--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I could explain it to the average…" description: "\"If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.\" — Richard P. Feynman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/richard-p-feynman-495_average_if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-per_746300.png" --- # If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't… ![“If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.” quote by Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/richard-p-feynman-495_average_if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-per_746300.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/richard-p-feynman-495_average_if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-per_746300.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/richard-p-feynman-495_average_if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-per_746300.png) > “If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.” [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explaining complex ideas simply suggests deep mastery and uniqueness. **In simple terms:** Simple explanations show true expertise. Key Takeaway Seek depth before simplification. Themes science communication expertise Mood introspective proud Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - teaching - public speaking - science outreach Key Concepts cognitive mastery public understanding Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance depth and accessibility? - When is simplicity insufficient? A Different Perspective Simplicity may hide nuance or oversimplify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Average person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-person/) [Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) ## Related quotes > [“Your average person wouldn't recognize a sublime entity if it attempted to fist fuck them while waiting in line for the next Batman sequel. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/your-average-person-wouldn-t-recognize-a-sublime-entity-if-it/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [“There was a Princess Somebody of Denmark sitting at a table with a number of people around her, and I saw an empty chair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-was-a-princess-somebody-of-denmark-sitting-at-a-table-with-a/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [I don't understand what it's all about or what's worth what, but if the people in the Swedish Academy decide that x, y or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/i-don-t-understand-what-it-s-all-about-or-what-s-worth-what-but-if/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Winning a Nobel Prize is no big deal, but winning it with an IQ of 124 is really something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/winning-a-nobel-prize-is-no-big-deal-but-winning-it-with-an-iq-of-124/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [In a way, the Nobel Prize has been something of a pain in the neck, though there was at least one time that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/in-a-way-the-nobel-prize-has-been-something-of-a-pain-in-the-neck/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [“If I wasn't idealistic, there wouldn't be anything worth fighting for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mik-everett/if-i-wasn-t-idealistic-there-wouldn-t-be-anything-worth-fighting-for/) [Mik Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mik-everett/) > [If things were easy to find, they wouldn’t be worth finding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/if-things-were-easy-to-find-they-wouldn-t-be-worth-finding/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If I didn't kick his ass every day? he wouldn't be worth anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-didn-t-kick-his-ass-every-day-he-wouldn-t-be-worth-anything/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Love is out there; it;s just not easy to find. If it was, it wouldn't be worth it when you finally found it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-out-there-it-s-just-not-easy-to-find-if-it-was-it-wouldn-t-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If love wasn't hard it wouldn't be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-thomas/if-love-wasn-t-hard-it-wouldn-t-be-worth-it/) Brandi Thomas > [Success, and even life itself, wouldn't be worth anything if I didn't have my wife and children by my side. They mean everything to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-law/success-and-even-life-itself-wouldn-t-be-worth-anything-if-i-didn-t/) [Jude Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-law/) > [If life was a piece of cake, it wouldn't be worth eating!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/if-life-was-a-piece-of-cake-it-wouldn-t-be-worth-eating/) [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) > [If you wrote a novel in South Africa which didn't concern the central issues, it wouldn't be worth publishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-paton/if-you-wrote-a-novel-in-south-africa-which-didn-t-concern-the-central/) [Alan Paton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-paton/) > [“If it wasn’t a mystery, it would be easy. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-it-wasn-t-a-mystery-it-would-be-easy-if-it-were-easy-it-wouldn-t/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If there were no Frenchwomen, life wouldn't be worth living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-engels/if-there-were-no-frenchwomen-life-wouldn-t-be-worth-living/) [Friedrich Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-engels/) ## More by Richard P. Feynman > [“Philosophers have said before that one of the fundamental requisites of science is that whenever you set up the same conditions, the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/philosophers-have-said-before-that-one-of-the-fundamental-requisites/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [My rule is, when you are unhappy, think about it. But when you're happy, don't. Why spoil it? You're probably happy for some ridiculous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/my-rule-is-when-you-are-unhappy-think-about-it-but-when-you-re-happy/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Trying to understand the way nature works involves a most terrible test of human reasoning ability. It involves subtle trickery, beautiful tightropes of logic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/trying-to-understand-the-way-nature-works-involves-a-most-terrible/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Today's brains are yesterday's mashed potatoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/today-s-brains-are-yesterday-s-mashed-potatoes/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Mathematics is a language plus reasoning; it is like a language plus logic. Mathematics is a tool for reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/mathematics-is-a-language-plus-reasoning-it-is-like-a-language-plus/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [It is necessary for the very existence of science that minds exist which do not allow that nature must satisfy some preconceived conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/it-is-necessary-for-the-very-existence-of-science-that-minds-exist/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [“There was a Princess Somebody of Denmark sitting at a table with a number of people around her, and I saw an empty chair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-was-a-princess-somebody-of-denmark-sitting-at-a-table-with-a/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [All the time you're saying to yourself, 'I could do that, but I won't,'--which is just another way of saying that you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/all-the-time-you-re-saying-to-yourself-i-could-do-that-but-i-won-t/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [“There's a big difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-s-a-big-difference-between-knowing-the-name-of-something-and/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [The fact that you are not sure means that it is possible that there is another way someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/the-fact-that-you-are-not-sure-means-that-it-is-possible-that-there/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [You can always recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/you-can-always-recognize-truth-by-its-beauty-and-simplicity/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [One cannot understand... the universality of laws of nature, the relationship of things, without an understanding of mathematics. There is no other way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/one-cannot-understand-the-universality-of-laws-of-nature-the/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Mathematics is not just a language. Mathematics is a language plus reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/mathematics-is-not-just-a-language-mathematics-is-a-language-plus/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [A poet once said, "The whole universe is in a glass of wine." We will probably never know in what sense he meant that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/a-poet-once-said-the-whole-universe-is-in-a-glass-of-wine-we-will/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [I was a very shy character, always feeling uncomfortable because everybody was stronger than I, and always afraid I would look like a sissy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/i-was-a-very-shy-character-always-feeling-uncomfortable-because/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) [Explore all 515 Richard P. Feynman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) ## More Average quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) Brian Reade > [There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-martinez/there-were-times-last-year-when-people-looked-at-the-scoreboard-and/) Buck Martinez > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The average well-being of our societies is not dependent any longer on national income and economic growth. ... But the differences between us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-wilkinson/the-average-well-being-of-our-societies-is-not-dependent-any-longer/) [Richard G. Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-wilkinson/) > [I really focus more to hit for average, just try to put the ball in play as much as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-soto/i-really-focus-more-to-hit-for-average-just-try-to-put-the-ball-in/) [Juan Soto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-soto/) > [You give me enough shots, I'll average 20. You give me a particular system where I stick close to the basket, I'll average 10 rebounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bosh/you-give-me-enough-shots-i-ll-average-20-you-give-me-a-particular/) [Chris Bosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bosh/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I feel like what motivates me is what would motivate the regular average person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-nasty/i-feel-like-what-motivates-me-is-what-would-motivate-the-regular/) [Rico Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-nasty/) > [We're trying to do something so that when the average person uses Pinterest, it has to make the service better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/we-re-trying-to-do-something-so-that-when-the-average-person-uses/) [Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/) > [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) Browse all 2,816 Average quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard P. Feynman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-person-i-wouldn-t-have-been/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Average" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-person-i-wouldn-t-have-been/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/richard-p-feynman-495_average_if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-per_746300.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/richard-p-feynman-495_average_if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-per_746300.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c1/richard-p-feynman-495_average_if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-per_746300.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.” — Richard P. Feynman", "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": "Richard P. Feynman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I could explain it to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-person-i-wouldn-t-have-been/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/if-i-could-explain-it-to-the-average-person-i-wouldn-t-have-been/#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 } } ] } ```