You wouldn’t be normal if you were never afraid. Even the bravest men experience fear. One of the biggest jobs we all face in combat is to overcome fear.
Joseph HellerRead
In short, Clevinger was one of those people with lots of intelligence and no brains, and everyone knew it except those who soon found it out.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques individuals who possess intelligence but lack practical judgment.
This quote by Joseph Heller reflects on the irony of intelligence without understanding, highlighting how some people may be recognized for their intelligence yet remain unaware of their own limitations in common sense or practical thinking. It suggests that it is often those who are closest to such individuals who eventually perceive this disconnect, portraying a profound truth about self-awareness and the nature of human intelligence.
Themes
IntelligenceWisdomSelf-AwarenessJudgmentIronies
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the importance of practical experience in education.
More from Joseph Heller
All quotes →History did not demand Yossarian's premature demise, justice could be satisfied without it, progress did not hinge upon it, victory did not depend on it. That men would die was a matter of necessity; WHICH men would die, though, was a matter of circumstance, and Yossarian was willing to be the victim of anything but circumstance. But that was war. Just about all he could find in its favor was that it paid well and liberated children from the pernicious influence of their parents.
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The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on.
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He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt.
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Hungry Joe collected lists of fatal diseases and arranged them in alphabetical order so that he could put his finger without delay on any one he wanted to worry about.
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The country was in peril; he was jeopardizing his traditional rights of freedom and independence by daring to exercise them.
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