What should I do if I'm carrying an abstract algebra book around and someone thinks I'm doing remedial algebra (Quora Answer)

With all due respect, you haven't cared about such people since you first started rocking Serre's 'A Course in Arithmetic' or Jacobson's 'Basic Algebra II'. The whole point of your lifestyle choice is to scare away lesser spirits so you can get some serious math done.

And this way, when you meet a pair of identical twin swimsuit models who say 'Wow. Want to come over to our place and pick our way through Grothendieck's later correspondence?' you'll know they're serious about what really matters, and not a couple of airheads trying to distract you with meaningless physical intimacy.

- Eric Weinstein on Quora