I May Be Dumb But I’m Not Stupid Origin

This humorous phrase is often attributed to former Steeler quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who used it when he was a football commentator. However, the phrase can be found in print much earlier, suggesting it had been around for years before Bradshaw used it.

One of the earliest examples is an issue of Flying Magazine from October 1968:

Jack shot the works on this one, made circles with plus and minus quadrants, simplified the whole thing by introducing the concept of modified relative bearing and I kept nodding my head, eyes vacant. I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid. After a few tries, I worked out a system…

The saying is also found in Rossal James Johnson’s Executive Decisions (1970):

“You haven’t discussed that with anyone else, have you?”

“No, not at all. I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid! I’ve got enough problems.”

The English words dumb and stupid mean the same thing. This humorous quip, then, is a way of saying, “I may be stupid, but I’m not as stupid as you think I am.” While the phrase may be modern, the concept is not. It is similar to the

Another variation is “I may look dumb, but I’m not stupid.” This is similar to the synonymous phrase “I’m not as dumb (stupid) as I look.”