--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have known many true connoisseurs, with…" description: "\"“I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes that range across the humanities and the culinary arts--and they never fail to have a fatal..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/zadie-smith-584_anxiety_i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with_34853.jpg" --- # I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes… ![“I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes that range across the humanities and the culinary arts--and they never fail to have a fatal effect on my self-esteem. When I find myself sitting at dinner next to someone who knows just as much about novels as I do but has somehow also…” quote by Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/zadie-smith-584_anxiety_i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with_34853.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/zadie-smith-584_anxiety_i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with_34853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/zadie-smith-584_anxiety_i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with_34853.jpg) > ““I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes that range across the humanities and the culinary arts--and they never fail to have a fatal effect on my self-esteem. When I find myself sitting at dinner next to someone who knows just as much about novels as I do but has somehow also found the mental space to adore and be knowledgeable about the opera, have strong opinions about the relative rankings of Renaissance painters, an encyclopedic knowledge of the English civil war, of French wines--I feel an anxiety that nudges beyond the envious into the existential. How did she find the time?”” [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels insecure when encountering a polymath whose broad, deep knowledge across arts and history seems unattainable, prompting existential doubt about personal worth. **In simple terms:** Insecurity in the face of wide-ranging expertise. Key Takeaway Broad knowledge can trigger self-doubt. Themes intellectual envy self-esteem interdisciplinary expertise existential anxiety cultural capital Mood reflective anxious curious Type personal anecdote cultural critique When to use this quote - dinner conversation with a scholar - academic networking event - book club with diverse interests Key Concepts knowledge breadth comparative competence social comparison Practical Applications - self-reflection on personal growth - seeking balanced learning goals Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to be a 'true connoisseur'? - How can one cultivate confidence amid diverse expertise? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adore Knowledgeable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adore-knowledgeable-437919/) [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [Connoisseurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connoisseurs/) [Connoisseurs Excellent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connoisseurs-excellent-437916/) [Culinary Arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culinary-arts/) [Envious Existential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envious-existential-437918/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Self esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-esteem/) [True Connoisseurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-connoisseurs-437917/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Children are the true connoisseurs. What’s precious to them has no price, only value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bel-kaufman/children-are-the-true-connoisseurs-what-s-precious-to-them-has-no/) [Bel Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bel-kaufman/) > [I who have been involved with all styles of painting can assure you that the only things that fluctuate are the waves of fashion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-who-have-been-involved-with-all-styles-of-painting-can-assure-you/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“Most ordinary mortals, mistake money or visualize money in its physical form - as coins or currency. Thus they begin counting it, hoarding it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-pande/most-ordinary-mortals-mistake-money-or-visualize-money-in-its/) [Vinod Pande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-pande/) > [If connoisseurship is the art of appreciation, criticism is the art of disclosure... Connoisseurs simply need to appreciate what they encounter. Critics, however, must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-w-eisner/if-connoisseurship-is-the-art-of-appreciation-criticism-is-the-art-of/) [Elliot W. Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-w-eisner/) > [My wife and I are connoisseurs of films but in opposite directions. She's a connoisseur of really good, classy foreign films. I'm a connoisseur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pellegrino/my-wife-and-i-are-connoisseurs-of-films-but-in-opposite-directions/) [Mark Pellegrino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pellegrino/) > [Those who are not conversant in works of art are often surprised at the high value set by connoisseurs on drawings which appear careless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-reynolds/those-who-are-not-conversant-in-works-of-art-are-often-surprised-at/) [Joshua Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-reynolds/) > [Connoisseurs think the art is already done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/connoisseurs-think-the-art-is-already-done/) [John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/) > [There are connoisseurs of blue just as there are connoisseurs of wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/there-are-connoisseurs-of-blue-just-as-there-are-connoisseurs-of-wine/) [Sidonie Gabrielle Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/) > [Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-herriot/cats-are-connoisseurs-of-comfort/) [James Herriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-herriot/) > [The real connoisseurs in art are those who make people accept as beautiful something everybody used to consider ugly, by revealing and resuscitating the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-de-goncourt/the-real-connoisseurs-in-art-are-those-who-make-people-accept-as/) [Jules de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-de-goncourt/) > [In some sense, Comedy Central has made their audience into comedy connoisseurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/in-some-sense-comedy-central-has-made-their-audience-into-comedy/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [I'm obsessed with cooking! I want a degree in the culinary arts!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-obsessed-with-cooking-i-want-a-degree-in-the-culinary-arts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Riley shook her head. “I married Brad after I got my Associate's degree in culinary arts. I worked in the Bakery at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebekah-martin/riley-shook-her-head-i-married-brad-after-i-got-my-associate-s-degree/) [Rebekah Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebekah-martin/) > [I got my degree in culinary arts in 1978.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavor-flav/i-got-my-degree-in-culinary-arts-in-1978/) [Flavor Flav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flavor-flav/) > [“Have you ever been faced with the clear certainty that the culinary arts have a great propensity to rendering themselves unsavory?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-sager/have-you-ever-been-faced-with-the-clear-certainty-that-the-culinary/) [Nicole Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-sager/) ## More by Zadie Smith > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [“Pretty girls lie at the centre of straight culture, dyke culture, fag culture. They sell everything, they buy everything, they ruin great men and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/pretty-girls-lie-at-the-centre-of-straight-culture-dyke-culture-fag/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [I cannot believe homosexuality is that much fun. Heterosexuality certainly is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-cannot-believe-homosexuality-is-that-much-fun-heterosexuality/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [“Either everything is sacred or nothing is. And if he starts burning other people’s things, then he loses something sacred also. Everyone gets what’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/either-everything-is-sacred-or-nothing-is-and-if-he-starts-burning/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [My feeling is, having lived in different classes, that people want equality of opportunity... that's the thing that makes me despair: the idea that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/my-feeling-is-having-lived-in-different-classes-that-people-want/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [I don't keep any copies of my books in the house - they go to my mum's flat. I don't like them around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-don-t-keep-any-copies-of-my-books-in-the-house-they-go-to-my-mum-s/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [But it makes an immigrant laugh to hear the fears of the nationalist, scared of infection, penetration, miscegenation, when this is small fry, peanuts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/but-it-makes-an-immigrant-laugh-to-hear-the-fears-of-the-nationalist/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [Oh, I know that. You know me, baby, I cannot be broken. Takes a giant to snap me in half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/oh-i-know-that-you-know-me-baby-i-cannot-be-broken-takes-a-giant-to/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [“In short, it was precisely the kind of friendship and Englishman makes on holiday, that he can make only on holiday. A friendship that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/in-short-it-was-precisely-the-kind-of-friendship-and-englishman-makes/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [I suppose I often think of my writing as quite impersonal. But it turned out, when my father died, writing was exactly what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-suppose-i-often-think-of-my-writing-as-quite-impersonal-but-it/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [“Some of us are happy with our African hair, thank you very much. I don't want some poor Indian girl's hair. And I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/some-of-us-are-happy-with-our-african-hair-thank-you-very-much-i-don/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [You can't state difference and also state equality. We have to state sameness to understand equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-can-t-state-difference-and-also-state-equality-we-have-to-state/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [“(Unlike many others around this time, Joyce felt no shame about using the term 'middle class'. In the Chalfen lexicon the middle classes were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/unlike-many-others-around-this-time-joyce-felt-no-shame-about-using/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [A lot of women, when they're young, feel they have very good friends, and find later on that friendship is complicated. It's easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/a-lot-of-women-when-they-re-young-feel-they-have-very-good-friends/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [Are there other people who, when watching a documentary set in a prison, secretly think, as I have, 'Wish I had all that time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/are-there-other-people-who-when-watching-a-documentary-set-in-a/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) [Explore all 457 Zadie Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) [Nagisa Tatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagisa-tatsumi/) > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-get-nervous-when-i-don-t-get-nervous-if-i-m-nervous-i-know-i-m/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“Every invention comes through anxiousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-wadhwani/every-invention-comes-through-anxiousness/) [Rakesh Wadhwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-wadhwani/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing happens on its own, you have to make things happen. If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes that range across the humanities and the culinary arts--and they never fail to have a fatal effect on my self-esteem. When I find myself sitting at dinner next to someone who knows just as much about novels as I do but has somehow also found the mental space to adore and be knowledgeable about the opera, have strong opinions about the relative rankings of Renaissance painters, an encyclopedic knowledge of the English civil war, of French wines--I feel an anxiety that nudges beyond the envious into the existential. How did she find the time?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zadie Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with-excellent-tastes-that-range/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anxiety" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with-excellent-tastes-that-range/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/zadie-smith-584_anxiety_i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with_34853.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/zadie-smith-584_anxiety_i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with_34853.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/zadie-smith-584_anxiety_i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with_34853.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes that range across the humanities and the culinary…” — Zadie Smith", "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": "Zadie Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I have known many true connoisseurs,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with-excellent-tastes-that-range/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with-excellent-tastes-that-range/#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 } } ] } ```