--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was too smart and that made people…" description: "\"“I was too smart and that made people uncomfortable--most folks where we've lived our whole lives don't trust too much intelligence in a woman. There i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/roxane-gay-520_eyes_i-was-too-smart-and-that-made-people-unc_2203025.jpg" --- # I was too smart and that made people uncomfortable--most… ![“I was too smart and that made people uncomfortable--most folks where we've lived our whole lives don't trust too much intelligence in a woman. There is also the problem of my eyes--they don't hide anything. If I don't care for a person, my eyes make it plain. I don't care for most. Folks are…” quote by Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/roxane-gay-520_eyes_i-was-too-smart-and-that-made-people-unc_2203025.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/roxane-gay-520_eyes_i-was-too-smart-and-that-made-people-unc_2203025.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/roxane-gay-520_eyes_i-was-too-smart-and-that-made-people-unc_2203025.jpg) > ““I was too smart and that made people uncomfortable--most folks where we've lived our whole lives don't trust too much intelligence in a woman. There is also the problem of my eyes--they don't hide anything. If I don't care for a person, my eyes make it plain. I don't care for most. Folks are generally comfortable with the small lies they tell each other. They don't know what to do with someone like me, who mostly doesn't bother with small lies.”” [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intelligence and honesty can alienate; society often prefers comforting lies. **In simple terms:** Being smart and honest can be socially risky. Key Takeaway Balance honesty with empathy. Themes social norms gender honesty intelligence Mood critical thoughtful Type personal social When to use this quote - workplace - relationships - public speaking Key Concepts feminism psychology Questions to Reflect On - When is a small lie acceptable? - How can you convey truth kindly? A Different Perspective Honesty may damage relationships if not tempered. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Small towns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-towns/) [Smart people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart-people/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [What is negotiation but the accumulation of small lies leading to advantage?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/what-is-negotiation-but-the-accumulation-of-small-lies-leading-to/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [“Speaking for myself, I’ve always found great intelligence in a woman a highly attractive feature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/speaking-for-myself-i-ve-always-found-great-intelligence-in-a-woman-a/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [State intelligence, like military intelligence and woman friend, is a contradiction in terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-macdermot/state-intelligence-like-military-intelligence-and-woman-friend-is-a/) Niall MacDermot > [I have the intelligence of a woman, the personality of a toddler, and the immaturity level of a 69 year old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-the-intelligence-of-a-woman-the-personality-of-a-toddler-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I have spoken to you before of the nature of human wickedness, my friend. How it is the small lies and evasions which nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/i-have-spoken-to-you-before-of-the-nature-of-human-wickedness-my/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [Lies, big or small are still lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lies-big-or-small-are-still-lies/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Small lies and big lies are the same lies no one is excuse...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariane-corbito/small-lies-and-big-lies-are-the-same-lies-no-one-is-excuse/) [Mariane Corbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariane-corbito/) > [Big or small, lies are lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/big-or-small-lies-are-lies/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If our relationships are made of many small lies, they become something larger, a prison of falsehoods.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lavalle/if-our-relationships-are-made-of-many-small-lies-they-become/) [Victor LaValle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lavalle/) > [Big or small lies are lie...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/big-or-small-lies-are-lie/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life had taught her that we all require big and small lies in order to survive, just as much as we need air. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/life-had-taught-her-that-we-all-require-big-and-small-lies-in-order/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Don't let eyes trick you, the same true eye could be hiding lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone/don-t-let-eyes-trick-you-the-same-true-eye-could-be-hiding-lies/) [Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone/) > [ I've seen it \[Australia\] go from a lot of small towns to big towns, but I think it has found its identity in all… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/i-ve-seen-it-australia-go-from-a-lot-of-small-towns-to-big-towns-but/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [I was born in New York City. But my family moved when I was still an infant. Except for a year and half when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/i-was-born-in-new-york-city-but-my-family-moved-when-i-was-still-an/) [E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/) > [I enjoy going on motorcycle trips and stopping in small towns and enjoying drinks with the locals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-enjoy-going-on-motorcycle-trips-and-stopping-in-small-towns-and/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) ## More by Roxane Gay > [“Human endurance fascinates me, probably too much because more often than not, I think of life in terms of enduring instead of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/human-endurance-fascinates-me-probably-too-much-because-more-often/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“Being useful was a balm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/being-useful-was-a-balm/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [No woman or man is any one thing and the men in my stories, well, some of them are good and some of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/no-woman-or-man-is-any-one-thing-and-the-men-in-my-stories-well-some/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I was a daydreamer and I resented being pulled out of my daydreams to deal with the business of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-was-a-daydreamer-and-i-resented-being-pulled-out-of-my-daydreams-to/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Feminism is, I hope, a way to a better future for everyone who inhabits this world. Feminism should not be something that needs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/feminism-is-i-hope-a-way-to-a-better-future-for-everyone-who-inhabits/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Fiction offers escape but it also interrogates the world we live in, whether the past, present or future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/fiction-offers-escape-but-it-also-interrogates-the-world-we-live-in/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I've noticed while cooking, how ingredients in their individual and naked state and be a bit repulsive but necessary, kind of like people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-ve-noticed-while-cooking-how-ingredients-in-their-individual-and/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I shouted, “This is not right,” knowing my words were useless. There’s no room for such distinctions in a country where too many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-shouted-this-is-not-right-knowing-my-words-were-useless-there-s-no/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Most of my favorite tweets go completely ignored but most of my favorite tweets are probably really lame or inside jokes between me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/most-of-my-favorite-tweets-go-completely-ignored-but-most-of-my/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“What about other women of color? For Hispanic and Latina women, Indian women, Middle Eastern women, Asian women, their absence in popular culture is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/what-about-other-women-of-color-for-hispanic-and-latina-women-indian/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [There has been, and there will continue to be, vigorous discussions about race in America. I worry that little will come of these discussions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/there-has-been-and-there-will-continue-to-be-vigorous-discussions/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Writing, at its best and truest, can offer solace and salvation for both readers and writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/writing-at-its-best-and-truest-can-offer-solace-and-salvation-for/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I knew I was in love with The Hunger Games when I did not want to get off the treadmill”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-knew-i-was-in-love-with-the-hunger-games-when-i-did-not-want-to-get/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“Just because you survive something does not mean you are strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/just-because-you-survive-something-does-not-mean-you-are-strong/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“Celebrities understand the economy of thinness, and most of them are willing to participate in that economy, taking to social media, where they pose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/celebrities-understand-the-economy-of-thinness-and-most-of-them-are/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) [Explore all 503 Roxane Gay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) ## More Eyes quotes > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [When I was a teen, I would draw a really, really long line around my eyes with eyeliner, like Lola Flores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia/when-i-was-a-teen-i-would-draw-a-really-really-long-line-around-my/) [Rosalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [Human beings should stick together. Honestly, if I see a red-haired person with blue eyes now, I say, 'Is your granny black?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/human-beings-should-stick-together-honestly-if-i-see-a-red-haired/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [It's similar to basketball: when you go to different gyms and win or lose, you learn something new. So when kids get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-similar-to-basketball-when-you-go-to-different-gyms-and-win-or/) [Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/) > [When I see things through my eyes, I don't want to ever just be really negative towards someone's performance. There are many ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/when-i-see-things-through-my-eyes-i-don-t-want-to-ever-just-be-really/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) > [My only trick to having wing liner sharp enough to cut is be careful and take your time! I have hooded eyes, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-charles/my-only-trick-to-having-wing-liner-sharp-enough-to-cut-is-be-careful/) [James Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-charles/) > [“I fell in love with your eyes first because I looked into their depths and saw the other half of my soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-lilley/i-fell-in-love-with-your-eyes-first-because-i-looked-into-their/) [R.K. Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-lilley/) > [I think, reading about yourself through somebody else's eyes, you're always going to have your own story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-sestero/i-think-reading-about-yourself-through-somebody-else-s-eyes-you-re/) [Greg Sestero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-sestero/) > [For the Russian masses, the proletarians, knew for certain, and already saw during the war, and in part before their very eyes, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-gorter/for-the-russian-masses-the-proletarians-knew-for-certain-and-already/) [Herman Gorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-gorter/) > [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/) > [Evertime I close my eyes it doesnt matter where, I always see you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/evertime-i-close-my-eyes-it-doesnt-matter-where-i-always-see-you/) Patience > [Look with all your eyes, look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/look-with-all-your-eyes-look/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [It's not your mistake if you cant read the eyes which cheats you. But it's really your mistake if you cant read the eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-mbululo/it-s-not-your-mistake-if-you-cant-read-the-eyes-which-cheats-you-but/) [Ally Mbululo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-mbululo/) > [Kiss me with your eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/kiss-me-with-your-eyes/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) [Browse all 3,942 Eyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I was too smart and that made people uncomfortable--most folks where we've lived our whole lives don't trust too much intelligence in a woman. There is also the problem of my eyes--they don't hide anything. If I don't care for a person, my eyes make it plain. I don't care for most. Folks are generally comfortable with the small lies they tell each other. 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