#301-1. Some people become so expert at reading between the lines they don't read the lines.
-Margaret Millar, novelist (1915-1994)
#301-2. The point of reading is to make us feel less alone and less confused.
-Alain de Botton, author of The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
#301-3. The fellow reads so much I don't see how he could ever find the time to know anything.
-Anthony De Mello, One Minute Wisdom
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Is there such a thing as being too clever? There is such a thing as showing to be too clever for your own good in a situation. The tendency to overcomplicate has to be guarded against by clever people if they wish to become very clever.
Reading and discussion almost always! reveals that our so-called unique pressures and problems are experienced by others.
Gathering new knowledge and ideas should not become an obsession by itself, one should balance it with reflection, assimilation and application. (Full Disclosure: I know this is sound advice, I cannot claim to be practising it.)
2 comments:
Thanks for these nice quotes RG!
Maybe slightly off-topic, but thought I'd share something about cleverness with you :)
In the IT industry, everyone thinks they are very clever. Everyday we have multitude of discussions, where simple bullet point info is shrouded and obfuscated beneath tons of fluff.After one such recent discussion with a group, I was so annoyed that I thought to myself:
"How can you differentiate between the clever and the foolish? Here's how- Intelligent people simplify, but simpletons complicate."
I found a quote to that same effect on the net:
http://quotationsbook.com/quote/15378/
True. A similar quote, usually attributed to Einstein and sometimes to Schumacher, is:
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction.
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