“If I was bright, if I was even a little bit smart, I’d have my own little place, an’ I’d be bringin’ in my own crops, ‘stead of doin’ all the work and not getting what comes up outa the ground.”
– John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men, Chapter 3. George appears to believe that if he was a little bit smarter he could achieve his dream of his own place.