"The fellow who thinks he knows it all is especially annoying to those of us who do"
About this Quote
A small insult dressed as a wink, Coffin's line lands because it turns a familiar complaint inside out. The obvious target is the blowhard: the guy whose certainty is loud enough to pass for knowledge. But the real punch is the second clause, where the speaker claims membership in the very club the know-it-all pretends to lead. It's a one-two move: mock arrogance, then reveal a different kind of arrogance hiding in plain sight.
The intent isn't to establish who truly "knows it all" (no one does), but to expose how claims of total understanding function socially. "Thinks" does the heavy lifting: Coffin isn't arguing about information so much as attitude. The person who knows a little can be curious; the person who thinks he knows everything is closed, performative, and, crucially, uninterested in listening. That's why he's "annoying": he doesn't merely speak, he forecloses conversation.
The subtext is darker than the breezy wit suggests. The speaker's "those of us who do" satirizes elitism, the quiet satisfaction of the competent watching the incompetent cosplay expertise. It also implicates the reader: if you laughed, did you just volunteer for the smug "us"? Coffin, a writer with a knack for social observation, is channeling a longstanding American irritation with self-importance while admitting that contempt is its own kind of vanity. The joke doesn't resolve that tension; it thrives on it.
The intent isn't to establish who truly "knows it all" (no one does), but to expose how claims of total understanding function socially. "Thinks" does the heavy lifting: Coffin isn't arguing about information so much as attitude. The person who knows a little can be curious; the person who thinks he knows everything is closed, performative, and, crucially, uninterested in listening. That's why he's "annoying": he doesn't merely speak, he forecloses conversation.
The subtext is darker than the breezy wit suggests. The speaker's "those of us who do" satirizes elitism, the quiet satisfaction of the competent watching the incompetent cosplay expertise. It also implicates the reader: if you laughed, did you just volunteer for the smug "us"? Coffin, a writer with a knack for social observation, is channeling a longstanding American irritation with self-importance while admitting that contempt is its own kind of vanity. The joke doesn't resolve that tension; it thrives on it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sarcastic |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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