--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us…" description: "\"Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try doing long division with Roman numerals.\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/kurt-vonnegut-41_division_do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us_1765599.jpg" --- # Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try… ![“Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try doing long division with Roman numerals.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/kurt-vonnegut-41_division_do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us_1765599.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/kurt-vonnegut-41_division_do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us_1765599.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/kurt-vonnegut-41_division_do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us_1765599.jpg) > “Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try doing long division with Roman numerals.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Uses humor to highlight the contributions of Arab numerals and the difficulty of Roman numerals. **In simple terms:** Arab numbers simplify math; Roman numerals are cumbersome. Key Takeaway Appreciate modern numeric systems. Themes humor education culture Mood witty educational Type humorous informative When to use this quote - teaching math - cross‑cultural education - curriculum design Key Concepts numerical systems historical contributions Questions to Reflect On - How do we honor diverse contributions? - What modern tools aid learning? A Different Perspective May perpetuate stereotypes about cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabs/) [Arabs Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabs-dumb-1732801/) [Division](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/division/) [Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumb/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Division](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-division-1279759/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Numerals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numerals/) [Roman numerals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roman-numerals/) [Think Arabs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-arabs-1732802/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [“Speaking of plunging into war, do you know why I think George W. Bush is so pissed off at Arabs? They brought us algebra.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/speaking-of-plunging-into-war-do-you-know-why-i-think-george-w-bush/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Object-oriented design is the roman numerals of computing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-pike/object-oriented-design-is-the-roman-numerals-of-computing/) [Rob Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-pike/) > [I have no statistics to prove it, but I'm sure the American workplace will be adversely affected on Monday, the day after XXIV. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-klein/i-have-no-statistics-to-prove-it-but-i-m-sure-the-american-workplace/) [Robert Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-klein/) > [It's the Roman numeral for 10. 5/5/89 is my birthday: 5 plus 5 is 10, and this is my tenth year since I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/it-s-the-roman-numeral-for-10-5-5-89-is-my-birthday-5-plus-5-is-10/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [How do you write zero in Roman numerals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/how-do-you-write-zero-in-roman-numerals/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I've been playing the game so long that my handicap is in Roman numerals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/i-ve-been-playing-the-game-so-long-that-my-handicap-is-in-roman/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [She doesn't understand the concept of Roman numerals. She thought we just fought in world war eleven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/she-doesn-t-understand-the-concept-of-roman-numerals-she-thought-we/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [Programming graphics in X is like finding the square root of PI using Roman numerals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-spencer/programming-graphics-in-x-is-like-finding-the-square-root-of-pi-using/) [Henry Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-spencer/) > [A German merchant of the fifteenth century asked an eminent professor where he should send his son for a good business education. The professor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-allen-paulos/a-german-merchant-of-the-fifteenth-century-asked-an-eminent-professor/) [John Allen Paulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-allen-paulos/) > [I think about the Arabs not as enemies but as cousins. Even when we are in a fierce conflict with them, they are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/i-think-about-the-arabs-not-as-enemies-but-as-cousins-even-when-we/) [A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/) > [A book is an arrangement of twenty-six phonetic symbols, ten numerals, and about eight punctuation marks, and people can cast their eyes over these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/a-book-is-an-arrangement-of-twenty-six-phonetic-symbols-ten-numerals/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I think that "Arabs coming out in droves" is so violative Jewish values that non-Jews admire so much about Jewish people throughout history, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/i-think-that-arabs-coming-out-in-droves-is-so-violative-jewish-values/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [They know how to think. From the Arabs I have learned one thing: if you are led by Authority, that means you are led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelard-of-bath/they-know-how-to-think-from-the-arabs-i-have-learned-one-thing-if-you/) [Adelard of Bath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelard-of-bath/) > [And in England there has always been something deeply pro-Arab, of course, not among all Englishmen, and anti-Israeli, in the establishment. They abstained in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/and-in-england-there-has-always-been-something-deeply-pro-arab-of/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [“Pimpin' ain't easy and neither is long division”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahtzee-croshaw/pimpin-ain-t-easy-and-neither-is-long-division/) [Yahtzee Croshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahtzee-croshaw/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Arabs quotes > [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/) [Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/) > [You can't ignore reality. You won't wake up one morning and find that the Arabs of Umm al-Faham have become part of Palestine and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ami-ayalon/you-can-t-ignore-reality-you-won-t-wake-up-one-morning-and-find-that/) [Ami Ayalon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ami-ayalon/) > [Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/why-should-the-arabs-make-peace-if-i-was-an-arab-leader-i-would-never/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [For many years the stakes were clear. There were the Arabs attacking us and us defending ourselves, so basically there were no real problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/for-many-years-the-stakes-were-clear-there-were-the-arabs-attacking/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [The Palestinian Arabs will have their autonomy, we will have our security. We shall live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/the-palestinian-arabs-will-have-their-autonomy-we-will-have-our/) [Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/) > [The reason we're getting bombed is 'cause we were on one side, and we're gonna remain on that side. We can't waver because these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-walker/the-reason-we-re-getting-bombed-is-cause-we-were-on-one-side-and-we/) [Jimmie Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-walker/) > [“For the Arabs, and the above all for the 1.2 million Arabs of Palestine, the partitioning of the land in which they had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-collins/for-the-arabs-and-the-above-all-for-the-1-2-million-arabs-of/) [Larry Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-collins/) > [When American administration will find that their interest is to follow up with the international conference and to find peace in this area, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/when-american-administration-will-find-that-their-interest-is-to/) [Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/) > [I should much rather see a reasonable agreement with Arabs based upon living together than the creation of a Jewish state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-should-much-rather-see-a-reasonable-agreement-with-arabs-based-upon/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“I have always found it difficult not to be moved by Jerusalem, even when I hated it—and God knows I have hated it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-abulhawa/i-have-always-found-it-difficult-not-to-be-moved-by-jerusalem-even/) [Susan Abulhawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-abulhawa/) > [Muslim brothers be damned; they're our greatest enemies. You know yourself that I'm a Muslim, even a fanatical Muslim. But that does nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/muslim-brothers-be-damned-they-re-our-greatest-enemies-you-know/) [Mohammed Reza Pahlavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/) > [We are used to thinking of the Arabs as primitive men of the desert, as a donkey-like nation that neither sees nor understands what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahad-ha-am/we-are-used-to-thinking-of-the-arabs-as-primitive-men-of-the-desert/) [Ahad Ha'am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahad-ha-am/) > [The separation of the Arabs from the rest of mankind has accustomed them to confound the ideas of stranger and enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-separation-of-the-arabs-from-the-rest-of-mankind-has-accustomed/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [My friend and I founded the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival to counter the negative images of Arabs in media. And we always made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maysoon-zayid/my-friend-and-i-founded-the-new-york-arab-american-comedy-festival-to/) [Maysoon Zayid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maysoon-zayid/) > [Any solution for the Iraqi problem cannot be reached without Arabs and Arab participation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amr-moussa/any-solution-for-the-iraqi-problem-cannot-be-reached-without-arabs/) [Amr Moussa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amr-moussa/) [Browse all 213 Arabs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try doing long division with Roman numerals.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us-our-numbers-try-doing-long/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arabs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us-our-numbers-try-doing-long/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/kurt-vonnegut-41_division_do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us_1765599.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/kurt-vonnegut-41_division_do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us_1765599.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/244/kurt-vonnegut-41_division_do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us_1765599.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try doing long division with Roman numerals.” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Do you think Arabs are dumb?...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us-our-numbers-try-doing-long/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/do-you-think-arabs-are-dumb-they-gave-us-our-numbers-try-doing-long/#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 } } ] } ```