What are you getting out of your current behavior? Is that behavior something you want to bring to the current context? If not, stop. If you can't think of a

What are you getting out of your current behavior? Is that behavior something you want to bring to the current context? If not, stop. If you can't think of anything better, then just remain silent. (Silence is easier than trying to generate something you feel is "inauthentic".) If the "smart ass" ;-) reaction is not producing a result you like, why would you continue to employ it? As others have pointed out, there's always more to learn (speaking generally). You may not know what that is, at the outset of an encounter / getting to know someone, but by remaining inoffensive and observant, you have a better chance of finding out. For example, there are some people who can barely add three digit numbers, but who are brilliant -- somehow or other -- at that overused term "social networking". I guess this example is a bit stereo-typical; nonetheless, it exists. There are others. Don't spend excessive time on those who really don't interest you. However, contrary perhaps to initial expectations, being overtly offensive is not necessarily conducive to this. You piss them off, and if this is e.g. at work, you have to spend more and more time dealing with the fallout. Other people you do need or even want to interact with become more reserved or distant or require smoothing over because your interactions put them on edge or on guard. Maybe a martial arts metaphor. If you fight stupidity directly with your own energy, you get stuck and expend a lot in direct effort. If you turn a bit and let it slide on by, you are free to move on to better things, at the same time leaving the other party unaware of what has just happened. Finally, make sure your own house is (really) in order. In general, the better one feels about oneself, the less inclination to be defensive ("fuck you" is a defensive statement). And a tip: Don't conflate having X with feeling good about oneself. It's more about doing than having. (I'll add that people learn better by example than through words. Meaning that verbal responses aren't that useful in addressing problems -- say, ignorance -- anyway. Doing things the right way shows a better way to those capable of getting a clue. As for those who can't get it, make sure your business doesn't depend on them. And when your business is suffering, keep in mind that others are applying the same to you. They may not be investing a lot of energy telling you what your problem is; they are busy moving on.)