The smartest people I know have the following in common:
- They are the most knowledgeable person in the room in their topic of interest. That takes obsession.
- They surround themselves by other smart people constantly
- In large groups of smart people they are perfectly happy to ask questions even if they are wrong. E.g in a maths seminar will debate, and often get beaten by the subject expert.
I often wonder if the latter - asking "stupid" questions to experts in a field - is something that was there before they were at the top. Anyone else noticed this?
- They are the most knowledgeable person in the room in their topic of interest. That takes obsession.
- They surround themselves by other smart people constantly
- In large groups of smart people they are perfectly happy to ask questions even if they are wrong. E.g in a maths seminar will debate, and often get beaten by the subject expert.
I often wonder if the latter - asking "stupid" questions to experts in a field - is something that was there before they were at the top. Anyone else noticed this?