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haele

(15,514 posts)
3. Smart, Clever, or Wise...?
Fri Apr 24, 2026, 07:10 PM
Friday

Smart and clever people are considered smart because they know things, or can make the next logical step. "I react quickly, have an encyclopedic memory and can figure out quadratic equations in my head" sort of thinking.
Buuuuttttt- they are often blindsided with the consequences of cumulative actions they thought were smart. Looking at the immediate problem, but not recognizing there's underlying factors.

Wise people may not "know things" or be able to come up with a quick answer or quip.
But they know patterns or can see a larger picture, and mentally "see" where stressors, gaps, and weak spots are, like they're doing quantum physics naturally.
A wise person and a smart person together can make great things happen, or can fix complex problems a smart or clever person could have caused by quick thinking or problem solving in isolation.
My in-laws once went to a dinner conference with Jamie Dimon. They thought he was one of the smartest people they've ever met.
Laz answered with "Actually, I'm smarter than him; I could have figured out how to still be making tons of banking money all while planning not to then lose almost half a billion during a bubble crash economists saw coming the year before..."

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