“I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.”
Humility might not have been Oscar Wilde’s most formidable characteristic, but countless people agree that he is one of the most memorable writers in the history of the English language. Indeed, great thinkers inspire us with their profundity, and motivate us to work more on our own intellectual development.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the greatest thinkers in history and what they have to say about intelligence itself and how we should value it.
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”
Kierkegaard’s fairly blunt statement about human tendencies might shock people upon first glance. But if you stop to think about it, there is a great deal of wisdom in this statement. What did he really mean?
The point is that people tend to react to situations far too quickly. The answer to difficult, new, or surprising things is often one that requires careful consideration. While Kierkegaard himself was more concerned with religion and the place of the individual within Danish society in the 19th century, his words are widely applicable. Wise people are those who take the time to pause and think through things carefully. A hasty reaction is usually a faulty one.
“It takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently.”
This line from Crime and Punishment was penned to refer to the character of Petr Petrovich in Dostoevsky’s famous novel. The sentiment, however, is certainly a universal one. The notion that people will usually do the right thing simply because they are intellectually gifted is clearly a faulty one.
Smart people are highly influenced by their surroundings, in fact. If you are born with a high IQ but happen to grow up in a dysfunctional household, your chances of becoming a success in life are questionable. And even those that do grow up in nurturing atmospheres can go awry. The point is that intelligence and morality are two distinctly separate things. Wisdom is something that needs to be honed continuously throughout life.
“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”
Alan Alda is surely going to be remembered as the star of a popular sitcom more than anything. But his insight on life is much deeper than many people realize. We all tend to impose our preconceived notions on the things we see and experience around us. Indeed, it’s how we make sense of the world.
But we shouldn’t be too presumptuous about any one worldview being the only legitimate one. Every person should keep in mind that no matter how he or she was raised, there are many different ways of looking at life, and we should always remain open to other possibilities.
“I not only use all the brains that I have, but all I can borrow.”
People might look back at the League of Nations as a comparative failure in terms of global attempts to bring together the world’s nations. However, Woodrow Wilson had a groundbreaking idea for his time. At the end of World War I – what was then deemed “the war to end all wars” – Wilson felt that the only way to prevent future catastrophes of the scale that the world had just witnessed was to bring everyone together and force them to communicate.
We all know what happened after this, but nonetheless this idea paved the way for global collaboration in many different areas. And Wilson’s fundamental idea remains critical, namely that people cannot act alone, but rather progress is the result of collaborative efforts and shared effort. Although we still haven’t reached the point where we can solve global problems through individual institutions, at least the world’s nations have forums where they can discuss pressing issues together.
CerebrumIQ puts it all together for you
There is now a groundbreaking new product on the market that will help you refine your cognitive abilities and increase your IQ score to levels you probably never before thought possible. CerebrumIQ uses a revolutionary new idea to break apart different cognitive functions and allow you to focus on them individually. Intelligence is not a single attribute, after all. It involves many different parts that are combined together in complicated ways. The only way of really making yourself smarter is to work on each of these functions individually. And this is what you will get with CerebrumIQ. It is the first true IQ test on the market.
While historical quotes on intelligence provide valuable insights and inspiration, understanding your own intellectual capabilities can be just as enlightening. Taking an IQ test can offer a detailed analysis of your cognitive strengths and weaknesses, helping you to better understand and develop your intellectual potential. Discover where you stand and gain personalized feedback by taking our online IQ test. This can be a great step toward personal growth and achieving your intellectual goals.
Try CerebrumIQ, and develop clever ideas of your own
Ok, so you may never reach the likes of Oscar Wilde or Kierkegaard. But you can learn to improve your intellectual functions in remarkable ways with CerebrumIQ. Give it a try today, and you will surely see your intellectual skills becoming sharper as you go along.
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