--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Somehow it's O.K. for people to chuckle…" description: "\"Somehow it's O.K. for people to chuckle about not being good at math. Yet if I said, 'I never learned to read,' they'd say I was an illiterate dolt.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_bad-ass_somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-a_2221582.png" --- # Somehow it's O.K. for people to chuckle about not being… ![“Somehow it's O.K. for people to chuckle about not being good at math. Yet if I said, 'I never learned to read,' they'd say I was an illiterate dolt.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_bad-ass_somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-a_2221582.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_bad-ass_somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-a_2221582.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_bad-ass_somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-a_2221582.png) > “Somehow it's O.K. for people to chuckle about not being good at math. Yet if I said, 'I never learned to read,' they'd say I was an illiterate dolt.” [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal tolerance for math struggles contrasts with harsh judgment of illiteracy, highlighting bias. **In simple terms:** People accept math struggles but mock illiteracy. Key Takeaway Challenge double standards in education. Themes education bias humor Mood thoughtful critical Type reflective analytical When to use this quote - teaching methods - public outreach - self‑esteem - learning support Key Concepts cognitive bias social perception Questions to Reflect On - Why is math more socially acceptable than reading? - How can we reduce stigma around learning gaps? A Different Perspective Humor can mask underlying prejudice against non‑math skills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad ass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-ass/) [Be good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Chuckle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chuckle-402512/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Illiterate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illiterate/) [Illiterate Dolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illiterate-dolt-4960798/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Math Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math-said-3812780/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Say Illiterate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-illiterate-4960799/) ## Related quotes > [“You know a lot about math," I said. You know a lot about math? What type of statement was that? Right along the lines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/you-know-a-lot-about-math-i-said-you-know-a-lot-about-math-what-type/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [People cited violation of the First Amendment when a New Jersey schoolteacher asserted that evolution and the Big Bang are not scientific and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/people-cited-violation-of-the-first-amendment-when-a-new-jersey/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The problem is not scientifically illiterate kids; it is scientifically illiterate adults. Kids are born curious about the natural world. They are always turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-problem-is-not-scientifically-illiterate-kids-it-is/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The problem in society is not kids not knowing science. The problem is adults not knowing science. They outnumber kids 5 to 1, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-problem-in-society-is-not-kids-not-knowing-science-the-problem-is/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [If an alien lands on your front lawn and extends an appendage as a gesture of greeting, before you get friendly, toss it an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-an-alien-lands-on-your-front-lawn-and-extends-an-appendage-as-a/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [No one is dumb who is curious. The people who don't ask questions remain clueless throughout their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/no-one-is-dumb-who-is-curious-the-people-who-don-t-ask-questions/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > ['As a fraction of your tax dollar today, what is the total cost of all spaceborne telescopes, planetary probes, the rovers on Mars, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/as-a-fraction-of-your-tax-dollar-today-what-is-the-total-cost-of-all/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Countless women are alive today because of ideas stimulated by a design flaw in the Hubble Space Telescope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/countless-women-are-alive-today-because-of-ideas-stimulated-by-a/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [After your first job, is anyone asking you what your GPA was? No, they don't care. They ask you: Are you a good leader?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/after-your-first-job-is-anyone-asking-you-what-your-gpa-was-no-they/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I'm optimistic. I see no longer people accepting fuzzy thinking in the world. The change is not that people aren't still saying under-informed things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-m-optimistic-i-see-no-longer-people-accepting-fuzzy-thinking-in-the/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-good-thing-about-science-is-that-it-s-true-whether-or-not-you/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [With one linear centimeter of your lower colon there lives and works more bacteria (about 100 billion) that all humans who have ever been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/with-one-linear-centimeter-of-your-lower-colon-there-lives-and-works/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Even with all our technology and the inventions that make modern life so much easier than it once was, it takes just one big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/even-with-all-our-technology-and-the-inventions-that-make-modern-life/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More by Neil deGrasse Tyson > [I don't want to go into space because of war. I think we would if it was triggered. If China said they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-go-into-space-because-of-war-i-think-we-would-if-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The Pacific is the best toilet for satellites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-pacific-is-the-best-toilet-for-satellites/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [If you seek only easy problems to solve, then ultimately, there'll be nothing about you to distinguish yourself from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-you-seek-only-easy-problems-to-solve-then-ultimately-there-ll-be/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The caricature of science is that we hold tight to the theories we have, and shun challenges to them. That's just not true. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-caricature-of-science-is-that-we-hold-tight-to-the-theories-we/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I've said multiple times that the world's first trillionaire is going to be the person who exploits the resources of asteroids, the natural resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-ve-said-multiple-times-that-the-world-s-first-trillionaire-is-going/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [ They \[scientists of centuries past\] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-on-god-only-from-the-lonely/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We explore our environment, more than we are compelled to utter poetry, when we're toddlers. We start doing that later. Before that happens, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-explore-our-environment-more-than-we-are-compelled-to-utter-poetry/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The idea that God resides in the unknown is what philosophers call the God of the gaps. And we have this thing called science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-idea-that-god-resides-in-the-unknown-is-what-philosophers-call/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Everybody's got money for vacation time. Look at how much we all spend just to get - well, I get sick on the loop-the-loop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/everybody-s-got-money-for-vacation-time-look-at-how-much-we-all-spend/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) [Explore all 1,143 Neil deGrasse Tyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More Bad ass quotes > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I can tell you this. It is not going to be evenly constituted and when she was Speaker Pelosi, she certainly showed no interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-can-tell-you-this-it-is-not-going-to-be-evenly-constituted-and-when/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [Friends, haters, it's Twitter poll time. What do you think most holds back justice and equality for women? All thoughts welcome!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/friends-haters-it-s-twitter-poll-time-what-do-you-think-most-holds/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions - if they only had taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hayes/held-in-the-palms-of-thousands-of-disgruntled-people-over-the/) [Robert M. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hayes/) > [As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/as-an-architect-you-design-for-the-present-with-an-awareness-of-the/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [People are always like, Why did you and husband Carey Hart get back together? Well, we weren't done. And now we have Willow, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink/people-are-always-like-why-did-you-and-husband-carey-hart-get-back/) [Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink/) > [I bob and weave em, hit em wit that Mayweather JAB.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/i-bob-and-weave-em-hit-em-wit-that-mayweather-jab/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, bad-ass speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/america-is-all-about-speed-hot-nasty-bad-ass-speed/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Even with all our technology and the inventions that make modern life so much easier than it once was, it takes just one big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/even-with-all-our-technology-and-the-inventions-that-make-modern-life/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Home is where you hang your architect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/home-is-where-you-hang-your-architect/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [When you’re working with Army and Marine Corps units, you immediately notice a difference. The Army is pretty tough, but their performance can depend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/when-you-re-working-with-army-and-marine-corps-units-you-immediately/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [An object should be judged by whether it has a form consistent with its use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-munari/an-object-should-be-judged-by-whether-it-has-a-form-consistent-with/) [Bruno Munari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-munari/) > [The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/the-secret-of-all-victory-lies-in-the-organization-of-the-non-obvious/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) [Browse all 364 Bad ass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-ass/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Somehow it's O.K. for people to chuckle about not being good at math. Yet if I said, 'I never learned to read,' they'd say I was an illiterate dolt.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil deGrasse Tyson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-about-not-being-good-at-math/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad ass" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-about-not-being-good-at-math/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_bad-ass_somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-a_2221582.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_bad-ass_somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-a_2221582.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_bad-ass_somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-a_2221582.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Somehow it's O.K. for people to chuckle about not being good at math. Yet if I said, 'I never learned to…” — Neil deGrasse Tyson", "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": "Neil deGrasse Tyson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Somehow it's O.K. for people to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-about-not-being-good-at-math/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/somehow-it-s-o-k-for-people-to-chuckle-about-not-being-good-at-math/#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 } } ] } ```