TV Quote of the Day (‘The Big Bang Theory,’ As Sheldon Encounters Nemesis Wil Wheaton)

“Well, well, well, if it isn't Wil Wheaton. The Green Goblin to my Spider Man. The Pope Paul V to my Galileo. The Internet Explorer to my Firefox.” —Dr. Sheldon Cooper [played by Jim Parsons], to bowling rival Will Wheaton, in The Big Bang Theory, Season 3, Episode 19, “The Wheaton Recurrence,” original air date Apr 12, 2010, teleplay by Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, and David Goetsch, directed by Mark Cendrowski

Quote of the Day (Wil Wheaton, on Nerds and a Changing World)

“[W]hen I was growing up, being a nerd meant that I liked things that were a little weird, that took a lot of effort to appreciate and understand. It meant that I loved science, playing board games, reading books, and really understanding what went on in the world instead of just riding the planet through space.

“When I was a little boy, people really teased me about that and made me feel like there was something wrong with me for loving those things. Now that I’m an adult, I’m a professional nerd, and the world has changed. I think we have realized that being a nerd is not about what you love but about how you love.”— Actor-writer Wil Wheaton, “Why It’s Great To Be a Nerd,” Reader’s Digest, January 2014

I hope that elementary and high school students read this quote and come to understand, sooner rather than later, than it’s okay to be yourself, even if it does mean that some others may regard you as a nerd.

Maybe you’ll even grow up to star in the next iteration of the Star Trek franchise, or even guest star in The Big Bang Theory: The Next Generation.

(The photo accompanying this post, of Wil Wheaton speaking at the 2012 Phoenix Comicon in Phoenix, Arizona, was taken by Gage Skidmore May 27, 2012 and posted on Flickr: Wil Wheaton.)