The Key to Being Smart: Speak Clearly First

Hi everyone, welcome to Cold-Knowledge Blind Box. Since the show started, I've been dedicated to sharing all kinds of interesting stories, from ancient and modern times and from around the world, covering everything from business to history. My original intention is simple: learn from the way famous people think and make decisions, so that we can improve ourselves and become a little smarter.

To become smarter, reading and studying is a long process of input, and it requires internal digestion. How do you check whether that knowledge has really become your own? By making an episode and sharing it with someone else. Speaking well and expressing yourself clearly is exactly the key that improves you the fastest and brings you closer to being smart. So today let's talk properly about what it means to be smart, and how to become smarter.

The first time I read the line that Don Corleone, the old godfather, said, I was thrilled.

He said: A man who can see through the essence of things in a second, and a man who never sees it even after a lifetime, are destined for completely different fates.

Back then, what excited me wasn't really understanding the depth of that line. I just thought it sounded impressive. I wrote it down right away so that I could tell it to others later, and feel a bit more impressive myself.

Many years have passed, and I've never become an impressive person. But looking back at that line now, I finally understand it.

What the godfather was describing is really deep insight: someone who can see the essence at a glance will naturally have a different life.

And I'd like to sum up this kind of insight with a more common word: intelligence.

Everyone likes being smart. Even if you're already smart, you may still wish you were a little smarter.

The question is, what is intelligence, really? Talent? Luck? Something else?

Becoming smart is certainly not easy, but it's not out of reach either.

In my view, intelligence isn't a natural halo. It's more like a method you can cultivate and a habit you can train.

Don't worry, there are no course links here, and no "+20 IQ" elixir sales promotion. I just want to talk seriously about this: what intelligence really is.

First, let's get clear on what intelligence is.

Being smart is not the same as talent. Although smart people can learn skills and knowledge more efficiently, the two are not the same thing.

Being smart is also not entirely the same as having a high IQ. We often say someone is smart when we're really talking about their IQ, but IQ is only one part of intelligence, and not even the most important part.

Imagine this scene:

Two people are chopping down a tree.

One has a sharp axe. The other's axe is dull. Who chops faster? At first glance, the sharp axe wins, of course.

But if you don't know how to use the tool properly, then even the sharpest axe may not chop faster.

IQ is like a tool. Intelligence is the method of using that tool.

The right tool plus the right method determines efficiency, and that's what real intelligence looks like.

So, going back to the godfather's line about "seeing the essence in a second," what does deep insight have to do with being smart?

The answer is:

It's not that someone is smart because they have insight. It's that they have insight naturally because they are smart.

Insight is the result of intelligence, not the cause.

It's like a rainbow appearing in the sky. It's not that the rainbow means the weather is about to clear. It's that the clouds are thinning and the sun is about to come out, and that's what produces the rainbow.

So where does intelligence come from?

It all starts with "observing the world rationally."

That sounds a little airy, but just like complex mathematics always derives from a few simple formulas, intelligence can also be unfolded layer by layer.

The first step: after observing the world rationally, you'll notice one obvious fact:

People are finite. The world is infinite.

All of human knowledge, in the vast universe, is not even a speck of dust.

And as individuals, everything we experience is just one grain in an endless sea of dust.

Truly recognizing your own ignorance is the first step toward being smart.

Humility and reverence are the foundation of intelligence.

Socrates said: "I know only one thing, and that is that I know nothing." Smart people aren't humble just in words. They know deep down that their knowledge and experience are extremely limited.

Of course, even though smart people are humble, that doesn't mean they're gentle with everyone.

If you show them clumsy logical gaps, or stubbornly insist on some absurd viewpoint, they'll quickly notice how pointless and time-wasting it is, and grow impatient.

Moving on to the second step: since smart people know they are ignorant, then making mistakes is not a disgrace, it's just natural.

They don't need to struggle to hide their moments of foolishness.

When someone points out a mistake, they may not get angry. They may even sincerely ask: "So in your view, how should I improve?"

This also explains why Steve Jobs said: "I love being around smart people, because I don't have to worry about their egos."

Going one step further, since they know they are ignorant and allow themselves to make mistakes, smart people will naturally keep correcting themselves and keep evolving.

They don't cling to one viewpoint. They constantly refer to outside perspectives and facts, and correct their own cognitive biases.

Ordinary people look at the world only from their own angle. Smart people can observe from many angles: their own perspective, other people's perspectives, and even stepping back to look from a higher level.

People like this understand things more and more close to their essence.

Over time, when they look at a problem, they really can see what others can't see.

So the godfather's "seeing through it in a second" is not magic, and it's not innate genius. It's simply this:

Rational observation → recognizing ignorance → accepting foolishness → constant evolution → insight arrives naturally.

Insight is the result. Intelligence is the cause.

By now, the core of the smart person has basically been outlined.

Of course, they have many other common traits, such as strong curiosity, a talent for building knowledge structures, and enjoying solitude. But all of these grow naturally out of the soil of rational observation.

Language: The Shortcut to Intelligence

Reading and learning is a long process of input, and it requires internal digestion. How do you check whether that knowledge has really become your own? You have to share it with others once more. Speaking well and expressing yourself clearly is exactly the key that improves you fastest and brings you closer to being smart.

Recently I've noticed that for people to think you're smart, the most important prerequisite is being able to explain things clearly.

We live in a "low-poly" world, one without supernatural powers, extremely rare abilities, or abilities that don't exist at all. You don't have to worry about someone tossing a bathtub-sized fireball at your face on your way out, and nobody blows up the moon with a Kamehameha wave because they're unhappy. Even in this "dull" low-poly world, when it comes to personal skills with "magic," I think language is one of them.

Language is power with authority. At this point, some friends may say: "Oh come on, you're just talking nonsense! What magical effect can words have?" To that, I'd like to ask: how did Hitler rise to power? Anyone who knows a bit of history knows it was through speeches, through speaking to crowds. Because of the "magic" of his words, the whole of humanity fought a world war with him. Setting aside values, just look at the effect. Is that enough to be impressed?

Language can stir up war, and it can bring peace. It can throw people into the abyss, and it can let people soar like dragons. "One word can revive a nation, one word can ruin it" is exactly this. So today, as a sequel to the "Smart" series, let's talk about the art of speaking.

Three Steps to Speaking Clearly

To walk the path of clear expression, I break it down into three steps:

Step One: Precise Word Choice

What is precise word choice? For example, if I say, "After watching this episode, if you have anything to say, feel free to leave a comment," that's fine. But if I say, "If you have anything to say, feel free to give an evaluation," then "comment" and "evaluation" are similar in meaning and spelling. Both can be understood, but this is a typical case of imprecise word choice.

In daily life, many people don't care about this. They think, "Everyone understands anyway, why be picky?" But consciously choosing words precisely does more than help others understand more easily. More importantly, rigorous word choice is a basic step in training your habit of expression.

Another layer of precise word choice is trying to be rational and objective. A smart person's trait is being able to observe the essence of things closer to reality, so when expressing yourself, use "absolutely," "definitely," or "100%" less, because there aren't that many absolute things in the world. Use "I think," "most likely," and "more probably" more. That is a statement that's closer to being rational and objective.

Step Two: Logical Flow

When it comes to logic, it's easy to fall into theoretical discussion. Here's a simple trick: use more conjunctions. "Because," "so," "although," "but," "not only," "and," and so on. Once you get used to using connecting words, if the logic doesn't flow, you'll immediately feel awkward, and you'll find your own logical mistakes more easily.

Step Three: Say What Needs to Be Said

"Saying what needs to be said" means the opposite of: don't talk nonsense.

What is nonsense? Most nonsense in daily life is something the speaker doesn't notice at all, and even thinks is quite useful. Here's an example: I once saw an auntie at a subway station who had bought the wrong ticket and asked the service counter for help. She said: "I can't figure out these tickets either. My husband is waiting for me somewhere, and he keeps calling me in a panic..." Walking by, I heard just those few sentences, and not a single word was anything but nonsense.

If you were the subway staff, what kind of communication would you want? It's simply this: the passenger has a problem, and you need to know what to do. If it's within your responsibilities, you handle it. If it's beyond your responsibilities, you can do nothing. Whether her husband is waiting for her, whether she's anxious, or whether he called has absolutely nothing to do with it. Even if her husband is waiting, even if the Jade Emperor himself is waiting, if you can't handle it, you can't handle it.

The more nonsense you say, the more confusing it gets. Nonsense is garbage, and someone who keeps talking nonsense is a machine that constantly dumps garbage into other people's heads. Say what needs to be said, not whatever comes to mind.

How Language and Thinking Shape Each Other

Talking can be a very simple thing. It's just moving your lips, and everyone can do it. But talking can also be very complicated. It reflects logic and rules, it projects our understanding of the world, and it is also a force applied to the listener.

Some people focus only on speaking techniques. Some of them can really "talk a blue streak and debate everyone in the room," but if their logic is poor, their word choice is imprecise, and they're full of nonsense, it's easy for people to feel something is off. The reason is that the ultimate purpose of language is for the other person to understand and agree. It isn't for showing off.

Only expressing yourself with precise words, smooth logic, and appropriate content is the foundation of good speaking. And the demands of language expression work back on our thinking habits, helping us see the essence of things. That is also a shortcut and a key that leads us to being smart.

Smart people can see the essence of things at a glance precisely because they are used to observing and thinking from many angles, and constantly correcting their own cognitive biases. The more you can observe from multiple angles, the closer you get to the whole picture of things, and the closer your understanding of their essence becomes to reality. So intelligence is the cause, and insight is the result.

So if you want to become smarter, you might as well start by practicing clear expression. As you work to make your language more precise, more logical, and more substantial, your thinking will also become clearer and deeper.

That's what I wanted to share today. If you meet people in your life with these qualities, it's worth getting close to them. And as someone who is already smart, you can also do what Steve Jobs did: spend time with smart people, push each other forward, and grow together.

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