--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An intellectual is someone who avoids the…" description: "\"An intellectual is someone who avoids the mundane by lowering his handicap.\" — Richard Reeves" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/richard-reeves-37144_avoids_an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-th_3231330.jpg" --- # An intellectual is someone who avoids the mundane by… ![“An intellectual is someone who avoids the mundane by lowering his handicap.” quote by Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/richard-reeves-37144_avoids_an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-th_3231330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/richard-reeves-37144_avoids_an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-th_3231330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/richard-reeves-37144_avoids_an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-th_3231330.jpg) > “An intellectual is someone who avoids the mundane by lowering his handicap.” [Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An intellectual chooses to sidestep ordinary concerns by reducing personal limitations, focusing on higher pursuits. **In simple terms:** Intellectuals avoid everyday stuff by lowering their own barriers. Key Takeaway Seek to expand your mind, not just your comfort zone. Themes intellectualism self‑improvement elitism Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - academic research - creative projects - strategic planning - personal growth Key Concepts cognitive bias self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - How does reducing your own handicap change your perspective? - When does avoidance become a hindrance? A Different Perspective May overlook practical realities and become disconnected from everyday people. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Avoids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoids/) [Handicap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handicap/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Lowering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lowering/) ## Related quotes > [During the run up to the Iraq War, Mike Farrell and I did get on television kind of frequently, but then they saw that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cromwell/during-the-run-up-to-the-iraq-war-mike-farrell-and-i-did-get-on/) [James Cromwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cromwell/) > [Truth, as ever, avoids the stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/truth-as-ever-avoids-the-stranger/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [The sage avoids extremity, excess, and extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-sage-avoids-extremity-excess-and-extravagance/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [A Superwoman isn't a woman who can do anything, but a woman who avoids doing too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-conran/a-superwoman-isn-t-a-woman-who-can-do-anything-but-a-woman-who-avoids/) [Shirley Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-conran/) > [“Don´t call coward who avoids a fight but to one who seeks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ngel-s-ez-guti-rrez-marino/don-t-call-coward-who-avoids-a-fight-but-to-one-who-seeks/) [Miguel Ángel Sáez Gutiérrez «Marino»](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ngel-s-ez-guti-rrez-marino/) > [He who avoids complaint invites happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakr/he-who-avoids-complaint-invites-happiness/) [Abu Bakr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakr/) > [In the giraffe with a total height of 5 m., the heart is at a height of about 2.5 m., and it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-krogh/in-the-giraffe-with-a-total-height-of-5-m-the-heart-is-at-a-height-of/) [August Krogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-krogh/) > [Blessed is he or she who avoids being offended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/blessed-is-he-or-she-who-avoids-being-offended/) [Marvin J. Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [It avoids a self-conscious relationship to the act. We live in the most self-conscious society in the history of mankind. There are good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-harvey/it-avoids-a-self-conscious-relationship-to-the-act-we-live-in-the/) [Larry Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-harvey/) > [A man is known by the company he avoids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/source-unknown/a-man-is-known-by-the-company-he-avoids/) Source Unknown > [In Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, the government in a matter of years has put a lot of energy behind recycling food waste as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/in-japan-taiwan-and-south-korea-the-government-in-a-matter-of-years/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [Everybody that I fight always avoids jiu-jitsu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-maia/everybody-that-i-fight-always-avoids-jiu-jitsu/) [Demian Maia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-maia/) > [Fluency avoids hard thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/fluency-avoids-hard-thoughts/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [An expert is a person who avoids the small errors while sweeping on to the grand fallacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/an-expert-is-a-person-who-avoids-the-small-errors-while-sweeping-on/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-wise-warrior-avoids-the-battle/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) ## More by Richard Reeves > [The news in Europe, West and East, is still showing America in flames, flood, etc. Cities are shown underwater; befuddled American officials are shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/the-news-in-europe-west-and-east-is-still-showing-america-in-flames/) [Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/) > [It is perfectly obvious that no one nor any single country can save the world from the horrors of tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes and winged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/it-is-perfectly-obvious-that-no-one-nor-any-single-country-can-save/) [Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/) > [Most of those mocking us and our works night after night have not reached the point of suggesting we are going to use those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/most-of-those-mocking-us-and-our-works-night-after-night-have-not/) [Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/) > [Character is a word that seems to define almost all human activity and then some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/character-is-a-word-that-seems-to-define-almost-all-human-activity/) [Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/) > [Just think of me and I will be there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/just-think-of-me-and-i-will-be-there/) [Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/) > [A lot of history is just dirty politics cleaned up for the consumption of children and other innocents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/a-lot-of-history-is-just-dirty-politics-cleaned-up-for-the/) [Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/) > [After he was assassinated, his family and the men who had served him continued the lying and began the destruction, censoring and hiding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/after-he-was-assassinated-his-family-and-the-men-who-had-served-him/) [Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/) > [Kennedy lied and lied about his health while he was alive, even using his father's influence to get into the Navy without ever taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/kennedy-lied-and-lied-about-his-health-while-he-was-alive-even-using/) [Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/) > [“Two bright young men were on the air, one named Brad, who looked like Dana Carvey, and one named Mike, who looked like an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/two-bright-young-men-were-on-the-air-one-named-brad-who-looked-like/) [Richard Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/) > [Whatever one thinks of President George W. 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We live in the most self-conscious society in the history of mankind. There are good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-harvey/it-avoids-a-self-conscious-relationship-to-the-act-we-live-in-the/) [Larry Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-harvey/) > [Blessed is he or she who avoids being offended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/blessed-is-he-or-she-who-avoids-being-offended/) [Marvin J. Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [In the giraffe with a total height of 5 m., the heart is at a height of about 2.5 m., and it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-krogh/in-the-giraffe-with-a-total-height-of-5-m-the-heart-is-at-a-height-of/) [August Krogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-krogh/) > [He who avoids complaint invites happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-bakr/he-who-avoids-complaint-invites-happiness/) [Abu Bakr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-bakr/) > [“Don´t call coward who avoids a fight but to one who seeks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ngel-s-ez-guti-rrez-marino/don-t-call-coward-who-avoids-a-fight-but-to-one-who-seeks/) [Miguel Ángel Sáez Gutiérrez «Marino»](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ngel-s-ez-guti-rrez-marino/) > [A Superwoman isn't a woman who can do anything, but a woman who avoids doing too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-conran/a-superwoman-isn-t-a-woman-who-can-do-anything-but-a-woman-who-avoids/) [Shirley Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-conran/) > [The sage avoids extremity, excess, and extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-sage-avoids-extremity-excess-and-extravagance/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Truth, as ever, avoids the stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/truth-as-ever-avoids-the-stranger/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-wise-warrior-avoids-the-battle/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) [Browse all 30 Avoids quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoids/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An intellectual is someone who avoids the mundane by lowering his handicap.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Reeves" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-the-mundane-by-lowering-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Avoids" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-the-mundane-by-lowering-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/richard-reeves-37144_avoids_an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-th_3231330.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/richard-reeves-37144_avoids_an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-th_3231330.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/richard-reeves-37144_avoids_an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-th_3231330.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“An intellectual is someone who avoids the mundane by lowering his handicap.” — Richard Reeves", "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 Reeves", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-reeves/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "An intellectual is someone who avoids...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-the-mundane-by-lowering-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-reeves/an-intellectual-is-someone-who-avoids-the-mundane-by-lowering-his/#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 } } ] } ```