--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jews are known for many things, but…" description: "\"Jews are known for many things, but strength, swiftness, and agility are not among them. There is one trait, as controversial as it is familiar, for wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/steven-pinker-526_agility_jews-are-known-for-many-things-but-stren_640698.jpg" --- # Jews are known for many things, but strength, swiftness… ![“Jews are known for many things, but strength, swiftness, and agility are not among them. There is one trait, as controversial as it is familiar, for which Jews are above all known, and that is shrewdness in business.” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/steven-pinker-526_agility_jews-are-known-for-many-things-but-stren_640698.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/steven-pinker-526_agility_jews-are-known-for-many-things-but-stren_640698.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e3/steven-pinker-526_agility_jews-are-known-for-many-things-but-stren_640698.jpg) > “Jews are known for many things, but strength, swiftness, and agility are not among them. There is one trait, as controversial as it is familiar, for which Jews are above all known, and that is shrewdness in business.” [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote claims that Jews are stereotypically associated with business shrewdness, while denying other physical traits. **In simple terms:** It stereotypes Jews as clever in business, not physically strong. Key Takeaway Recognize stereotypes and question their basis. Themes stereotypes identity economics Mood critical analytical Type sociological cultural When to use this quote - media analysis - education - interpersonal relations - policy making Key Concepts cultural bias social perception Questions to Reflect On - How do such stereotypes affect real-world opportunities? - What evidence contradicts this claim? A Different Perspective Stereotypes can oversimplify and harm groups. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agility/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Controversial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversial/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Jews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jews/) [Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/) [Shrewdness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shrewdness/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) ## Related quotes > [“Privileged Jews were known as court Jews (because of their relationship with the king). Many were very rich, and some had rights that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-goldstein/privileged-jews-were-known-as-court-jews-because-of-their/) [Phyllis Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-goldstein/) > [All the shrewdness of 'man' seeks one thing: to be able to live without responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/all-the-shrewdness-of-man-seeks-one-thing-to-be-able-to-live-without/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Never teach your child to be cunning or you may be certain you will be one of the very first victims of his shrewdness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/never-teach-your-child-to-be-cunning-or-you-may-be-certain-you-will/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [The probability of finding a particular book increases in relation to the clarity of the store's focus, the diligence and shrewdness of the bookseller,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-zaid/the-probability-of-finding-a-particular-book-increases-in-relation-to/) [Gabriel Zaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-zaid/) > [Why do you need street smarts? Shrewdness? Toughness? It's to protect something soft that is going to be in danger if it's exposed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/why-do-you-need-street-smarts-shrewdness-toughness-it-s-to-protect/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [There is a kind of shrewdness many men have that enables them to get money. It is the shrewdness of the fox after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/there-is-a-kind-of-shrewdness-many-men-have-that-enables-them-to-get/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [As far as the education of children is concerned I think they should be taught not the little virtues but the great ones. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-ginzburg/as-far-as-the-education-of-children-is-concerned-i-think-they-should/) [Natalia Ginzburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-ginzburg/) > [“When a wolf is hungry it befriends sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/when-a-wolf-is-hungry-it-befriends-sheep/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“But Pierre had been born with a shrewdness that made him early aware that a failure to believe that human events were ordered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-auchincloss/but-pierre-had-been-born-with-a-shrewdness-that-made-him-early-aware/) [Louis Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-auchincloss/) > [“If you feed a bird, you don't have to force it to come to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-you-feed-a-bird-you-don-t-have-to-force-it-to-come-to-you/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [All you have to do is buy cheap and sell dear, act with thrift and shrewdness, and be persistent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hetty-green/all-you-have-to-do-is-buy-cheap-and-sell-dear-act-with-thrift-and/) Hetty Green > [A prince who is not himself wise cannot be wisely advised. . . . Good advice depends on the shrewdness of the prince who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/a-prince-who-is-not-himself-wise-cannot-be-wisely-advised-good-advice/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [What boy well raised can compare with your street gamin who has the knowledge and the shrewdness of a grown-up broker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/what-boy-well-raised-can-compare-with-your-street-gamin-who-has-the/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The good Bishop of Assisi expressed a sort of horror at the hard life which the Little Brothers lived at the Portiuncula, without comforts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-good-bishop-of-assisi-expressed-a-sort-of-horror-at-the-hard-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“How long does it last?" Said the other customer, a man wearing a tan shirt with little straps that buttoned on top of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dorris/how-long-does-it-last-said-the-other-customer-a-man-wearing-a-tan/) [Michael Dorris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dorris/) ## More by Steven Pinker > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-ve-never-argued-that-humans-are-massively-hot-wired-what-i-was/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [As many political writers have pointed out, commitment to political equality is not an empirical claim that people are clones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/as-many-political-writers-have-pointed-out-commitment-to-political/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Since violence is largely a male pastime, cultures that empower women tend to move away from the glorification of violence and are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/since-violence-is-largely-a-male-pastime-cultures-that-empower-women/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-it-comes-to-explaining-human-thought-and-behavior-the/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Morality is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/morality-is-not-just-any-old-topic-in-psychology-but-close-to-our/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Part of the bargain of being alive is that one takes a chance at dying a premature or painful death, be it from violence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/part-of-the-bargain-of-being-alive-is-that-one-takes-a-chance-at/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [In fact, without a specification of a creature's goals, the very idea of intelligence is meaningless. A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“The obvious cure for the tragic shortcomings of human intuition in a high-tech world is education. And this offers priorities for educational policy: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-obvious-cure-for-the-tragic-shortcomings-of-human-intuition-in-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [If you look in general at people who live in anarchy, they have quite high rates of death from either homicide or warfare or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/if-you-look-in-general-at-people-who-live-in-anarchy-they-have-quite/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“In some eras, self-control defines the paragon of a decent person: a grown-up, a person of dignity, a lady or a gentleman, a mensch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-some-eras-self-control-defines-the-paragon-of-a-decent-person-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Knowledge is a continuous fabric, in which ideas are connected to other ideas. Reason-free zones, in which people can assert arbitrary beliefs safe from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/knowledge-is-a-continuous-fabric-in-which-ideas-are-connected-to/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) [Explore all 495 Steven Pinker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## More Agility quotes > [We are organized by territories, whereas terrorists are organized into networks. States are very slow and terrorists are extremely fast. Intelligence sharing needs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-are-organized-by-territories-whereas-terrorists-are-organized-into/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [“Your encounters will be more successful when you slow down, pay attention, and become more mindfully aware of the world around you. Heightening your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/your-encounters-will-be-more-successful-when-you-slow-down-pay/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Strength without agility is a mere mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/strength-without-agility-is-a-mere-mass/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [I think my gymnastic background helped a great deal with my agility when I took up football seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-van-basten/i-think-my-gymnastic-background-helped-a-great-deal-with-my-agility/) [Marco van Basten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-van-basten/) > [Of all animals, the outward form of the Lion is the most striking ; his look is bold and confident; his gait proud; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-pinnock/of-all-animals-the-outward-form-of-the-lion-is-the-most-striking-his/) William Pinnock > [I've got power and agility. I don't care if I'm not the biggest keeper; I've got the power and agility to get around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-pickford/i-ve-got-power-and-agility-i-don-t-care-if-i-m-not-the-biggest-keeper/) [Jordan Pickford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-pickford/) > ['Failing fast' is an important component of cultivating the agility needed for a development project along with continually rebalancing your innovation portfolio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-doughtie/failing-fast-is-an-important-component-of-cultivating-the-agility/) [Lynne Doughtie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-doughtie/) > [I took obedience, agility, and shepherding with my dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annaleigh-ashford/i-took-obedience-agility-and-shepherding-with-my-dog/) [Annaleigh Ashford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annaleigh-ashford/) > [“agility is relative and time-based. If your software team can’t deliver software and keep pace with changes in the environment, your team is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/agility-is-relative-and-time-based-if-your-software-team-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The agility of prime, not the stability of maturity, is the ideal goal for healthy organizations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-moore/the-agility-of-prime-not-the-stability-of-maturity-is-the-ideal-goal/) Steve Moore > [I have always had good strength in my legs from working out with weights. I have also been riding a bike of some sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-paul-gosselaar/i-have-always-had-good-strength-in-my-legs-from-working-out-with/) [Mark-Paul Gosselaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-paul-gosselaar/) > [The game of business used to be like football: size mattered. Then it changed to basketball: speed and agility. Today, business is more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-slywotzky/the-game-of-business-used-to-be-like-football-size-mattered-then-it/) Adrian Slywotzky > [Success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react, and reinvent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/success-today-requires-the-agility-and-drive-to-constantly-rethink/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [We've watched film in years past where I was getting beat and it wasn't always because of the lack of agility and foot speed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-huerter/we-ve-watched-film-in-years-past-where-i-was-getting-beat-and-it-wasn/) [Kevin Huerter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-huerter/) > [Large organizations cannot be versatile. A large organization is effective through its mass rather than through its agility. Fleas can jump many times their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/large-organizations-cannot-be-versatile-a-large-organization-is/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) [Browse all 96 Agility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agility/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Jews are known for many things, but strength, swiftness, and agility are not among them. 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