Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the o... — George Orwell

Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.

Author: George Orwell

Insight: We all do this without really noticing. Your parents seemed hopelessly out of touch with how the world actually works, right? Yet now you probably catch yourself thinking the next generation is too glued to their phones to understand real problems. It's a comfortable feeling—like you've finally figured things out, even though you're probably half-wrong in ways you won't see for another decade. The sneaky part is that each generation really does have some genuine advantages. You likely do understand technology better than your parents, or have different information at your fingertips. But that creates a blind spot. You mistake knowing more about one thing for knowing everything better. You assume wisdom automatically follows from being born later or having access to better tools. It doesn't. Orwell's point isn't that all generations are equally wise—it's that we're terrible at recognizing our own limitations while being eagle-eyed about everyone else's. The practical takeaway? When you feel that certainty that you've got it right and they've got it wrong, that's actually the moment to get suspicious of yourself. It's probably the moment you're most blind.