---
title: Wisdom and Intelligence
date: "2007-02-14T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - my-best-links
wp_id: 112
description: I examine Paul Graham's distinction between wisdom, which means being right frequently, and intelligence, which means being right where others aren't. I find that creativity increasingly demands intelligence over traditional wisdom for unique results.
keywords: [paul graham, wisdom, intelligence, creativity, decision making, innovation]
---

Paul Graham pens another brilliant essay on [Is it worth being wise](http://www.paulgraham.com/wisdom.html)? It's mostly about the difference between being wise (right most of the time) versus being smart (being right where few others are). If you're picking between options, being wise is useful. There is a best option, and you'll pick it most of the time. If you're doing something creative, there's no finite set of options. Then it's worth being smart. Increasingly, tasks are asking for more creativity, so it may be better to be smart.