Marilyn Vos Savant Quotes

Powerful Marilyn Vos Savant for Daily Growth

About Marilyn Vos Savant

Marilyn Vos Savant, born on August 11, 1946, in St. Louis, Missouri, is an American columnist, lecturer, playwright, television personality, and former child prodigy known for her extraordinary mental ability. Raised in a family that valued intellectual pursuits, she began displaying signs of exceptional intelligence at an early age. At the age of ten, Marilyn was tested and scored a 228 on an IQ test, which at the time was the highest verified IQ score ever recorded for a person under eighteen years old. This earned her recognition as a child prodigy in the Guinness Book of World Records. Marilyn's professional journey began in the late 1970s when she started writing a weekly advice column, "Ask Marilyn," for Parade magazine. The column, which still runs today, offers advice on a wide range of topics, from parenting to relationships to mental puzzles. In 1986, she gained further fame with the creation of her popular Sunday column, "The Last Word," where she presents intellectual challenges to her readers. Marilyn's influence extends beyond print media. She has appeared on numerous television shows, including 'Jeopardy!', where she holds the record for the highest single-game winnings by a female contestant. Her work in popularizing and demystifying intellectual concepts has inspired countless individuals to engage with complex ideas. Throughout her career, Marilyn has advocated for education reform, particularly in mathematics and critical thinking. She has written several books, including "The Concordance of the Bible" and "Brain Building: The Power of Mental Practice." Despite facing criticism and skepticism throughout her life, Marilyn Vos Savant continues to challenge perceptions and inspire intellectual curiosity.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"One can never really be strong until one has been weak. One can never be happy until one has known misery."

This quote emphasizes that strength and happiness are not inherent but often result from overcoming adversity or experiencing hardship. In other words, to truly appreciate the resilience we possess and the joy in life, we must have faced difficulties that test our limits. Only then can we fully comprehend our own capacity for endurance and truly savor moments of contentment and peace.


"A great many people even nowadays are still in thrall to the idea that geniuses are weird and eccentric and unbalanced, when in fact genius is nothing more nor less than highly specialized knowledge."

This quote by Marilyn Vos Savant emphasizes that the common perception of genius as being associated with eccentricity, instability, or imbalance, is a misconception. Instead, she posits that genius lies in deep, specialized knowledge, rather than in strange behavior or unbalanced personalities. In other words, true genius is not defined by character traits but by the depth and breadth of one's understanding in a specific area.


"The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence."

This quote by Marilyn Vos Savant emphasizes that as parents, we should strive to instill two essential qualities in our children: responsibility and independence. Giving them 'roots' of responsibility means teaching them a strong foundation of values, morals, and accountability for their actions. The 'wings of independence', on the other hand, signifies the ability to think critically, make decisions, and navigate life independently. This balance allows children to grow into confident, self-reliant adults who understand their role in society while having the freedom to explore their potential.


"I'd rather be happy than right any day."

This quote highlights that prioritizing happiness over being "right" emphasizes a person's emotional well-being above maintaining a position or argument, even when it might mean conceding in a debate or discussion. It underscores the importance of empathy, understanding, and maintaining positive relationships as valuable qualities that often surpass the need to be correct or vindicated.


"Everyone is a genius at least once in his life; my trouble began when I used up my genious prematurely."

The quote suggests that everyone has extraordinary potential or brilliance within them, which may manifest itself in a specific moment or period of their lives. However, the individual's problem arises when they exhaust this genius too early, leaving them without a reservoir to draw upon for future accomplishments and growth. In other words, the challenge lies in nurturing and preserving one's natural talent throughout life rather than squandering it prematurely.


Be able to defend your arguments in a rational way. Otherwise, all you have is an opinion.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Defend, Able, Otherwise, Argument

Be in the habit of experimenting with your clothing so that you don't get stuck for life with a self-image developed over the course of high school.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Over, Self-Image, Your, Clothing

Have enough sense to know, ahead of time, when your skills will not extend to wallpapering.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Funny, Skills, Will, Extend

Make a habit of canceling every subscription to anything you don't have time to read.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Time, Habit, Read, Subscription

Be able to blow out a dinner candle without sending wax flying across the table.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Candle, Able, Across, Sending

Many people feel they must multi-task because everybody else is multitasking, but this is partly because they are all interrupting each other so much.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Feel, Other, Everybody, Interrupting

People who work crossword puzzles know that if they stop making progress, they should put the puzzle down for a while.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Work, Making, While, Puzzles

Spending waiting moments doing crossword puzzles or reading a book you brought yourself.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Doing, Crossword, Spending, Puzzles

Be able to draw an illustration as least well enough to get your point across to another person.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Another, Least, Draw, Illustration

Be able to analyze statistics, which can be used to support or undercut almost any argument.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Argument, Which, Almost, Analyze

At first, I only laughed at myself. Then I noticed that life itself is amusing. I've been in a generally good mood ever since.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Myself, Mood, Been, Good Mood

Multi-tasking arises out of distraction itself.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Distraction, Out, Itself, Arises

Scientists and creationists are always at odds, of course.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Always, Course, Scientists, Odds

Know how to behave at a buffet. Take a clean plate for a second helping.

- Marilyn vos Savant

How, Behave, Take, Buffet

Know how to effectively voice a complaint or make a claim at a retail store.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Voice, How, Complaint, Claim

Be able to notice all the confusion between fact and opinion that appears in the news.

- Marilyn vos Savant

News, Fact, Able, Confusion

I suspect that some apparently homosexual people are really heterosexuals who deeply phobic about the opposite sex or have other emotional problems.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Sex, Some, Other, Homosexual

Be able to recognize many of the major constellations and know the stories behind them.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Behind, Stories, Major, Constellations

Working in an office with an array of electronic devices is like trying to get something done at home with half a dozen small children around. The calls for attention are constant.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Small, Constant, Half, Array

Know what to do if you feel faint or dizzy, especially if you might fall and hit your head.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Fall, Head, Hit, Faint

What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom 'to' and freedom 'from.'

- Marilyn vos Savant

Balance, Perfect, Delicate, Maintaining

Know the official post office abbreviations for all 50 states without having to consult a list.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Having, 50 States, Official, Post Office

Be able to tell whether garments that look good on the hanger actually look good on you.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Able, Actually, Whether, Garments

I believe that one can indeed work on two or more tasks at once, but in ways yet to be understood.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Work, More, I Believe That, Tasks

Society needs people who can manage projects in addition to handling individual tasks.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Society, Needs, Projects, Tasks

Avoid using cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs as alternatives to being an interesting person.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Alcohol, Person, Using, Cigarettes

Be able to meet any deadline, even if your work is done less well than it would be if you had all the time you would have preferred.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Work, Had, Your, Deadline

Have you ever noticed that when you must struggle to hear something, you close your eyes?

- Marilyn vos Savant

Must, Noticed, Ever, Struggle

Skill is successfully walking a tightrope between the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center. Intelligence is not trying.

- Marilyn vos Savant

New, Center, Successfully, Towers

Know how to treat frostbite until you can get indoors.

- Marilyn vos Savant

Treat, How, Get, Indoors

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