--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is better to be dumb and smart than to…" description: "\"“It is better to be dumb and smart than to be vocal and dumb.”\" — William deGraftColeman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/william-degraftcoleman-286899_dumb_it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-t_485654.jpg" --- # It is better to be dumb and smart than to be vocal and dumb. ![“It is better to be dumb and smart than to be vocal and dumb.” quote by William deGraftColeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/william-degraftcoleman-286899_dumb_it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-t_485654.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/william-degraftcoleman-286899_dumb_it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-t_485654.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/william-degraftcoleman-286899_dumb_it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-t_485654.jpg) > ““It is better to be dumb and smart than to be vocal and dumb.”” William deGraftColeman ## 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 humility are better than vocal ignorance and foolishness. **In simple terms:** Smart humility beats loud foolishness. Key Takeaway Prioritize thoughtful humility. Themes humility intelligence speech wisdom foolishness Mood thoughtful humble Type Dumb:0 Intelligence:1 Smart:1 Dumb Smart:0 Better Dumb:0 Vocal Dumb:0 When to use this quote - public speaking - leadership - online discourse - teaching Key Concepts ethics communication self‑awareness Questions to Reflect On - When have you chosen silence over speaking? - How can you balance confidence with humility? A Different Perspective Speaking without thought can cause harm despite confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) ## Related quotes > [As you get older you realize your parents don't look so dumb - and that you're not as smart as you thought you were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reiser/as-you-get-older-you-realize-your-parents-don-t-look-so-dumb-and-that/) [Paul Reiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reiser/) > [I'm old enough to know better but dumb enough to do it anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-old-enough-to-know-better-but-dumb-enough-to-do-it-anyway/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But if we don’t figure out the way the world works and is, and if we don’t live in harmony with it, we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/but-if-we-don-t-figure-out-the-way-the-world-works-and-is-and-if-we/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [The Howard Stern Show is a big hit because it entertains dumb and smart people at the same time for different reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artie-lange/the-howard-stern-show-is-a-big-hit-because-it-entertains-dumb-and/) [Artie Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artie-lange/) > [“Feelings are feelings. They don't have dumb or smart labels,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherise-sinclair/feelings-are-feelings-they-don-t-have-dumb-or-smart-labels/) [Cherise Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherise-sinclair/) > [Sometimes you have to choose between being dumb for them or being smart for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/sometimes-you-have-to-choose-between-being-dumb-for-them-or-being/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [There are two types of people in the world: dumb smart people and smart dumb people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cooper/there-are-two-types-of-people-in-the-world-dumb-smart-people-and/) [Alex Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cooper/) > [“It's so torturously true that wealthy does rhyme with healthy and yet poor does not mean to pour! If by showing off you look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-claudia-antunes/it-s-so-torturously-true-that-wealthy-does-rhyme-with-healthy-and-yet/) [Ana Claudia Antunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-claudia-antunes/) > [“If you’re going to do something dumb, do it in a smart way. This is my advice for falling in love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-you-re-going-to-do-something-dumb-do-it-in-a-smart-way-this-is-my/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“They think that they’re smart and that the rest of us are dumb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/they-think-that-they-re-smart-and-that-the-rest-of-us-are-dumb/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [I like to think my sense of humor is sort of smart and dumb at the same time. I like to work on multiple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lopez/i-like-to-think-my-sense-of-humor-is-sort-of-smart-and-dumb-at-the/) [Robert Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lopez/) > [You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/you-know-what-they-want-they-want-obedient-workers-obedient-workers/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I just don't like that you can either be ugly and smart or pretty and dumb, or ugly and nice or pretty and mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-don-t-like-that-you-can-either-be-ugly-and-smart-or-pretty-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a meathead. I can't help it, man. You've got smart people and you've got dumb people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/i-m-a-meathead-i-can-t-help-it-man-you-ve-got-smart-people-and-you-ve/) [Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/) > [Marilyn was a great actress, not a dumb blond bombshell. She was very smart, very astute and a good businesswoman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-schiller/marilyn-was-a-great-actress-not-a-dumb-blond-bombshell-she-was-very/) [Lawrence Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-schiller/) ## More Dumb quotes > [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/) [Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/) > [But, outside of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-outside-of-being-a-sweet-little-girl-she-was-awfully-dumb-and/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“War is not nice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bush/war-is-not-nice/) [Barbara Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bush/) > [I love comedy. I love the absurdity of it. I love the kind of intelligence that's required to be dumb in comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-mazin/i-love-comedy-i-love-the-absurdity-of-it-i-love-the-kind-of/) [Craig Mazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-mazin/) > [Marilyn was a great actress, not a dumb blond bombshell. She was very smart, very astute and a good businesswoman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-schiller/marilyn-was-a-great-actress-not-a-dumb-blond-bombshell-she-was-very/) [Lawrence Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-schiller/) > [I'm a meathead. I can't help it, man. You've got smart people and you've got dumb people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/i-m-a-meathead-i-can-t-help-it-man-you-ve-got-smart-people-and-you-ve/) [Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/) > [I always wanted to make big action movies as a kid, and that was my dream. In a way, 'Swingers' was the thing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/i-always-wanted-to-make-big-action-movies-as-a-kid-and-that-was-my/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [Me seeing how thick my callous is on my hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-country/me-seeing-how-thick-my-callous-is-on-my-hand/) [Michael Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-country/) > [It is unfortunate to consider all lawyers as natural Satanists many are just dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-maslow/it-is-unfortunate-to-consider-all-lawyers-as-natural-satanists-many/) [Abraham Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-maslow/) > [I hate it when people come up to me on trains and ask 'Are you Soulja Boy?' If people want pictures or autographs, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soulja-boy/i-hate-it-when-people-come-up-to-me-on-trains-and-ask-are-you-soulja/) [Soulja Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soulja-boy/) > [I just don't like that you can either be ugly and smart or pretty and dumb, or ugly and nice or pretty and mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-don-t-like-that-you-can-either-be-ugly-and-smart-or-pretty-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I turned back to the mirror, seeing that there were no lines on it. It was empty. "What happened to my mirror?" I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/i-turned-back-to-the-mirror-seeing-that-there-were-no-lines-on-it-it/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [I'm pretty cautious and not very athletic, so I've only had really dumb injuries, like sprained ankles and allergic reactions. I did have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-m-pretty-cautious-and-not-very-athletic-so-i-ve-only-had-really/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) > [The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-british-government-has-learned-that-saddam-hussein-recently/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) Browse all 2,053 Dumb quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is better to be dumb and smart than to be vocal and dumb.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William deGraftColeman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-degraftcoleman/it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-to-be-vocal-and-dumb/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dumb" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-degraftcoleman/it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-to-be-vocal-and-dumb/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/william-degraftcoleman-286899_dumb_it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-t_485654.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/william-degraftcoleman-286899_dumb_it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-t_485654.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72e/william-degraftcoleman-286899_dumb_it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-t_485654.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is better to be dumb and smart than to be vocal and dumb.” — William deGraftColeman", "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": "William deGraftColeman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-degraftcoleman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is better to be dumb...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-degraftcoleman/it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-to-be-vocal-and-dumb/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-degraftcoleman/it-is-better-to-be-dumb-and-smart-than-to-be-vocal-and-dumb/#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 } } ] } ```