--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You wouldn't believe the kind of hate…" description: "\"You wouldn't believe the kind of hate mail I get about my work on irregular verbs.\" — Steven Pinker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/steven-pinker-526_believe_you-wouldn-t-believe-the-kind-of-hate-ma_2104519.jpg" --- # You wouldn't believe the kind of hate mail I get about my… ![“You wouldn't believe the kind of hate mail I get about my work on irregular verbs.” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/steven-pinker-526_believe_you-wouldn-t-believe-the-kind-of-hate-ma_2104519.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/steven-pinker-526_believe_you-wouldn-t-believe-the-kind-of-hate-ma_2104519.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/steven-pinker-526_believe_you-wouldn-t-believe-the-kind-of-hate-ma_2104519.jpg) > “You wouldn't believe the kind of hate mail I get about my work on irregular verbs.” [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. He receives unexpected hostility for his work on language, highlighting public misunderstanding. **In simple terms:** He gets hate mail about language research. Key Takeaway Expect criticism when challenging norms. Themes language public perception academic freedom Mood defensive curious Type informative critical When to use this quote - academic publishing - public outreach - online harassment - ling education Key Concepts cognitive science communication social media Questions to Reflect On - Why do people react strongly to linguistic topics? - How can scholars better engage with skeptical audiences? A Different Perspective Criticism may stem from broader cultural tensions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate mail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-mail/) [Irregular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irregular/) [Irregular verbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irregular-verbs-94512/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Mail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mail/) [Verbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verbs/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Irregular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-irregular-4218692/) ## Related quotes > [The top 10 verbs in the English language are all irregular, even though irregular verbs make up only 3 per cent of the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erez-lieberman-aiden/the-top-10-verbs-in-the-english-language-are-all-irregular-even/) [Erez Lieberman Aiden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erez-lieberman-aiden/) > [Human relations are like the irregular verbs in a number of languages where nearly all verbs are irregular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/human-relations-are-like-the-irregular-verbs-in-a-number-of-languages/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [I spent 20 years doing research on regular and irregular verbs, not because I'm an obsessive language lover but because it seemed to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-spent-20-years-doing-research-on-regular-and-irregular-verbs-not/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [There's nothing quite like a Scotch education. One is left with an irreparable debt. My head is full of irregular verbs still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/there-s-nothing-quite-like-a-scotch-education-one-is-left-with-an/) [Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) > [There are bills to be paid, machines to keep in repair, Irregular verbs to learn, the Time Being to redeem From insignificance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/there-are-bills-to-be-paid-machines-to-keep-in-repair-irregular-verbs/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [When I get real big volumes of hate mail, it's usually because I wrote something poorly. But it's also because some group told people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-stein/when-i-get-real-big-volumes-of-hate-mail-it-s-usually-because-i-wrote/) [Joel Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-stein/) > [A lot of the hate mail I get is clearly misogynist. I am a proud liberal, feminist woman, and the hate mail I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/a-lot-of-the-hate-mail-i-get-is-clearly-misogynist-i-am-a-proud/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [They said I was a valued customer, now they send me hate mail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/they-said-i-was-a-valued-customer-now-they-send-me-hate-mail/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [I had a vague idea of the song's impact in the '60s, but that was tempered by the hate mail and threats I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-ian/i-had-a-vague-idea-of-the-song-s-impact-in-the-60s-but-that-was/) [Janis Ian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-ian/) > [I don't want to describe the hate mail we've gotten. 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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. 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