Mary Roach Quotes

It is easy to be seen as either a genius or a crank. If you have a Ph.D., at least you somewhat lower the chances that you will be seen as a crank.

When you write a book, you're an expert, and people look at you in a different way.

Writing a book makes you an expert in the field. At the very least, when you hand someone a book you wrote, it's more impressive than handing a business card.

...academic credentials are neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for having your ideas taken seriously. If a famous professor repeatedly says stupid things, then tries to claim he never said them, there's no rule against calling him a mendacious idiot - and no special qualifications required to make that pronouncement other than doing your own homework.Conversely, if someone without formal credentials consistently makes trenchant, insightful observations, he or she has earned the right to be taken seriously, regardless of background.

Turning Intellect Into Influence

I've been very, very careful to tell people what I am qualified to talk about and what I'm not qualified to talk about.

One is sometimes meant to reassure the reader that she's qualified to write about a certain topic.

For a man with an impressive educational C.V., Ben Carson makes a lot of intellectual missteps.

Democrats, myself included, tend to respect and value expertise and find that people who have established a record of accuracy and developed a model that's proven to be beneficial over time should be people accorded great deference when they opine on a topic that they have demonstrated past mastery over.

I strongly discourage any intellectuals, regardless of race, from speaking on matters for which they have limited or no expertise.

People can tell if you don't know what you're talking about.

Women need to make sure they know what they're talking about. You can't just plant yourself in front of a camera and be pretty because that's just not good enough. It's just not a respectable way about building one's career - in sports or anywhere on TV.

When you have someone who's been there and done it at the highest level, at a World Cup, you have to respect him.

You can't say Charles doesn't know what he's talking about.

Of course, I'd love to be regarded as a voice of authority.

CIA has been treated with enormous respect and our expertise is valued for what we bring to the table.

You have to be able to deep dive and know your stuff, otherwise you'll get called out on it.

Musicians always respected me because they knew I'm a huge music lover and I know what I'm talking about.

It's weird: you do a TED talk on something, and people think that you suddenly have a lot of answers around the topic.

If you're going to make comments on economy, study economy. If you're gonna make comments on world history, make sure you learn world history. If you're gonna save lives and be a doctor, you need to study medicine. Then, you will be able to make comments on economy, on medicine, and on world history.

I'm not some schmuck they just hired and threw down in the Performance Center and gave him an entrance or anything that like. I've been around enough and have enough experience; I know what I'm doing pretty much.

Trust the expert. -Experto credite

Trust one who has gone through it.

Don't put my faith in nobody, not even a scientist.

I am not a scientist, but I don't need to be.