---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Stupid people like to delude themselves…"
description: "\"Stupid people like to delude themselves that while they may not be clever, they were at least able to compensate with feelings and insights denied to t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/stephen-fry-573_ability_stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves_3039954.jpg"
---

#  Stupid people like to delude themselves that while they…

![“Stupid people like to delude themselves that while they may not be clever, they were at least able to compensate with feelings and insights denied to the intellectual…It was precisely this kind of false belief that made stupid people so stupid. The truth was the clever people had infinitely more…” quote by Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/stephen-fry-573_ability_stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves_3039954.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/stephen-fry-573_ability_stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves_3039954.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/stephen-fry-573_ability_stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves_3039954.jpg)

> “Stupid people like to delude themselves that while they may not be clever, they were at least able to compensate with feelings and insights denied to the intellectual…It was precisely this kind of false belief that made stupid people so stupid. The truth was the clever people had infinitely more resources from which to make the leaps of connection that the world called intuition. What was 'intelligence' after all, but the ability to read into things?”

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

## About This Quote

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

Intelligence is portrayed as the capacity to perceive connections and insights beyond raw cleverness, while emotional insight is seen as a compensating factor for lack of intellect.

**In simple terms:** Intelligence is about seeing hidden connections.

Key Takeaway

Value diverse perspectives.

Themes

intelligence emotion perception

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical critical.

When to use this quote

- team collaboration
- creative problem solving
- educational design

Key Concepts

cognitive bias intuition compensation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance intuition with logical analysis?
- What role do emotions play in decision making?

A Different Perspective

Emotional insight alone may not substitute for analytical rigor.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-stupid-5006151/) [Called Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-intuition-682406/) [Clever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever/) [Clever People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever-people/) [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Denied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denied/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [False Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-belief/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Insight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insight/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Intelligence Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence-ability/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) [Intuition Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition-intelligence-5006150/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Leap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leap/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resources/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Stupid people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-people/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“The reasons that make people stupid are never related to lack of knowledge but lack of belief, lack of believe in the worth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/the-reasons-that-make-people-stupid-are-never-related-to-lack-of/)

[Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/)

> [“I'm very curious to meet a guy who makes you completely forsake the scientific method in favor of unfounded supposition and speculation." "It's called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-clement-moore/i-m-very-curious-to-meet-a-guy-who-makes-you-completely-forsake-the/)

[Rosemary Clement-Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-clement-moore/)

> [“Intuition was often a way of cutting corners, a nifty technique of replacing hard evidence and facts with something far more elusive and capricious.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/intuition-was-often-a-way-of-cutting-corners-a-nifty-technique-of/)

[Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/)

> [There's a little thing on your shoulder called intuition and it whispers in your ear. Everyone has that, there is a voice telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/there-s-a-little-thing-on-your-shoulder-called-intuition-and-it/)

[Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/)

> [“In a well-balanced, reasoning mind there is no such thing as an intuition - an inspired guess! You can guess, of course - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/in-a-well-balanced-reasoning-mind-there-is-no-such-thing-as-an/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“A man's women folk, whatever their outward show of respect for his merit and authority, always regard him secretly as an ass, and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/a-man-s-women-folk-whatever-their-outward-show-of-respect-for-his/)

[H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/)

> [There is an earthly sun, which is the cause of all heat, and all who are able to see may see the sun; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paracelsus/there-is-an-earthly-sun-which-is-the-cause-of-all-heat-and-all-who/)

[Paracelsus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paracelsus/)

> [Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the search for love. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-human-gifts-but-all-too-often-a/)

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

> [Intelligence is the ability of finding an answer while wisdom is the quality of having the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/intelligence-is-the-ability-of-finding-an-answer-while-wisdom-is-the/)

[Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/)

> [The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-test-of-a-first-rate-intelligence-is-the-ability-to-hold-two/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Intelligence is not the ability to store information, but to know where to find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/intelligence-is-not-the-ability-to-store-information-but-to-know/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Intelligence is the ability to find and solve problems and create products of value in one's own culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/intelligence-is-the-ability-to-find-and-solve-problems-and-create/)

[Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/)

> [“But I've learned that intelligence alone doesn't mean a damned thing. Here in your university, intelligence, education, knowledge, have all become great idols. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/but-i-ve-learned-that-intelligence-alone-doesn-t-mean-a-damned-thing/)

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

> [Political journalists love graduate student intelligence, the ability to make clever allusions in seminars, and in 1999-2000 they hassled George W. Bush for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/political-journalists-love-graduate-student-intelligence-the-ability/)

[Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/)

> [Many studies have established the fact that there is a high correlation between vocabulary and intelligence and that the ability to increase one's vocabulary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bergen-evans/many-studies-have-established-the-fact-that-there-is-a-high/)

[Bergen Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bergen-evans/)

## More by Stephen Fry

> [“...Catholic versus Protestant, essentially. It's that kind of fight. ... And it goes on to this day. Will we never learn? Who knows? Religion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/catholic-versus-protestant-essentially-it-s-that-kind-of-fight-and-it/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [How dare you? How dare you create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault? It's not right, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/how-dare-you-how-dare-you-create-a-world-in-which-there-is-such/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [“Look at the kind of people who most object to the childishness and cheapness of celebrity culture. Does one really want to side with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/look-at-the-kind-of-people-who-most-object-to-the-childishness-and/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [“The object of love should feel honoured or flattered, responsible in some way. Instead he felt insulted, degraded and revolted. More than that, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-object-of-love-should-feel-honoured-or-flattered-responsible-in/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [The only people who are obsessed with food are anorexics and the morbidly obese. That, in erotic terms, is the Catholic church, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-only-people-who-are-obsessed-with-food-are-anorexics-and-the/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [To me, reason is as spiritual as anything else, the beauty of reason seems to me indelible and ineffable and numinous... the spirit is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/to-me-reason-is-as-spiritual-as-anything-else-the-beauty-of-reason/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [The stranger might laugh and seem to enjoy the writing, but you hug to yourself the thought that they didn't quite understand its force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-stranger-might-laugh-and-seem-to-enjoy-the-writing-but-you-hug-to/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [“The future is a much bigger deal than the past,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-future-is-a-much-bigger-deal-than-the-past/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [I gather a repulsive nobody writing in a paper no one of any decency would be seen dead with has written something loathesome and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-gather-a-repulsive-nobody-writing-in-a-paper-no-one-of-any-decency/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [I've never had any illusions about being a lead actor in films, because lead actors have to be of a certain kind. Apart from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-ve-never-had-any-illusions-about-being-a-lead-actor-in-films/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [Because, let's face it, I do not get offered the parts that Brad Pitt has just turned down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/because-let-s-face-it-i-do-not-get-offered-the-parts-that-brad-pitt/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [I will defend the absolute value of Mozart over Miley Cyrus, of course I will, but we should be wary of false dichotomies. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-will-defend-the-absolute-value-of-mozart-over-miley-cyrus-of-course/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [You can't just say there is a god because the world is beautiful. You have to account for bone cancer in children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/you-can-t-just-say-there-is-a-god-because-the-world-is-beautiful-you/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [If you know someone who's depressed, please resolve never to ask them why. Depression isn't a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/if-you-know-someone-who-s-depressed-please-resolve-never-to-ask-them/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

> [It's as if scientists exert every effort of will they possess deliberately to find the least significant problems in the world and explain them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/it-s-as-if-scientists-exert-every-effort-of-will-they-possess/)

[Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

[Explore all 466 Stephen Fry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/)

## More Ability quotes

> [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/)

[Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/)

> [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

> [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/)

[Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/)

[Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/)

> [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/)

[Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/)

> [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/)

[Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/)

> [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/)

[Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/)

[Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Stupid people like to delude themselves that while they may not be clever, they were at least able to compensate with feelings and insights denied to the intellectual…It was precisely this kind of false belief that made stupid people so stupid. The truth was the clever people had infinitely more resources from which to make the leaps of connection that the world called intuition. What was 'intelligence' after all, but the ability to read into things?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Fry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves-that-while-they-may-not-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ability"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves-that-while-they-may-not-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/stephen-fry-573_ability_stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves_3039954.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/stephen-fry-573_ability_stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves_3039954.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/stephen-fry-573_ability_stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves_3039954.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Stupid people like to delude themselves that while they may not be clever, they were at least able to…” — Stephen Fry",
                "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": "Stephen Fry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Stupid people like to delude themselves...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves-that-while-they-may-not-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/stupid-people-like-to-delude-themselves-that-while-they-may-not-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
