I’ve often heard that there is a difference between being smart and being wise. Well, since the weather’s hot and and I’ve already cut the grass this week, I thought I’d just exercise my brain in the air conditioning and think about that….
I remember, when our kinds were in school, at most parents’ get-togethers, some would invariably tell us how smart their kids were — we used to hear it all the time. But I can’t say that I remember any of them saying their kids were “wise.” I remember when I was in school, the “smart” kids pretty much had the key to success — the teachers seemed to like them better and they got a lot of opportunities that other students didn’t. It was just a given that they were going to be successful. (Not that I am, but I don’t remember any of the “smart” kids in my class being any more “successful” then me.)
But again, I’m getting a little off the subject — I started out wondering what’s the difference — if any — between being smart and wise?
Smart and wise are both positive words that describe a person’s intelligence and judgement. Someone doesn’t have to have a lot of experience or information to be smart. Wise is usually used when referring to someone that is older and more experienced. And wise isn’t meant to be a one-time compliment — it’s meant to acknowledge a person’s general intellect. If a person is considered wise, it almost always means that they not only possess wisdom, but also have experience.
So “smart” is a word that stresses intelligence — “wise” is a word that describes someone with a lot of experience, along with knowledge and sound judgement. And smart can be used to describe people of all ages, but wise is usually associated with people who are older and more experienced. A smart person doesn’t necessarily have experience and knowledge, but a wise person almost always does.
Smartness refers to a person’s capability and their ability to learn, but wisdom requires more than just that. Wisdom comes from understanding the real world, and all it’s complexities — not just a limited environment, like school.
I think that (some/many) smart people tend to process information in a strictly logical way, but wise people also process the emotional, spiritual, and other subtleties along with the logic.
But it’s good to be smart — maybe even better to be wise…. and maybe if you’re smart, it’s easer to become wise.
My dad (who I considered to be a very wise person) once told me that a smart person knows what to say, but a wise person knows whether to say it.
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