a scholar in me

I think there is a scholar in me. When I read this account of Parker Palmer on why he was not suited to be a scholar, I saw in who he was not, who I was.

A scholar is committed to building on knowledge that others have gathered, correcting it, confirming it, enlarging it. But I have always wanted to think my own thoughts about a subject without being overly influenced by what others have thought before me. If you catch me reading a book in private, it is likely to be a novel, some poetry, a mystery, or an essay that defies classification, rather than a text directly related to whatever I am writing at the time. (p. 27)

He goes on to elaborate how so... You know... I don't like fiction books and I like to read what is related to my writing, so I can write it better. But I also like metaphoric language and all... I see a scholar in me.

Palmer, Parker (2000). Let your life speak: Listening for the voice of vocation. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco