-outrage/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [There was no intellectual movement in American history called social Darwinism. The people who were supposedly the leaders of the social Darwinist movement never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/there-was-no-intellectual-movement-in-american-history-called-social/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) [Explore all 171 Jonah Goldberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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