--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are maybe two or three thousand…" description: "\"“There are maybe two or three thousand people in the world as smart as us, little sister. Most of them are making a living somewhere. Teaching, the poo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/orson-scott-card-134_education_there-are-maybe-two-or-three-thousand-pe_619632.jpg" --- # There are maybe two or three thousand people in the world… ![“There are maybe two or three thousand people in the world as smart as us, little sister. Most of them are making a living somewhere. Teaching, the poor bastards, or doing research. Precious few of them are actually in positions of power.” “I guess we’re the lucky few.” “Funny as a one-legged…” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/orson-scott-card-134_education_there-are-maybe-two-or-three-thousand-pe_619632.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/orson-scott-card-134_education_there-are-maybe-two-or-three-thousand-pe_619632.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/orson-scott-card-134_education_there-are-maybe-two-or-three-thousand-pe_619632.jpg) > ““There are maybe two or three thousand people in the world as smart as us, little sister. Most of them are making a living somewhere. Teaching, the poor bastards, or doing research. Precious few of them are actually in positions of power.” “I guess we’re the lucky few.” “Funny as a one-legged rabbit, Val.” “Of which there are no doubt several in these woods.” “Hopping in neat little circles.”” [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Only a few individuals possess exceptional intelligence, and most are not in positions of power, underscoring rarity of elite minds. **In simple terms:** Very few are truly smart, and fewer hold power. Key Takeaway Seek humility and use talent responsibly. Themes intelligence rarity power humility Mood reflective critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - policy making - education reform - mentoring Key Concepts Sociology psychology leadership Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities come with rare talent? - How can society better utilize gifted individuals? A Different Perspective Intelligence alone does not ensure influence or moral authority. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Little sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-sister/) [Making a living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-a-living/) [Sister Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sister-making-3975353/) [Smart Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart-little-5016667/) [Thousand People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-people/) [World Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-smart-711654/) ## Related quotes > [On family trips and vacations, I remember walking around with my little sister and making funny songs on the spot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-mensa/on-family-trips-and-vacations-i-remember-walking-around-with-my/) [Vic Mensa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-mensa/) > [“To be successful you have to be dumb enough to think you can change the world and smart enough to know how.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-borgen/to-be-successful-you-have-to-be-dumb-enough-to-think-you-can-change/) [Clint Borgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-borgen/) > [“Whenever we look around the world, we see smart leaders – in politics, in business, in media – making terrible decisions. 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You have to be curious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-diller/we-re-in-a-world-now-where-it-s-not-enough-to-be-smart-you-have-to-be/) [Barry Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-diller/) > [“(Actually, there are two kinds of people in this world: those who believe there are two kinds of people in this world and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/actually-there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-those-who/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“We live in a blatantly corrupt world and smart people engage in the wise practice of risk management.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/we-live-in-a-blatantly-corrupt-world-and-smart-people-engage-in-the/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I don't know whether the world is full of smart men bluffing or imbeciles who mean it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-brickman/i-don-t-know-whether-the-world-is-full-of-smart-men-bluffing-or/) [Morrie Brickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-brickman/) > [The world is full of smart, poor people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/the-world-is-full-of-smart-poor-people/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [The world has many very smart people who are doing interesting and different things, and there is no better way to learn than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-tewari/the-world-has-many-very-smart-people-who-are-doing-interesting-and/) [Naveen Tewari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-tewari/) > [there are two kinds of people in this world : those who believe there are two kinds of people in this world and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-those-who-believe-there/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Often in the real world, it’s not the smart who get ahead, but the bold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-kiyosaki/often-in-the-real-world-it-s-not-the-smart-who-get-ahead-but-the-bold/) [Robert T. 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