--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Leonard Mlodinow, in his excellent book…" description: "\"“Leonard Mlodinow, in his excellent book Subliminal, writes, “We usually assume that what distinguishes us [from other species] is IQ. But it is our so..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/ray-dalio-299_books_leonard-mlodinow-in-his-excellent-book-s_2217542.jpg" --- # Leonard Mlodinow, in his excellent book Subliminal… ![“Leonard Mlodinow, in his excellent book Subliminal, writes, “We usually assume that what distinguishes us [from other species] is IQ. But it is our social IQ that ought to be the principal quality that differentiates us.” quote by Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/ray-dalio-299_books_leonard-mlodinow-in-his-excellent-book-s_2217542.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/ray-dalio-299_books_leonard-mlodinow-in-his-excellent-book-s_2217542.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/ray-dalio-299_books_leonard-mlodinow-in-his-excellent-book-s_2217542.jpg) > ““Leonard Mlodinow, in his excellent book Subliminal, writes, “We usually assume that what distinguishes us \[from other species\] is IQ. But it is our social IQ that ought to be the principal quality that differentiates us.”” [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human success depends more on social intelligence than raw cognitive ability. **In simple terms:** Social skills matter more than IQ. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy and collaboration. Themes social intelligence collaboration empathy leadership Mood reflective insightful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - team projects - negotiations - conflict resolution - career advancement Key Concepts emotional intelligence networking relationship building Questions to Reflect On - How can you improve your social IQ? - What social skills do you lack? A Different Perspective Social IQ can be hard to measure and develop. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Distinguishes Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguishes-species-3812773/) [Iq Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iq-social-4935344/) [Social Iq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-iq-4149928/) [Species Iq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species-iq-4935343/) [Subliminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subliminal/) ## Related quotes > [“David: :) David: That was my very first emoticon. Or emoji. Must Google to learn the difference. Me: Finally something I know and you don’t! David: There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-buxbaum/david-david-that-was-my-very-first-emoticon-or-emoji-must-google-to/) [Julie Buxbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-buxbaum/) > [What distinguishes our species is thought. The cerebral cortex is in a way a liberation. We need no longer be trapped in the genetically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/what-distinguishes-our-species-is-thought-the-cerebral-cortex-is-in-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Data that comes subliminally and is acted upon will look like luck or inspiration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-redgrove/data-that-comes-subliminally-and-is-acted-upon-will-look-like-luck-or/) [Peter Redgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-redgrove/) > [“It was a man taking a machine and a machine taking a man into secret places, into the subliminal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hilton/it-was-a-man-taking-a-machine-and-a-machine-taking-a-man-into-secret/) [Christopher Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hilton/) > [Brains distinguish between an Us and a Them in a fraction of a second. Subliminal processing of a Them activates the amygdala and insular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/brains-distinguish-between-an-us-and-a-them-in-a-fraction-of-a-second/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [Music is the subliminal connecting adhesive in film, or at least in narrative feature films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-burwell/music-is-the-subliminal-connecting-adhesive-in-film-or-at-least-in/) [Carter Burwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-burwell/) > [Every writing teacher gives the subliminal message, every time they teach: 'Your life counts for something.' In no other subject that I know of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/every-writing-teacher-gives-the-subliminal-message-every-time-they/) [Roger Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rosenblatt/) > [“Friends don't want to see you mess up a good thing. That's a real friend, not a red flag. Read that again. Heavy on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niedria-dionne-kenny/friends-don-t-want-to-see-you-mess-up-a-good-thing-that-s-a-real/) [Niedria Dionne Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niedria-dionne-kenny/) > [“It is a subliminal thing. It is the tick of a clock that has ticked so long one no longer notices. Something is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/it-is-a-subliminal-thing-it-is-the-tick-of-a-clock-that-has-ticked-so/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I must remain always, both in principle + actively, interested in everything. Taking all of knowledge as my province.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/i-must-remain-always-both-in-principle-actively-interested-in/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [You can ignite the senses and directly alter their state of mind and body through this scent, sparking a subliminal key to attraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-tilbury/you-can-ignite-the-senses-and-directly-alter-their-state-of-mind-and/) [Charlotte Tilbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-tilbury/) > [“Lean in, invade that foot and a half that is all theirs, their own space. Lean back when you get what you want. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/lean-in-invade-that-foot-and-a-half-that-is-all-theirs-their-own/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [television. It has changed the way that we perceive the world out there, and though we know that - have indeed been bombarded with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-janeway/television-it-has-changed-the-way-that-we-perceive-the-world-out/) [Elizabeth Janeway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-janeway/) > [To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them that they can never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/to-photograph-people-is-to-violate-them-by-seeing-them-as-they-never/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The things surrounding you in your home serve as subliminal reminders of you who are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/the-things-surrounding-you-in-your-home-serve-as-subliminal-reminders/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) ## More by Ray Dalio > [“Slow down your thinking so you can note the criteria you are using to make your decision. 2. Write the criteria down as a principle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/slow-down-your-thinking-so-you-can-note-the-criteria-you-are-using-to/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Having a process that ensures problems are brought to the surface, and their root causes diagnosed, assures that continual improvements occur.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/having-a-process-that-ensures-problems-are-brought-to-the-surface-and/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“If you can’t successfully do something, don’t think you can tell others how it should be done”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/if-you-can-t-successfully-do-something-don-t-think-you-can-tell/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Remember that a good plan should resemble a movie script.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/remember-that-a-good-plan-should-resemble-a-movie-script/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“I believe that the key to success lies in knowing how to both strive for a lot and fail well. By failing well, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-believe-that-the-key-to-success-lies-in-knowing-how-to-both-strive/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I'm scared of one man, one vote because it suggests that everybody has an equal ability at making decisions, and I think that's dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-m-scared-of-one-man-one-vote-because-it-suggests-that-everybody-has/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“A manager’s ability to recognize when outcomes are inconsistent with goals and then modify designs and assemble people to rectify them makes all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/a-manager-s-ability-to-recognize-when-outcomes-are-inconsistent-with/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“So I learned to be radically open-minded to allow others to point out what I might be missing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/so-i-learned-to-be-radically-open-minded-to-allow-others-to-point-out/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“During those terrible days after 9/11, when the whole country was being whipsawed by emotion, or the weeks between September 19 and October 10,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/during-those-terrible-days-after-9-11-when-the-whole-country-was/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“is more effective to train that subconscious, emotional you the same way you would teach a child to behave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/is-more-effective-to-train-that-subconscious-emotional-you-the-same/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I think that the first thing is you should have a strategic asset allocation mix that assumes that you don't know what the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-think-that-the-first-thing-is-you-should-have-a-strategic-asset/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Life is like a game where you seek to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving your goals. You get better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/life-is-like-a-game-where-you-seek-to-overcome-the-obstacles-that/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“when we look down on ourselves through the eyes of nature we are of absolutely no significance. It is a reality that each one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/when-we-look-down-on-ourselves-through-the-eyes-of-nature-we-are-of/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Great questions are a much better indicator of future success than great answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/great-questions-are-a-much-better-indicator-of-future-success-than/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Georgi Plekhanov’s classic On the Role of the Individual in History.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/georgi-plekhanov-s-classic-on-the-role-of-the-individual-in-history/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) [Explore all 716 Ray Dalio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. 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