Danica McKellar

Danica McKellar

31 quotes

Since 1975, American actress, mathematics writer, and education advocate Danica McKellar has given the world some of its most quotable lines. Known for playing Winnie Cooper in the television series The Wonder Years, their words carry the weight of lived experience. Discover 39 of Danica McKellar's most memorable quotes, ranging across Home, Education, Teacher, Movies, and Cool. Perhaps their most recognizable line: "I exercise at home - light cardio and yoga."

“It's really cool when a guy tips 20 per cent quickly and effortlessly so that when the check comes, he opens it and signs his name and done.”

— Danica McKellar

Cool

All Quotes by Danica McKellar

“I exercise at home - light cardio and yoga.”

— Danica McKellar

Home

“I never had little brothers, so I was totally not used to hearing a lot of cussing at a young age! I learned what 'pull my finger' meant the hard way.”

— Danica McKellar

Age

“My main concern with the condition of mathematics in high school is that there's a lot of fear involved! Math is not, generally speaking, presented in a fun way. The concepts, as I see them, are fun, and that's the way I'd like to convey them myself.”

— Danica McKellar

Fear

“I recognize that I have a unique position to be a role model to young girls because I am doing something that they consider glamorous, which is acting, and yet I took a time to really get my education and study mathematics, and I think math is the cat's meow.”

— Danica McKellar

Education

“I tell students that even if they don't like math right now, they can use math as a brain-sharpening tool - a tool that not only builds the foundation for a great career, but that also builds self-confidence, no matter what they choose to do with their lives.”

— Danica McKellar

Great

“Look at Jessica Simpson. She's famous for being dumb. I guess it started with Marylyn Monroe, and she actually wasn't that dumb, but that's how she was perceived - and that's what got popular.”

— Danica McKellar

Famous

“What I got which was unusual, especially as a child actress, was parents who believed that Hollywood was not that important. They told us education, family, health, all come first and they meant it.”

— Danica McKellar

Education

“One of the most amazing things about mathematics is the people who do math aren't usually interested in application, because mathematics itself is truly a beautiful art form. It's structures and patterns, and that's what we love, and that's what we get off on.”

— Danica McKellar

Amazing

“I didn't think that college math was for me. I didn't think I'd be able to hack it. And that perception of math not being for girls, not being for girls who see themselves as socially well adjusted has got to change.”

— Danica McKellar

Change

“Believe it or not, lots of people change their majors and abandon their dreams just to avoid a couple of math classes in college.”

— Danica McKellar

Change

“I played Winnie Cooper on 'The Wonder Years' from ages 12-18, and did a few other movies during some of the summers.”

— Danica McKellar

Movies

“In high school, a teacher once suggested that I be a math major in college. I thought, 'Me? You've got to be joking!' I mean, in junior high, I used to come home and cry because I was so afraid of my math homework. Seriously, I was terrified of math.”

— Danica McKellar

Home

“I had done quite a bit of research about math education when I spoke before Congress in 2000 about the importance of women in mathematics. The session of Congress was all about raising more scholarships for girls in college. I told them I felt that it's too late by college.”

— Danica McKellar

Education

“I love surprises - champagne and strawberries, all that pampering, romantic stuff. Guys ought to know how to pamper their women properly.”

— Danica McKellar

Romantic

“My husband is a composer, so he plays piano all the time and I sit there and clap telling my unborn child, 'Hear me clap, hear the music.' I know music, in general, is supposed to be good for babies to hear.”

— Danica McKellar

Music

“I wasn't in school often enough to really belong to a 'clique,' but my friends all studied hard and got pretty good grades. They were good people with self-respect. I still like to be friends with people I admire something about I really believe that we become like the people we're surrounded by, so I choose my friends carefully!”

— Danica McKellar

Good

“I want to help middle-school girls stay interested in math and be good at it, and see it as friendly and accessible and not this scary thing. Everyone else in society tells them it's not for them. It's for nerdy white guys with pocket protectors.”

— Danica McKellar

Society

“When I was little, we had a Golden Book that had all these Disney characters in one portrait on the first page. My dad used to read from it every night. We'd play this game of find Pluto or find Donald Duck. He'd read us stories and do all the voices. Those are great memories.”

— Danica McKellar

Dad

“When you do take the home pregnancy test, it doesn't quite seem real. But when you see the baby and the heartbeat on the ultrasound, it's so incredible.”

— Danica McKellar

Home

“Most of the time I liked school and got good grades. In junior high, though, I hit a stumbling block with math - I used to come home and cry because of how frustrated I was! But after a few good teachers and a lot of perseverance, I ended up loving math and even choosing it as a major when I got to college.”

— Danica McKellar

Home