--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a country as profoundly…" description: "\"“In a country as profoundly anti-intellectual as ours it is predictable that our leaders will do whatever they can in order not to appear smart in publ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/stuart-rojstaczer-19719_intellectual_in-a-country-as-profoundly-anti-intellec_2746764.jpg" --- # In a country as profoundly anti-intellectual as ours it is… ![“In a country as profoundly anti-intellectual as ours it is predictable that our leaders will do whatever they can in order not to appear smart in public.” quote by Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/stuart-rojstaczer-19719_intellectual_in-a-country-as-profoundly-anti-intellec_2746764.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/stuart-rojstaczer-19719_intellectual_in-a-country-as-profoundly-anti-intellec_2746764.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/stuart-rojstaczer-19719_intellectual_in-a-country-as-profoundly-anti-intellec_2746764.jpg) > ““In a country as profoundly anti-intellectual as ours it is predictable that our leaders will do whatever they can in order not to appear smart in public.”” [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) ## 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 criticizes a culture that rewards leaders for appearing unintelligent. **In simple terms:** Leaders avoid seeming smart. Key Takeaway Encourage intellectual honesty. Themes politics culture intellectualism Mood critical analytical Type political social commentary When to use this quote - elections - public debates - media coverage Key Concepts media studies political science Questions to Reflect On - Why might leaders fear appearing smart? - How can society value intelligence more? A Different Perspective Intellectualism can be valuable for informed decision‑making. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anti Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-intellectual-304118/) [Appear Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appear-smart-3068440/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual Predictable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-predictable-3068439/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Predictable Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictable-leaders-3068438/) ## Related quotes > [It only takes a day to change someone from an anti-intellectual to an intellectual by persuading him that he might be one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/it-only-takes-a-day-to-change-someone-from-an-anti-intellectual-to-an/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [I was still working at Google when I wrote the blog post '10 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings.' I was scared to share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-cooper/i-was-still-working-at-google-when-i-wrote-the-blog-post-10-tricks-to/) [Sarah Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-cooper/) > [I learned over the years that it's easy to appear smart referencing things that people don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/i-learned-over-the-years-that-it-s-easy-to-appear-smart-referencing/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [“I think I only appear smart by staying quiet as often as possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-think-i-only-appear-smart-by-staying-quiet-as-often-as-possible/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“8 Ways to Shine a Positive Light on Others 1. Let the other person appear smart. The person who desperately tries to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/8-ways-to-shine-a-positive-light-on-others-1-let-the-other-person/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [The world needs you. It doesn't need you at a party having read a book about how to appear smart at parties - these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/the-world-needs-you-it-doesn-t-need-you-at-a-party-having-read-a-book/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [Generally, I like to appear smart. I don't admit being stupid when there's any hope I'm not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/generally-i-like-to-appear-smart-i-don-t-admit-being-stupid-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are many non-intellectual countries; Australia is one of the few anti-intellectual ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/there-are-many-non-intellectual-countries-australia-is-one-of-the-few/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [“R.C. Sproul has written that "we live in what may be the most anti-intellectual period in the history of Western civilization." As far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/r-c-sproul-has-written-that-we-live-in-what-may-be-the-most-anti/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [The species of anti-Enlightenment religion we find among evangelical protestants is far more impoverished, anti-intellectual and downright wretched.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/the-species-of-anti-enlightenment-religion-we-find-among-evangelical/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [I'm not interested in the fact that a writer may label himself as being intellectual or anti-intellectual. l'm really interested in the stuff he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-m-not-interested-in-the-fact-that-a-writer-may-label-himself-as/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“Anti-intellectual resentment is common in all of American life and it has many diverse expressions. Refusing to draft college players might have been one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/anti-intellectual-resentment-is-common-in-all-of-american-life-and-it/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [We live in what may be the most anti-intellectual period in the history of Western civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-live-in-what-may-be-the-most-anti-intellectual-period-in-the/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Americans are genuinely and profoundly anti-intellectual. They are especially so in their pleasure-seeking, which is epically banal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/americans-are-genuinely-and-profoundly-anti-intellectual-they-are/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [“And I wonder, therefore, how James Atlas can have been so indulgent in his recent essay ‘The Changing World of New York Intellectuals.’ This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/and-i-wonder-therefore-how-james-atlas-can-have-been-so-indulgent-in/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More by Stuart Rojstaczer > [“Our capacity for love isn’t like a gallon jug that you fill up from rest stop to rest stop as you take a drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/our-capacity-for-love-isn-t-like-a-gallon-jug-that-you-fill-up-from/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“The love I have given and received has been pure. Driven by loss, I have both used the gift of intellect I possessed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/the-love-i-have-given-and-received-has-been-pure-driven-by-loss-i/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“To Americans, the outward display of intelligence is considered unseemly. The Donald Trumps of the world can boast about their penthouses and Ferraris, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/to-americans-the-outward-display-of-intelligence-is-considered/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“Do not fall in love with someone when that love is heavily dependent on the goodwill and kindness of your parents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/do-not-fall-in-love-with-someone-when-that-love-is-heavily-dependent/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“We aren’t rednecks. We’re European. Big difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/we-aren-t-rednecks-we-re-european-big-difference/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“I decided to practice revenge in a calmer way, by living well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/i-decided-to-practice-revenge-in-a-calmer-way-by-living-well/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“This effort to appear dumb—or to put a positive spin on it, to “be a man of the people”—takes a lot of work that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/this-effort-to-appear-dumb-or-to-put-a-positive-spin-on-it-to-be-a/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“We’re like rednecks then, zaydeh.” “What are you talking about? I was educated well. I know six languages. I manage the family investment portfolio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/we-re-like-rednecks-then-zaydeh-what-are-you-talking-about-i-was/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“I didn’t know, even vaguely, the difference between physical deprivation and the emotional loss of one’s child, even when you know that child is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/i-didn-t-know-even-vaguely-the-difference-between-physical/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“Her craziness was happily wed to her intellect. There are no reasonable geniuses in this world, I am convinced.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/her-craziness-was-happily-wed-to-her-intellect-there-are-no/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“Tornadoes are a good metaphor for how bad things happen in our lives. They build from small disturbances that usually don’t mean a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/tornadoes-are-a-good-metaphor-for-how-bad-things-happen-in-our-lives/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“But there was a difference between being bright and possessing those sparks of ideas that lead to original thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/but-there-was-a-difference-between-being-bright-and-possessing-those/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“But grief always hits hard and somehow lingers longer than exultation in your mind and heart,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/but-grief-always-hits-hard-and-somehow-lingers-longer-than-exultation/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“There is no such thing as unnecessary beauty, whether it be physical or intellectual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/there-is-no-such-thing-as-unnecessary-beauty-whether-it-be-physical/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) > [“While great hair and teeth are a good start to a political career, an ability to pretend at least half convincingly that you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-rojstaczer/while-great-hair-and-teeth-are-a-good-start-to-a-political-career-an/) [Stuart Rojstaczer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) [Explore all 32 Stuart Rojstaczer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-rojstaczer/) ## More Intellectual quotes > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Today it is the skeptics who are the social conformists, though because of powerful intellectual propaganda they continue to enjoy thinking of themselves as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/today-it-is-the-skeptics-who-are-the-social-conformists-though/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [Love isn't intellectual - it's visceral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-mcgillis/love-isn-t-intellectual-it-s-visceral/) [Kelly McGillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-mcgillis/) > [Faith is the avenue to salvation. 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It is nowhere so durable as artistic or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/unfortunately-moral-beauty-in-art-like-physical-beauty-in-a-person-is/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [ \[Our understanding is\] not intellectual, but instinctive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/our-understanding-is-not-intellectual-but-instinctive/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [It only takes a day to change someone from an anti-intellectual to an intellectual by persuading him that he might be one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/it-only-takes-a-day-to-change-someone-from-an-anti-intellectual-to-an/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. 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