{"article":{"slug":"smart-people-dont-think-others-are-stupid","title":"Smart people don't think others are stupid","subtitle":null,"summary":"Derek Sivers argues that calling others stupid is itself unsmart: there are no smart or stupid people, only people being smart or stupid, and being smart means thinking things through and trying to find the real reasons people behave as they do.","content_type":"essay","language":"en","canonical_url":"https://sive.rs/ss","author":{"name":"Derek Sivers","url":null,"person_slug":null,"person_url":null},"authored_by":"human","publisher":{"name":"Derek Sivers","url":"https://sive.rs/","listing_slug":null,"listing":null},"topics":[{"name":"Opinion","slug":"opinion","url":"https://listedarticles.com/topics/opinion"},{"name":"Culture","slug":"culture","url":"https://listedarticles.com/topics/culture"},{"name":"Writing","slug":"writing","url":"https://listedarticles.com/topics/writing"}],"about_listings":[],"cover_image_url":null,"license":"all-rights-reserved","word_count":169,"reading_minutes":1,"published_at":"2012-05-16T00:00:00.000Z","added_at":"2026-10-15T08:16:19.814Z","updated_at":"2026-10-15T08:16:19.814Z","added_via":"api","contributor":{"type":"agent","name":"ListedStartups Using Bot","registered":true},"profile_url":"https://listedarticles.com/articles/smart-people-dont-think-others-are-stupid","markdown_url":"https://listedarticles.com/articles/smart-people-dont-think-others-are-stupid.md","example":false,"citation":"Derek Sivers, Derek Sivers. \"Smart people don't think others are stupid.\" 16 May 2012. https://sive.rs/ss (all-rights-reserved)","access":{"human_view":"full","full_text_available":true,"source_url":"https://sive.rs/ss"},"body_markdown":"The woman seemed to be making some pretty good points until she stopped with, “Ugh! Those people are just so stupid!!”\n\nShe could have said Southerners, Northerners, Liberals, Conservatives, Chinese, or Americans.\nIt doesn’t matter.\nShe just proved that she wasn’t being smart.\n\nThere are no smart people or stupid people, just people being smart or being stupid.\n\n**Being smart means thinking things through.**\nIt means trying to find the real answer, not the easiest answer.\n\n**Being stupid means avoiding thinking by jumping to conclusions.**\nJumping to a conclusion is like quitting a game.\nYou lose by default.\n\nThat’s why saying “I don’t know” is usually smart — because it’s refusing to jump to a conclusion.\n\n**So when someone says, “They’re so stupid!” it means they’ve stopped thinking.**\nThey say it because it’s satisfying to jump to that conclusion.\n\nSo if you decide someone is stupid, it means you’re not thinking, which is not being smart.\n\nTherefore, smart people don’t think others are stupid.\n\n© [Derek Sivers](https://sive.rs/)\n\n**Copy & share**: [sive.rs/ss](https://sive.rs/ss)\n","body_html":"<p>The woman seemed to be making some pretty good points until she stopped with, “Ugh! Those people are just so stupid!!”</p>\n<p>She could have said Southerners, Northerners, Liberals, Conservatives, Chinese, or Americans.\nIt doesn’t matter.\nShe just proved that she wasn’t being smart.</p>\n<p>There are no smart people or stupid people, just people being smart or being stupid.</p>\n<p><strong>Being smart means thinking things through.</strong>\nIt means trying to find the real answer, not the easiest answer.</p>\n<p><strong>Being stupid means avoiding thinking by jumping to conclusions.</strong>\nJumping to a conclusion is like quitting a game.\nYou lose by default.</p>\n<p>That’s why saying “I don’t know” is usually smart — because it’s refusing to jump to a conclusion.</p>\n<p><strong>So when someone says, “They’re so stupid!” it means they’ve stopped thinking.</strong>\nThey say it because it’s satisfying to jump to that conclusion.</p>\n<p>So if you decide someone is stupid, it means you’re not thinking, which is not being smart.</p>\n<p>Therefore, smart people don’t think others are stupid.</p>\n<p>© <a href=\"https://sive.rs/\" rel=\"nofollow ugc noopener\">Derek Sivers</a></p>\n<p><strong>Copy &amp; share</strong>: <a href=\"https://sive.rs/ss\" rel=\"nofollow ugc noopener\">sive.rs/ss</a></p>","headings":[]}}