---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Academics being no less nomadic than…"
description: "\"“Academics being no less nomadic than Congregational preachers, he took work where he could find it. He became a Professor of Greek and Latin at”\" — Ne..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/neal-stephenson-362_professor_academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-con_2305623.png"
---

#  Academics being no less nomadic than Congregational…

![“Academics being no less nomadic than Congregational preachers, he took work where he could find it. He became a Professor of Greek and Latin at” quote by Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/neal-stephenson-362_professor_academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-con_2305623.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/neal-stephenson-362_professor_academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-con_2305623.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/neal-stephenson-362_professor_academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-con_2305623.png)

> ““Academics being no less nomadic than Congregational preachers, he took work where he could find it. He became a Professor of Greek and Latin at””

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Scholars, like itinerant preachers, move where opportunities arise, taking roles such as teaching Greek and Latin.

**In simple terms:** Academics travel for work.

Key Takeaway

Seek opportunities wherever they appear.

Themes

mobility learning career fluidity

Mood

adventurous thoughtful

Type

literary observational

When to use this quote

- teaching abroad
- research fellowships
- contract work
- career pivots

Key Concepts

literature academic life nomadism

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives your professional relocations?
- How do you maintain continuity in your work?

A Different Perspective

Frequent moves can hinder deep expertise development.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar/)

## Related quotes

> [I am what libraries and librarians have made me, with little assistance from a professor of Greek and poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/i-am-what-libraries-and-librarians-have-made-me-with-little/)

[Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/)

> [Carl Becker has defined a professor as a man who thinks otherwise; a scholar is a man who otherwise thinks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/carl-becker-has-defined-a-professor-as-a-man-who-thinks-otherwise-a/)

[Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/)

> [ A professor is not one who knows, but one who professes to know, and \[thus\] is constantly in the position of inviting challenge. .… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-nibley/a-professor-is-not-one-who-knows-but-one-who-professes-to-know-and/)

[Hugh Nibley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-nibley/)

> [“Bulgarian professor named John Vincent Atanasoff and his graduate student, Clifford Berry, who were building a machine that was intended to automate the solution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/bulgarian-professor-named-john-vincent-atanasoff-and-his-graduate/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Mr S. got angry. ‘Yes, I do have a son. He’s a good-for-nothing. A dead loss.’ I couldn’t ask which prison he was in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/mr-s-got-angry-yes-i-do-have-a-son-he-s-a-good-for-nothing-a-dead/)

[George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/)

> [“The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-last-class-of-my-old-professor-s-life-took-place-once-a-week-in/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [...academic credentials are neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for having your ideas taken seriously. If a famous professor repeatedly says stupid things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/academic-credentials-are-neither-a-necessary-nor-a-sufficient/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [I never had a single female professor throughout my whole education, from the beginning of university to the end. Even all the books were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/i-never-had-a-single-female-professor-throughout-my-whole-education/)

[Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/)

> [I remember when I was a freshman in college, I was still somewhat bothered by... worried... about religion. I remember going to this professor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/i-remember-when-i-was-a-freshman-in-college-i-was-still-somewhat/)

[B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/)

> [If nothing else came out of all of this debacle over Obamacare, one thing that should is a class-action lawsuit against the University of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-gohmert/if-nothing-else-came-out-of-all-of-this-debacle-over-obamacare-one/)

[Louie Gohmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-gohmert/)

> [You get kicked around long enough, you become a professor of pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/you-get-kicked-around-long-enough-you-become-a-professor-of-pain/)

[Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/)

> [Most people have an aversion to risk, my college economics professor told me. Which means they have to be rewarded to take on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arrington/most-people-have-an-aversion-to-risk-my-college-economics-professor/)

[Michael Arrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arrington/)

> [“There's no difference between a madman and a professor...it should be clear to you in the way they dress, act and think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/there-s-no-difference-between-a-madman-and-a-professor-it-should-be/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [If the professor doesn't show up to class in the first 15 minutes, you get to leave. Somebody make that a law, please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-the-professor-doesn-t-show-up-to-class-in-the-first-15-minutes-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Every professor worth his PhD should have a fireplace in his study.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/every-professor-worth-his-phd-should-have-a-fireplace-in-his-study/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

## More by Neal Stephenson

> [“I study dead languages for a living,” I said. “That’s why you hired me. Why should I be up to speed on your line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/i-study-dead-languages-for-a-living-i-said-that-s-why-you-hired-me/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Other people - store clerks, burger flippers, software engineers, the whole vocabulary of meaningless jobs that make up Life in America - other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/other-people-store-clerks-burger-flippers-software-engineers-the/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“It is what you don’t expect,” he’d said, “that most needs looking for.” “Do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/it-is-what-you-don-t-expect-he-d-said-that-most-needs-looking-for-do/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“...the insects here see you as a big slab of animated but not very well defended food. The ability to move, far from being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-insects-here-see-you-as-a-big-slab-of-animated-but-not-very-well/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“There was no way that these guys were going to let a bleeding, barefoot woman simply wander off alone into the streets. Two of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/there-was-no-way-that-these-guys-were-going-to-let-a-bleeding/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Space and Time! Two minor omissions that no one is likely to notice," grumbled Newton.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/space-and-time-two-minor-omissions-that-no-one-is-likely-to-notice/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [See, the world is full of things more powerful than us. But if you know how to catch a ride, you can go places,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/see-the-world-is-full-of-things-more-powerful-than-us-but-if-you-know/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Hey,” Shaftoe says, “if we surrender to you, you’ll kill us. Right?” “Yes.” “If you guys surrender to us, we won’t kill you. Promise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/hey-shaftoe-says-if-we-surrender-to-you-you-ll-kill-us-right-yes-if/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“My men think you are dead now, and won’t waste balls on you,” Jack said. “In fact I have let you live, but for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/my-men-think-you-are-dead-now-and-won-t-waste-balls-on-you-jack-said/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“You’ve probably heard the expression that the Industry feeds off of biomass, like a whale straining krill from the ocean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/you-ve-probably-heard-the-expression-that-the-industry-feeds-off-of/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory. He’s got esprit up to here. Right now, he is preparing to carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/the-deliverator-belongs-to-an-elite-order-a-hallowed-subcategory-he-s/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“and people could only make sense of complicated matters through stories. Likewise”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/and-people-could-only-make-sense-of-complicated-matters-through/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“Van Eck phreaking,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/van-eck-phreaking/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [“When the Deliverator puts the hammer down, shit happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/when-the-deliverator-puts-the-hammer-down-shit-happens/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

[Explore all 633 Neal Stephenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

## More Professor quotes

> [“Every professor worth his PhD should have a fireplace in his study.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/every-professor-worth-his-phd-should-have-a-fireplace-in-his-study/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [If the professor doesn't show up to class in the first 15 minutes, you get to leave. Somebody make that a law, please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-the-professor-doesn-t-show-up-to-class-in-the-first-15-minutes-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“There's no difference between a madman and a professor...it should be clear to you in the way they dress, act and think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/there-s-no-difference-between-a-madman-and-a-professor-it-should-be/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [Most people have an aversion to risk, my college economics professor told me. Which means they have to be rewarded to take on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arrington/most-people-have-an-aversion-to-risk-my-college-economics-professor/)

[Michael Arrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arrington/)

> [You get kicked around long enough, you become a professor of pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-borgnine/you-get-kicked-around-long-enough-you-become-a-professor-of-pain/)

[Ernest Borgnine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-borgnine/)

> [If nothing else came out of all of this debacle over Obamacare, one thing that should is a class-action lawsuit against the University of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-gohmert/if-nothing-else-came-out-of-all-of-this-debacle-over-obamacare-one/)

[Louie Gohmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-gohmert/)

> [I remember when I was a freshman in college, I was still somewhat bothered by... worried... about religion. I remember going to this professor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/i-remember-when-i-was-a-freshman-in-college-i-was-still-somewhat/)

[B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/)

> [I never had a single female professor throughout my whole education, from the beginning of university to the end. Even all the books were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/i-never-had-a-single-female-professor-throughout-my-whole-education/)

[Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/)

> [...academic credentials are neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for having your ideas taken seriously. If a famous professor repeatedly says stupid things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/academic-credentials-are-neither-a-necessary-nor-a-sufficient/)

[Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/)

> [“The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-last-class-of-my-old-professor-s-life-took-place-once-a-week-in/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Mr S. got angry. ‘Yes, I do have a son. He’s a good-for-nothing. A dead loss.’ I couldn’t ask which prison he was in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/mr-s-got-angry-yes-i-do-have-a-son-he-s-a-good-for-nothing-a-dead/)

[George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/)

> [I was in Estonia when a professor asked me if I was aware that making any criticism of the Red Army during the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-beevor/i-was-in-estonia-when-a-professor-asked-me-if-i-was-aware-that-making/)

[Antony Beevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-beevor/)

> [Consider him in his highest incarnation: the university professor. What is his function? Simply to pass on to fresh generations of numskulls a body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/consider-him-in-his-highest-incarnation-the-university-professor-what/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [“The Professor is coming...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-professor-is-coming/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Unlike 'The Nutty Professor,' the hero of my film is romantic. 'Badhaai Ho Badhaai' is a family film, while 'The Nutty Professor' had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kaushik/unlike-the-nutty-professor-the-hero-of-my-film-is-romantic-badhaai-ho/)

[Satish Kaushik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kaushik/)

Browse all 298 Professor quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Academics being no less nomadic than Congregational preachers, he took work where he could find it. He became a Professor of Greek and Latin at”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neal Stephenson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-congregational-preachers-he-took/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Professor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-congregational-preachers-he-took/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/neal-stephenson-362_professor_academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-con_2305623.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/neal-stephenson-362_professor_academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-con_2305623.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/neal-stephenson-362_professor_academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-con_2305623.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Academics being no less nomadic than Congregational preachers, he took work where he could find it. He…” — Neal Stephenson",
                "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": "Neal Stephenson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Academics being no less nomadic than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-congregational-preachers-he-took/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/academics-being-no-less-nomadic-than-congregational-preachers-he-took/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```