Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. — Albert Einstein

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.

Author: Albert Einstein

Insight: We tend to assume that smarter people make fewer mistakes, but this quote points at something harder to admit: intelligence itself doesn't protect you from doing dumb things. Smart people can convince themselves of nonsense. They can be brilliant at their job but terrible at relationships. They can understand physics while making the same life mistake three times over. The gap between what we know and what we actually do is where most of our real problems live. What makes this observation so useful is that it lets us stop treating stupidity like something that happens to other people. Once you notice that intelligent humans do genuinely foolish things—sometimes repeatedly, sometimes spectacularly—you can start asking better questions. Why did I believe that? What was I protecting by not thinking clearly? What did I want so badly that I talked myself into something I knew was wrong? These are the questions that actually move us forward. The universe thing is partly a joke, but it also points at something real: we can measure stars and predict eclipses, but we're still figuring out how to live with each other. Maybe that's because the universe follows rules, and people don't.

Source: Frederick S. Perls, In and Out the Garbage Pail, 1969