--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Practically every time I speak up at a…" description: "\"Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a disp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/pamela-druckerman-3030_building_practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-s_9473.jpg" --- # Practically every time I speak up at a school conference… ![“Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a display of someone else's superior intelligence.” quote by Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/pamela-druckerman-3030_building_practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-s_9473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/pamela-druckerman-3030_building_practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-s_9473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/pamela-druckerman-3030_building_practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-s_9473.jpg) > “Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a display of someone else's superior intelligence.” [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels consistently outshined by others who dominate discussions with perceived higher intellect, highlighting a recurring power dynamic in public forums. **In simple terms:** Feeling eclipsed in group settings Key Takeaway Intellectual dominance can silence other voices Themes Power dynamics Intellectual hierarchy Social anxiety Public speaking Group conformity Mood Frustrated Introspective Determined Type Observation Personal anecdote When to use this quote - School conferences - Political rallies - Apartment association meetings - Community workshops Key Concepts Self-esteem Authority Communication Perception Practical Applications - Facilitate inclusive dialogue - Train speakers in assertive communication Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure all participants feel heard? - What strategies help balance contributions in group settings? A Different Perspective Some may argue that the speaker's perception of being outshined is subjective and that diverse viewpoints enrich discussions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Superior intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superior-intelligence/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I love speaking at schools. That's always my favorite because I wish I'd had someone who was like me come speak at my school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halima-aden/i-love-speaking-at-schools-that-s-always-my-favorite-because-i-wish-i/) [Halima Aden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halima-aden/) > [I think we have to be more proactive in the people we invite to come and speak in school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-schlissel/i-think-we-have-to-be-more-proactive-in-the-people-we-invite-to-come/) Mark Schlissel > [When I graduated from high school, the teacher said I was throwing my life away following music, and the same teacher invited me back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/when-i-graduated-from-high-school-the-teacher-said-i-was-throwing-my/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [“Anyhow, high school is just…The. Worst.” “Funny that you became a high school teacher, then,” I say, and she laughs again. “Something I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-buxbaum/anyhow-high-school-is-just-the-worst-funny-that-you-became-a-high/) [Julie Buxbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-buxbaum/) > [I remember famous people coming in to speak to me when I was in school and being inspired by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-parker/i-remember-famous-people-coming-in-to-speak-to-me-when-i-was-in/) [Joseph Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-parker/) > [Learning to be flexible in values takes a very long time...Of course I felt a little uncomfortable during questioning the concept of God, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/learning-to-be-flexible-in-values-takes-a-very-long-time-of-course-i/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Although other animals cannot reason nor speak the way humans do, this does not give us the right to do with them as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-altman/although-other-animals-cannot-reason-nor-speak-the-way-humans-do-this/) Nathaniel Altman > [The case for exploiting animals for food, clothing and entertainment often relies on our superior intelligence, language and self-awareness: the rights of the superior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/the-case-for-exploiting-animals-for-food-clothing-and-entertainment/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [A good athlete can enter a state of body-awareness in which the right stroke or the right movement happens by itself, effortlessly, without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/a-good-athlete-can-enter-a-state-of-body-awareness-in-which-the-right/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [...no man of genuinely superior intelligence has ever been an actor. 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In the eye of superior intelligence, on the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/cows-sometimes-wear-an-expression-resembling-wonderment-arrested-on/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [There is no greater evidence of superior intelligence than to be surprised at nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/there-is-no-greater-evidence-of-superior-intelligence-than-to-be/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Modesty teaches us to speak of the ancients with respect, especially when we are not very familiar with their works. Newton, who knew them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-atterbury/modesty-teaches-us-to-speak-of-the-ancients-with-respect-especially/) [Francis Atterbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-atterbury/) ## More by Pamela Druckerman > [“if you act (and dress) as if you have a fascinating inner life, you may soon find that you actually do—and that you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-act-and-dress-as-if-you-have-a-fascinating-inner-life-you-may/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [The French talk about education, the education of their children. They don't talk about raising kids. They talk about education. And that has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/the-french-talk-about-education-the-education-of-their-children-they/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [It's refreshing to have some time off from wondering whether I look fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/it-s-refreshing-to-have-some-time-off-from-wondering-whether-i-look/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [“Within a few hours of meeting him, I realized that "love at first sight" just means feeling immediately and extremely calm with someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/within-a-few-hours-of-meeting-him-i-realized-that-love-at-first-sight/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [When I tell French parents that I know lots of American kids who will eat only pasta or only white rice, they can't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/when-i-tell-french-parents-that-i-know-lots-of-american-kids-who-will/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [I was scared to say I was in my 40s because at that point, it sounded really old, and to out myself as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/i-was-scared-to-say-i-was-in-my-40s-because-at-that-point-it-sounded/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [The whole point of a commencement speech is to say something encouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/the-whole-point-of-a-commencement-speech-is-to-say-something/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [My husband is so upset by President Trump's scapegoating of immigrants and Muslims, he refuses to even visit the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/my-husband-is-so-upset-by-president-trump-s-scapegoating-of/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [If you worry less about what people think of you, you can pick up an astonishing amount of information about them. You no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-worry-less-about-what-people-think-of-you-you-can-pick-up-an/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [I guess we're all supposed to get used to living in a more dangerous world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/i-guess-we-re-all-supposed-to-get-used-to-living-in-a-more-dangerous/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [One of the maddening things about being a foreigner in France is that hardly anyone in the rest of the world knows what's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/one-of-the-maddening-things-about-being-a-foreigner-in-france-is-that/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [America's parenting customs can shock foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/america-s-parenting-customs-can-shock-foreigners/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [“But in real life, the ideal Parisian woman is calm, discreet, a bit remote, and extremely decisive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/but-in-real-life-the-ideal-parisian-woman-is-calm-discreet-a-bit/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [In your 40s, you kind of know how things are likely to go, and you're better at saying, 'You know what? That just doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/in-your-40s-you-kind-of-know-how-things-are-likely-to-go-and-you-re/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [The French don't think everyone should have the same bank balance, but they're offended by extremes of inequality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/the-french-don-t-think-everyone-should-have-the-same-bank-balance-but/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) [Explore all 141 Pamela Druckerman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. 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We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. 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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/) Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a display of someone else's superior intelligence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pamela Druckerman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Building" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/pamela-druckerman-3030_building_practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-s_9473.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/pamela-druckerman-3030_building_practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-s_9473.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/pamela-druckerman-3030_building_practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-s_9473.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building…” — Pamela Druckerman", "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": "Pamela Druckerman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Practically every time I speak up...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/#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 } } ] } ```