--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just because someone has gone to an elite…" description: "\"Just because someone has gone to an elite school and college does not make him smarter than the person who has grown up on street knowledge.\" — Vikas S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/vikas-swarup-10025_because_just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elit_3138534.jpg" --- # Just because someone has gone to an elite school and… ![“Just because someone has gone to an elite school and college does not make him smarter than the person who has grown up on street knowledge.” quote by Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/vikas-swarup-10025_because_just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elit_3138534.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/vikas-swarup-10025_because_just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elit_3138534.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/vikas-swarup-10025_because_just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elit_3138534.jpg) > “Just because someone has gone to an elite school and college does not make him smarter than the person who has grown up on street knowledge.” [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Elite education doesn't guarantee intelligence; real-world experience offers valuable knowledge. **In simple terms:** School prestige ≠ true wisdom. Key Takeaway Value street knowledge alongside formal learning. Themes education experience intelligence Mood critical insightful Type literary social commentary When to use this quote - career advancement - social mobility - mentmaking - learning strategies Key Concepts Sociology human capital Questions to Reflect On - How do you integrate street smarts with academic learning? - What biases affect your view of educated people? A Different Perspective Formal education still provides critical skills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Elite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elite/) [Elite School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elite-school-2760565/) [Elites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Grown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grown/) [Him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/him/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Just because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-because/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Make Smarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-smarter-313207/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Smarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smarter/) [Smarter Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smarter-person-421154/) [Someone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someone/) [Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/street/) [Street Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/street-knowledge-795803/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [If you go to an elite school where the other students in your class are all really brilliant, you run the risk of mistakenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/if-you-go-to-an-elite-school-where-the-other-students-in-your-class/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Sometimes street knowledge can be as important as book knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/sometimes-street-knowledge-can-be-as-important-as-book-knowledge/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [“what mattered most, as I came to realize, was who’d lived in Vegas the longest, which was why the knock-down Mexican beauties and itinerant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/what-mattered-most-as-i-came-to-realize-was-who-d-lived-in-vegas-the/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/schoolly-d/you-are-now-about-to-witness-the-strength-of-street-knowledge/) [Schoolly D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/schoolly-d/) > [I always said that what I do is street knowledge, you let the street know what the politicians of today are doing, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/i-always-said-that-what-i-do-is-street-knowledge-you-let-the-street/) [Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/) > [There are always going to be reasons to do the wrong thing. And the smarter the person, the better the reasons. That doesn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-ross/there-are-always-going-to-be-reasons-to-do-the-wrong-thing-and-the/) [Marion Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-ross/) > [The smarter the person, the more boring the instagram account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/the-smarter-the-person-the-more-boring-the-instagram-account/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [That diploma you hold in your hands today is really just your learner's permit for the rest of the drive through life. Remember, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/that-diploma-you-hold-in-your-hands-today-is-really-just-your-learner/) [Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/) > [At the end of the day, you're not defined, I don't believe, by your financial means. That doesn't make you a better person or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-posen/at-the-end-of-the-day-you-re-not-defined-i-don-t-believe-by-your/) [Zac Posen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-posen/) > [As I matured, I became a smarter person, a more sensitive person, a more thinking person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bock/as-i-matured-i-became-a-smarter-person-a-more-sensitive-person-a-more/) [Charles Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bock/) > [When you are dealing with a mass movement, as opposed to a quote-unquote "elite," you are talking to people who don't have time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movement-as-opposed-to-a-quote/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [Elite fundamentalism has always been on the corporate side of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sharlet/elite-fundamentalism-has-always-been-on-the-corporate-side-of-things/) [Jeff Sharlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sharlet/) > [As countries embrace mass higher education, the cost of maintaining universities increases dramatically relative to an elite system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-education-the-cost-of-maintaining/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [Economists actually disagree about whether there are significant economic returns from attending an elite college versus a less-selective one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/economists-actually-disagree-about-whether-there-are-significant/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [DREAM PREDICTION ELITE is the realization of true amazement in your audiences reactions. This is PURE GOLD - A REAL WINNER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banachek/dream-prediction-elite-is-the-realization-of-true-amazement-in-your/) [Banachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banachek/) ## More by Vikas Swarup > [The slums are not a place of despair. Its inhabitants are all working towards a better life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/the-slums-are-not-a-place-of-despair-its-inhabitants-are-all-working/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [It is in the genes of cities to bounce back from disasters - whether natural or man made. The denizens of suburbia have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/it-is-in-the-genes-of-cities-to-bounce-back-from-disasters-whether/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [That dreams have power only over your own mind. But with money you can have power over the minds of others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/that-dreams-have-power-only-over-your-own-mind-but-with-money-you-can/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [Twenty20 is cricket on speed. In an era of hectic lifestyles and falling attention spans, it gives spectators more drama and intensity in three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/twenty20-is-cricket-on-speed-in-an-era-of-hectic-lifestyles-and/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [I want to show that the underdog can win. I believe were all the same: you, a slum girl, my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/i-want-to-show-that-the-underdog-can-win-i-believe-were-all-the-same/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [“You must never take a direct route to your destination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/you-must-never-take-a-direct-route-to-your-destination/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [The first thing you have to understand is that I was not desperate to be a writer. I was never a closet writer filing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/the-first-thing-you-have-to-understand-is-that-i-was-not-desperate-to/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [“There is some pleasure even in pain. A sweet ecstasy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/there-is-some-pleasure-even-in-pain-a-sweet-ecstasy/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [India may be the soul of world cricket, but IPL is its commercial heart. Just as 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' changed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/india-may-be-the-soul-of-world-cricket-but-ipl-is-its-commercial/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [“It's a basic rule of human nature that the promise of unexpected wealth short-circuits both intelligence and common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/it-s-a-basic-rule-of-human-nature-that-the-promise-of-unexpected/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [I am neither a Bengali nor am I from Delhi's St Stephen's. I am an Allahabad boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/i-am-neither-a-bengali-nor-am-i-from-delhi-s-st-stephen-s-i-am-an/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [“The city may have chosen to ignore the ugly growth of Dharavi, but a cancer cannot be stopped simply by being declared illegal. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/the-city-may-have-chosen-to-ignore-the-ugly-growth-of-dharavi-but-a/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [“I held my breath and wished for that moment to last as long as it possibly could, because a waking dream is always more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/i-held-my-breath-and-wished-for-that-moment-to-last-as-long-as-it/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [“Till now, my conception of love has been based entirely on what I have seen in Hindi films, where the hero and the heroine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/till-now-my-conception-of-love-has-been-based-entirely-on-what-i-have/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [I am not into the unrealistic realm of magic realism where birds talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/i-am-not-into-the-unrealistic-realm-of-magic-realism-where-birds-talk/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) [Explore all 68 Vikas Swarup quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/) [Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Browse all 15,485 Because quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Just because someone has gone to an elite school and college does not make him smarter than the person who has grown up on street knowledge.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vikas Swarup" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elite-school-and-college-does-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Because" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elite-school-and-college-does-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/vikas-swarup-10025_because_just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elit_3138534.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/vikas-swarup-10025_because_just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elit_3138534.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/vikas-swarup-10025_because_just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elit_3138534.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Just because someone has gone to an elite school and college does not make him smarter than the person who…” — Vikas Swarup", "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": "Vikas Swarup", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Just because someone has gone to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elite-school-and-college-does-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/just-because-someone-has-gone-to-an-elite-school-and-college-does-not/#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 } } ] } ```