# 52: Only the Bright Ones Are Full of Doubt
English translation
“It is commonly said that politicians do not find the time to read.”
“I have always read at night, also during my time as a minister and as chancellor. Always. Someone who does not read, remains stupid.”
Story behind the passage
Today I put together a short video and at the very end, I used a quotation by Helmut Schmidt. It was not this one above but it is also about stupid people. I am going to include it at the end of my post today. Maybe it is uncommon to put the quotation by a former politician in a business presentation. But the presentation is about managers who do not read. And Schmidt talks about people in general who do not read. There is no difference between the two. Except for the fact that some people have more power over other people than is healthy for a society.
The book Auf eine Zigarette mit Helmut Schmidt found me in a book store at a train station several years ago. I like Schmidt. He passed away in 2015 but somehow, his writings and quotations keep accompanying me. Well, that, of course, is the case for many people who passed away a long time ago. Still, the interviews which Giovanni di Lorenzo collected over a period of two years with Schmidt for the ZEIT, a German weekly newspaper, give a great overview of his intellectual legacy. And this legacy is as mixed as his character.
Schmidt, as far as we know from public media reports, was not an easy chancellor during his time in office. He could be quite strenuous and demanding for his staff and for anybody else. But I have no right to say any of this, actually. All this is what you can read anywhere. What I simply want to say is that I admire the man and I somehow feel close to his particular sense of humor, his humility, but also his self-exploitation and his melancholy.
Maybe people who read always end up being melancholic.
My Learnings
“Someone who does not read, remains stupid.” Yes, I am repeating myself but I will continue doing so for the remaining 300+ days of my blogging adventure. I did not even plan on becoming such an outspoken advocate of reading — but here I am. You know, as a child, I was not even that eager about reading. I liked computer games and playing outside. Then, at some point in elementary school, I really got addicted. It was not really about what I read. I think, it was more about the challenge of learning to read faster than anybody else — at least among my peers.
Yes, that is what you get when dealing with competitive gambler personalities. There are pros and cons to everything.
Today, I would not even say that I am an exceptional reader. I know that I have wasted many years in which I could have read more. But, as Schmidt states above, it is always an issue of not deciding to take the time to read. There is no “I did not find the time.” That is bullshit. So many people say stuff like this all the time. I sometimes say this when I deliver a text late or something else. But the point is: It is a lie. Whenever I mess up a deadline, it is MY decision to not worry about it earlier. (And yes, there are exceptional life circumstances when it is really not your decision — but these are rare if limit really take the definition of exceptional seriously.)
Sometimes, that is indeed my choice. If I feel something is not that important that I have to give everything, I simply decide to do it later. It has taken me half a lifetime to get to this point of not freaking out about stupid stuff. Still, I do not like if that happens constantly. I like to be reliable and it is simply my interpretation of self-worth to get my stuff done. That means: If I commit myself to something, it is my choice to do so and that goes along with my decision to actually do it in time.
As far as reading is concerned, I am quite happy I am doing it again. But I still admire Schmidt reading at night during his time in office. I mean, professional politicians really face the trouble that other people manage their calendar. That really sucks. Of course, this is not only the case for politicians, it applies to everyone who makes it to a certain leadership level. What I just dislike is that so many “wanna-be important” people also constantly pretend to be busy all the time. Yes, they are busy but only because they love being in meetings and wherever without focusing on real value creation.
I am sure that Schmidt also read due to some inner sense of duty. He was a man driven by duty, at least, this is my impression. Again, I have no idea who he really was. Still, let me just employ my self-constructed image of him here. What I mean by ‘duty’ in this case is that he might have felt an inner urge to escape stupidity by reading. At least in my case, this is true. I see so many stupid people around me that I am very much worried. If I stop reading and become like that, that would truly mean I am wasting my lifetime.
That might sound like some impostor who finds herself in a hamster wheel, racing to keep pace with some self-set ideal. I totally do not see it that way. Neither am I saying that I have some natural talent for being smarter than others. What I am saying is simply, and this is exactly what Schmidt is saying here, that reading makes you smarter. This is not about intelligence in the first place, it is about keeping your brain intact and gathering information about the past, present, and possibly the future, as far as analyses and forecasts can project such a future.
Schmidt was well-read, no matter how much he used Hanseatic understatement when directly asked questions about his intellect. For sure, however, he was not just a happy-go-lucky sunny boy politician. He was full of doubts as you can see written on his face in old documentaries. And I guess, this is also why he cared about those who are always doubtful— more than might be necessary and helpful. Here is the quote that I included in my clip today:
“Das ist der ganze Jammer: Die Dummen sind so sicher und die Gescheiten so voller Zweifel.”
„It is such a pity: The stupid ones feel so confident while the bright ones are full of doubt.” — Helmut Schmidt
I have no universal answer as to how to find the right balance between confidence and doubt. All I know is that we have too many bright people who shut their mouth and do not get involved. This is not because they do not care. In many cases it is because they really feel they have nothing to say — that they are not smart enough. This results in them not taking action. But action is required to stop the loud ones, the stupid ones, from gaining the upper hand — in companies and in our state.
The first pragmatic step that we can all take to prevent this from happening to others and to ourselves is: let’s start or continue reading. I know this is not enough. Still, in line with Schmidt, I think we should all make an effort. And those who have already read a lot, learned a lot, and done a lot, have a special responsibility, I think. They can teach others to read. And they should produce what the current and the next generation are going to read.
Reflection Questions
1) What does “stupid” mean to you?
2) Are there any politicians that you truly admire (based on what you know about them)? Why?
3) If you happen to be among those who are more doubtful than confident — think of one pragmatic step of how you can change this and talk about it with a confidante of yours.