Why Brilliant People Always Question Their Intelligence

The problem with the world is that intelligent people are full of doubts while the stupid ones are full of confidence. — Charles Bukowski

Some things in this life just aren’t what they seem. People who are less than intelligent may think highly of themselves. On the other hand, more brilliant persons may seriously wonder about their intelligence levels.

Why is that?

In this article, I will try to demystify this notion. Let’s dive into the learning part.

Not afraid to admit that they don’t know everything

Some of the most brilliant people on the planet are the ones who are more than willing to acknowledge that they don’t know everything.

There is no shame in not knowing something. The shame is in not being willing to learn. — Alison Croggon

They don’t think twice about accepting that to people in their surroundings, either. It isn’t uncommon for intelligent individuals to be unable to answer questions that are posed to them by others.

They frequently deal with answers that are unknown to them simply by requesting “rain-checks” of sorts.

Always updating their ideas

What else makes amazingly intelligent people classify themselves as being “stupid,” anyway?

Smart people tend to work in progress.

They’re not stubborn about their opinions and ideas at all. In fact, they thrive on perpetually assessing the way they view things.

They thrive on completely revamping their views in general. Intelligent people have no qualms about starting at zero.

Surround yourself with intelligent people

Smart people may think they’re stupid, thanks to the company they keep.

It’s understandable that brilliant individuals go the extra mile to be around so-called “geniuses.” Simply because they’re passionate about self-improvement.

They know that they can get a lot out of being around highly successful people. Since smart people dedicate a lot of time and energy to being around the brightest minds society offers, it’s no huge surprise that they often do not feel like big deals themselves.

They have to compete with people who know so much about politics, literature, mathematics, science, philosophy, culture, the arts, and the whole nine yards.

In a nutshell, they are keenly aware of all of the competition that exists in this world. They know a lot about odds.

That explains a lot of why they don’t usually assume that they’re the best and the brightest.

Perpetual learner

I should think I’m going to be a perpetual student. — Anton Chekhov

One cannot become brilliant without setting aside time for in-depth learning. Smart people often think they’re stupid simply because they know about all of the information that’s floating around.

They soak up so many facts daily. That reminds them that they still have so much to learn and don’t know much at all at the end of the day.

The reality is that it’s hard for any individual to be an expert in a vast assortment of topics. People usually only specialize in a handful of disciplines at most. I will leave you with this quote.

Once you stop learning, you start dying. — Albert Einstein

Thank you for reading; follow me and clap a couple of times.

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