Is It Worth Being Wise?

The economist, philosopher, and writer Henry Hazlitt sums up the dilemma: In the modern world knowledge has been growing so fast and so enormously, in almost every field, that the probabilities are immensely against anybody, no matter how innately clever, being able to make a contribution in any one field unless he devotes all his time to it for ye... See more

the classic contrast between intelligence and wisdom, most concisely: “intelligence is knowing the right answer, wisdom is knowing when to say it.” Wisdom overlaps with lucidity, but not entirely. An experienced old man can be wise but not lucid, and a bright young woman can be lucid but not wise. Wisdom is about qualitative knowledge gained throug... See more

People who do great work are not necessarily happier than everyone else, but they're happier than they'd be if they didn't. In fact, if you're smart and ambitious, it's dangerous

not

to be productive. People who are smart and ambitious but don't achieve much tend to become bitter.

Wisdom refers to the slow accumulation of personal values that work well for people living in different kinds of ways.