The Secret to Being Intelligent

Have you ever noticed that people appear more intelligent when they imply things instead of stating them explicitly? I noticed this when I was in High School, and it got me good grades in otherwise hopeless situations.

Let’s say, for example, that you come across a burly fisherman in a bar. On a good day he could teach you how to navigate by the stars, the best places to catch different kinds of fish, and he probably knows how to walk the plank.

But since he knows how to do all of these things in detail, it’s not really that impressive. It’s like watching a magic show with a colorful step-by-step follow-along pamphlet.

If you were to ask the fisherman about literature, however, he might be able to dazzle you with unspecific pearls such as these “Twain’s The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County really makes a assertion about the state of literature at the time of its writing.”

Now that’s a pretty fair bet. Mark Twain was an intelligent guy, and literature usually “says something” about itself. It’s self-indulgent like that. Also, the fisherman might gesture with his hook-hand while saying it, making him more imposing.

Also, luckily, people fill these logical gaps with thoughts like “did I leave the shower on this morning?” and “how often do frogs procreate?”, so you get the benefit of the doubt.

That’s it. That’s the trick to looking intelligent. Go forth, and be smarter.