Nerds don't just happen to dress informally. They do it too consistently. Consciously or not, they dress informally as a prophylactic measure against stupidity.

The strongest man in the world is the man who stands alone.

—Thomas H. Huxley

Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion… or you shall learn nothing.

—Thomas H. Huxley

Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.

—Thomas H. Huxley

The great tragedy of Science—the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.

—Thomas H. Huxley

Dressing up is inevitably a substitute for good ideas. It is no coincidence that technically inept business types are known as "suits.

—Robert Half

Ability will never catch up with the demand for it.

—Paul Graham

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.

—Paul Graham

It is a great ability to be able to conceal one's ability.

—Henry David Thoreau