---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are smart enough to realise that we…"
description: "\"We are smart enough to realise that we are stupid, and stupid enough to make the problem of becoming smarter hard.\" — Anders Sandberg"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/anders-sandberg-78029_becoming_we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-a_171469.png"
---

#  We are smart enough to realise that we are stupid, and…

![“We are smart enough to realise that we are stupid, and stupid enough to make the problem of becoming smarter hard.” quote by Anders Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/anders-sandberg-78029_becoming_we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-a_171469.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/anders-sandberg-78029_becoming_we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-a_171469.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/anders-sandberg-78029_becoming_we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-a_171469.png)

> “We are smart enough to realise that we are stupid, and stupid enough to make the problem of becoming smarter hard.”

Anders Sandberg

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human self‑awareness lets us see our own ignorance, yet we often make it harder to become smarter.

**In simple terms:** We know we’re ignorant but resist learning.

Key Takeaway

Recognize bias to improve learning.

Themes

self‑awareness intelligence learning

Mood

thoughtful motivated

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- education
- skill development
- personal reflection
- team meetings

Key Concepts

metacognition cognitive bias growth mindset

Questions to Reflect On

- What habits keep you from becoming smarter?
- How can you create environments that encourage growth?

A Different Perspective

Overcoming complacency can be challenging.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/)

## Related quotes

> [“Happily men don't realise how stupid they are, or half the world would commit suicide. Knowledge is a will-of-the-wisp, fluttering ever out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/happily-men-don-t-realise-how-stupid-they-are-or-half-the-world-would/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Thanks to history books, I have realised that people over the years have been dying of war, and that enabled me to realise that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-haasan/thanks-to-history-books-i-have-realised-that-people-over-the-years/)

[Kamal Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-haasan/)

> [“Again you will have to try it to realise that anything so stupid can be so effective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinda/again-you-will-have-to-try-it-to-realise-that-anything-so-stupid-can/)

Corinda

> [I've always written poetry but I didn't realise it was a therapy for me until I was maybe 15. That's when my singing started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-winehouse/i-ve-always-written-poetry-but-i-didn-t-realise-it-was-a-therapy-for/)

[Amy Winehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-winehouse/)

> [I think it is not only important that people go to the Anne Frank House to see the secret annex, but also that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-frank/i-think-it-is-not-only-important-that-people-go-to-the-anne-frank/)

[Otto Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-frank/)

> [I like the fact that we argue but in the end we come together again realising how much we each need the other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine/i-like-the-fact-that-we-argue-but-in-the-end-we-come-together-again/)

[Josephine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine/)

> [A lot of people that buy vinyl today don’t realise that they’re listening to CD masters on vinyl and that’s because the record companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/a-lot-of-people-that-buy-vinyl-today-don-t-realise-that-they-re/)

[Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/)

> [If someone realises the piece they are wearing is inspired by me then it only broadens my audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-wang/if-someone-realises-the-piece-they-are-wearing-is-inspired-by-me-then/)

[Alexander Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-wang/)

> [When you immerse yourself in medicine you realise that hope is not absolute. It's not that simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/when-you-immerse-yourself-in-medicine-you-realise-that-hope-is-not/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [I am never usually taking myself too seriously and I think that people when they read stuff from me, they have to realise that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/i-am-never-usually-taking-myself-too-seriously-and-i-think-that/)

[Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/)

> [As a politician - particularly as a politician in a coalition - you quickly realise that compromise is a part of the game. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-davey/as-a-politician-particularly-as-a-politician-in-a-coalition-you/)

[Edward Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-davey/)

> [Silence tells the seeker in us to love, to love himself. It tells us it is wrong to hate ourselves because of our imperfections.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/silence-tells-the-seeker-in-us-to-love-to-love-himself-it-tells-us-it/)

[Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/)

> [One of the things I love about Africa is the amount of dignity and respect and humility you see all the time. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/one-of-the-things-i-love-about-africa-is-the-amount-of-dignity-and/)

[Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

Jessica Yu

> [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/)

[Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/)

## More by Anders Sandberg

> [I do have a ridiculously high hedonic set-point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-sandberg/i-do-have-a-ridiculously-high-hedonic-set-point/)

Anders Sandberg

> [One week ago I said that cloning of mammals was years away... it is fun to be alive at this point in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-sandberg/one-week-ago-i-said-that-cloning-of-mammals-was-years-away-it-is-fun/)

Anders Sandberg

Explore all 3 Anders Sandberg quotes

## More Becoming quotes

> [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/)

[Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

Jennifer Siebel Newsom

> [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/)

[M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/)

[Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/)

> [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/)

[Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/)

> [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/)

[Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/)

> [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/)

[John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/)

> [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/)

Christopher Wood

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

Browse all 4,715 Becoming quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We are smart enough to realise that we are stupid, and stupid enough to make the problem of becoming smarter hard.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anders Sandberg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-sandberg/we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-are-stupid-and-stupid-enough/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Becoming"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-sandberg/we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-are-stupid-and-stupid-enough/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/anders-sandberg-78029_becoming_we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-a_171469.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/anders-sandberg-78029_becoming_we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-a_171469.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/anders-sandberg-78029_becoming_we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-a_171469.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are smart enough to realise that we are stupid, and stupid enough to make the problem of becoming smarter…” — Anders Sandberg",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anders Sandberg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-sandberg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We are smart enough to realise...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-sandberg/we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-are-stupid-and-stupid-enough/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-sandberg/we-are-smart-enough-to-realise-that-we-are-stupid-and-stupid-enough/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
