How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
As Colin had explained to Hassan countless times, there's a stark difference between the words prodigy and genius. Prodigies can very quickly learn what other people have already figured out; geniuses discover that which no one has ever previously discovered. Prodigies learn; geniuses do. The vast majority of child prodigies don't become adult geniuses. Colin was almost certain that he was among that unfortunate majority. (2.16)
Why does he feel the need to explain the difference over and over again? Is it because he hasn't earned his stripes when it comes to be a genius? Or is he trying to convince himself of something? We'll let you decide.
Quote #2
The problem was that this most special, magnificent, brilliant boy was—well, not. The Problem itself was that he didn't matter. Colin Singleton, noted child prodigy, noted veteran of Katherine Conflicts, noted nerd and sitzpinkler, didn't matter to Katherine XIX, and he didn't matter to the world. All of a sudden, he wasn't anyone's boyfriend or anyone's genius. And that—to use the kind of complex word you'd expect from a prodigy—blew. (2.17)
We'll take a side of irony with our reading, thanks. Blew isn't the kind of word we'd expect from a prodigy at all. In fact, the more Colin thinks about it, the more he doesn't really seem like a prodigy—he's just a kid who knows how to absorb facts quickly.
Quote #3
His dad paused. He always paused after a question, and then when he did speak, it was in complete sentences without ums or likes or uhs—as if he'd memorized his response. "It pains me to say this, Colin, but if you wish to continue to grow intellectually, you need to work harder right now than you ever have before. Otherwise, you risk wasting your potential." (3.6)
When he tells his parents he's going on a random road trip, Colin gets the standard response from his dad—he's wasting his potential. Ouch. Is all his incessant studying just to prove to his dad that he's lived up to some markers? We're not sure Colin can ever fully reach this magical place where he's certified as a genius.
Quote #4
But I'm past my prime." She laughed. "Seriously. There are studies about this s***. Prodigies tend to hit their peak at, like twelve or thirteen. What have I done? I won a fugging game show a year ago? That's my indelible mark on human history?" (5.102)
You're seventeen and your whole life is ahead of you… most high school grads are thinking about college or jobs, but not Colin. He's already regretting his whole existence because he hasn't become a genius.
Quote #5
"Okay. A smartypants?" Colin laughed. It suited him. No longer a prodigy, not yet a genius—but still a smartypants. "I don't play games," Colin said. "I don't really play much." (7.68)
We love how Lindsey mocks Colin. So what if you're a child prodigy? You can still play games and have fun. Colin's never thought about anything but getting more knowledge, and doesn't even really know how to have fun. Call us stupid, but knowing how to have fun seems like a pretty crucial thing to know to Shmoop.
Quote #6
"Okay," she said. "Here's the thing about storytelling: you need a beginning, and a middle, and an end. Your stories have no plots. They're like, here's something I was thinking and then the next thing I was thinking and then et cetera. You can't get away with rambling. You're Colin Singleton, Beginning Storyteller, so you've got to stick to a straight plot." And you need a good, strong moral. Or a theme or whatever. And the other thing is romance and adventure. You've got to put some of those in." (9.113)
It's funny that Colin (known child prodigy trying to make his way as a genius) needs a lesson from Lindsey on something as simple as telling a story. No one can master everything, but Colin has spent so much time with his head in books that he doesn't know how to function in everyday life.
Quote #7
But he was worried that he might not be enough of a genius to make the connections. He just couldn't imagine a way to correctly predict the other Katherines without screwing up the ones he'd already gotten down pat. And for some reason, his feared lack of genius made him miss K-19 more than he had since his face was pressed flat against his bedroom carpet. The missing piece in his stomach hurt so much—and eventually he stopped thinking about the Theorem and wondered only how something that isn't there can hurt you. (10.23)
Um, okay—Colin really knows how to make a domino effect, and he lets his breakups lead him down a road of despair. First stop? Depression over not being a genius. He puts so much pressure on himself to be a genius that we don't really know if he is all that wise. Smart, yes, but wise?
Quote #8
He believed Colin's development ought to involve a delicate interplay between what he called "active, results-oriented parenting" and Colin's natural predisposition to studying. This basically meant letting Colin study and setting "markers," which were exactly like goals except they were called markers. Colin's father believed that this kind of prodigy—born and then made smarter by the right environment and education—could become a considerable genius, remembered forever. (11.30)
At least Colin's dad's approach is straightforward: all study and no play makes Colin a smart boy. But it's a lot of studying… and for what? We're not sure you can just become a genius one day. There's no checklist to being the most amazing, intelligent person on the planet. (Wait, is there? If one exists, can we see it?)
Quote #9
"But anyway, I can imagine this Katherine now, a little bit. She's clever. And she's just a little mean to you. I think you get off on that. Most guys do. That's how I got Colin, really. Katrina was hotter and wanted him worse. They'd been dating for a while when he fell for me. But she was too easy. I know she's my friend and possibly Hassan's girlfriend and whatever, but Katrina's easier than a four-piece jigsaw puzzle." (14.1)
Lindsey's got it all figured out—she's never even met the Katherines but she can see the game that they're playing with Colin's heart. She can sum up everyone so easily, which makes us think she might be the wisest one of the bunch. She just gets it.
Quote #10
Hassan stood up, smiling through his busted lip. He rubbed the Jew-fro as he walked by, and then paused at the doorway and said, "Me and Thunderstick decided to take our show to college," Hassan said. (17.44)
Finally Hassan registers for college. He sees that everyone else is out and doing while he just sits around on his butt watching reruns of old TV shows. We're always behind someone going to college, but Hassan's enrollment makes us wonder what took him so long. What was he afraid of, or putting off? Why did he say dingleberries almost every time Colin brought it up before this?