Nicolas Chamfort Quotes

That's really what I want in a leader; I want somebody who's really, really smart.

A team of giants needs giant pitchers who throw good ideas but every pitcher needs an outstanding catcher. Without giant catchers, the ideas of the giant pitchers may eventually disappear.

A man of genius has a right to any mode of expression.

The quality of a leader cannot be judged by the answers he gives, but by the questions he asks.

I have some strategical vision, I could calculate some few moves ahead and I have an intellect that is badly missed in the country which is run by generals and colonels.

Guys are natural problem solvers - they like to have strategies.

I had a lot of experience with people smarter than I am.

For instance, Clinton who was unquestionably the smartest of the bunch I talked to - both the ones who made it and didn't. He had a great interest in policy.

Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together.

Intelligence is both critical and costly.

If we're going to compete in this century, we have to compete on the basis of how smart we are.

Leaders have to see past problems to solutions, and my mother excelled at just that.

If I had to identify the one skill set shared by most by the men who become part of the SEAL teams... it would be sheer brainpower.

Aside from the likability factor, I can criticize Hillary's politics all day long, but I never question her intelligence. I have never doubted that she is a strong, capable, smart leader.

I always know how to play this game. It's about being smart.

An idea that can change the course of the company can come from anywhere.

Intelligence is an extremely subtle concept. It's a kind of understanding that flourishes if it's combined with a good memory, but exists anyway even in the absence of good memory. It's the ability to draw consequences from causes, to make correct inferences, to foresee what might be the result, to work out logical problems, to be reasonable, rational, to have the ability to understand the solution from perhaps insufficient information. You know when a person is intelligent, but you can be easily fooled if you are not yourself intelligent.

I often try to think about, What sounds like a bad idea, but if you find the right plan of attack, it's actually a really good idea? I spend a lot of time really trying to systematically tackle problems from different angles.

He wasn't smart enough to see it, said Jason Bourne. He couldn't think geometrically.

Creativity is not an ability that you either have or do not have. It is, for example, and this may surprise you, absolutely unrelated to IQ, provided you're intelligent above a certain minimal level.

Our aim is not just an educated nation but an intelligent one

Dollars and guns are no substitutes for brains and will power.

I worry that there are people who are put in positions of authority because they're good talkers, but they don't have good ideas. It's so easy to confuse schmoozing ability with talent. Someone seems like a good presenter, easy to get along with, and those traits are rewarded. Well, why is that? They're valuable traits, but we put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough on substance and critical thinking.

help conquer the IQ shortage worry less and think more

The best chess-player in Christendom may be little more than the best player of chess; but proficiency in whist implies capacity for success in all those more important undertakings where mind struggles with mind.