"In our society those who are in reality superior in intelligence can be accepted by their fellows only if they pretend they are not"
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Mannes is diagnosing a social tax on brains: intelligence is tolerated only when it performs humility. The line isn’t a celebration of modesty so much as a warning about the soft authoritarianism of “fitting in,” where the crowd polices not just behavior but the very display of competence. Her phrasing is slyly surgical. “In reality superior” suggests a measurable difference, yet “accepted” is the real currency. The problem isn’t being smart; it’s making other people feel unsmart. So the gifted learn the choreography of self-erasure: soften the vocabulary, laugh at your own point, ask questions you already know the answers to, turn clarity into a joke.
The subtext is about power. Intelligence threatens informal hierarchies built on seniority, charm, conformity, or brute confidence. Pretending not to be smart becomes a survival strategy, especially for people who already occupy precarious social positions: women in male-dominated rooms, newcomers in prestige institutions, anyone whose competence can be recast as arrogance. Mannes, a mid-century journalist and critic, would have watched this play out in editorial offices and cultural circles where sharpness was valued on the page but punished in the meeting.
The intent is also quietly accusatory toward “their fellows.” The group isn’t just indifferent; it’s gatekeeping. Acceptance is conditional on self-censorship, which means the society she’s describing systematically discourages the very trait it claims to admire. It’s a neat paradox: we praise intelligence in the abstract, then demand its practitioners act as if they don’t have it.
The subtext is about power. Intelligence threatens informal hierarchies built on seniority, charm, conformity, or brute confidence. Pretending not to be smart becomes a survival strategy, especially for people who already occupy precarious social positions: women in male-dominated rooms, newcomers in prestige institutions, anyone whose competence can be recast as arrogance. Mannes, a mid-century journalist and critic, would have watched this play out in editorial offices and cultural circles where sharpness was valued on the page but punished in the meeting.
The intent is also quietly accusatory toward “their fellows.” The group isn’t just indifferent; it’s gatekeeping. Acceptance is conditional on self-censorship, which means the society she’s describing systematically discourages the very trait it claims to admire. It’s a neat paradox: we praise intelligence in the abstract, then demand its practitioners act as if they don’t have it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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