Danica McKellar Quotes

A collection of quotes by Danica McKellar.

Danica McKellar is an American actress, mathematician, and author. She was born on January 3, 1975, in La Jolla, California. McKellar is best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in the hit TV series "The Wonder Years," which aired from 1988 to 1993. Her performance in the show earned her critical acclaim and three Young Artist Awards.

After "The Wonder Years," McKellar appeared in various television shows and films, including "Inspector Mom," "How I Met Your Mother," and "The Big Bang Theory." She also lent her voice to several animated series, such as "Young Justice" and "DC Super Hero Girls."

Beyond her acting career, McKellar has a strong passion for mathematics. She graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics in 1998. In 2005, she co-authored a groundbreaking research paper, known as the Chayes–McKellar–Winn theorem, which focuses on statistical mechanics and graph theory. McKellar aims to inspire young girls to pursue STEM subjects and has authored several math books, including the best-selling "Math Doesn't Suck" and "Kiss My Math."

Danica McKellar continues to work in the entertainment industry while balancing her passion for mathematics and promoting education. She is actively involved in advocating for girls' empowerment and encouraging their interest in mathematics and science.

If anyone tells you it's impossible to be fabulous and smart

If anyone tells you it's impossible to be fabulous and smart and make a ton of money using math, well, they can just get in line behind you - and kiss your math.

Danica McKellar


I exercise at home - light cardio and yoga.

I exercise at home - light cardio and yoga.

Danica McKellar


I just love math and most people don't.

I just love math and most people don't.

Danica McKellar

Love People

When you do take the home pregnancy test, it doesn't quite s

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

I love acting. Acting is a true love of mine, acting and mat

I love acting. Acting is a true love of mine, acting and math. Although they are both creative, they use very different sides of your brain. And I love both.

Danica McKellar

Love

It's really cool when a guy tips 20 per cent quickly and eff

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

In high school, a teacher once suggested that I be a math ma

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 recognize that I have a unique position to be a role model

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,

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

Believe it or not, lots of people change their majors and ab

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 never had little brothers, so I was totally not used to he

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

Find your self-respect now. Don't dumb yourselves down. Thin

Find your self-respect now. Don't dumb yourselves down. Think of yourself as capable and worthy of finding a guy who is going to respect you, too. It's so important, I mean, and the confidence you get from feeling smart and tackling something like mathematics, which is a challenge, right? Math is hard.

Danica McKellar

Respect

Look at Jessica Simpson. She's famous for being dumb. I gues

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

People talk about 'getting rid of the old image', and I gues

People talk about 'getting rid of the old image', and I guess there's some merit in that. But the truth is that people loved 'The Wonder Years' - I can't turn my back on it.

Danica McKellar

Truth

My main concern with the condition of mathematics in high sc

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 wasn't in school often enough to really belong to a 'cliqu

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 used to love to go to the movies - I'd see two in a row. A

I used to love to go to the movies - I'd see two in a row. A few times I even snuck into the second movie after it started... now that I think about it, that's kind of like shoplifting! Needless to say, I still love going to the movies, but I don't sneak in anymore.

Danica McKellar

Movies

I played Winnie Cooper on 'The Wonder Years' from ages 12-18

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

Students never think it can be the teacher's fault and so I

Students never think it can be the teacher's fault and so I thought I was stupid. I was frustrated and would come home and cry because I couldn't do it. Then we got a new teacher who made math accessible. That made all the difference and I learned that it's how you present it that makes it scary or friendly.

Danica McKellar

Home

I know we can't always know what medical surprises may happe

I know we can't always know what medical surprises may happen during childbirth. But my hope is to go fully natural - no epidural, no interventions. Wish me luck.

Danica McKellar

Hope