Strength And Intelligence: The Importance Of Intelligence

Winston Churchill has stated that, “Continuous effort (not strength or intelligence) is the key to unlocking our potential.” Intelligence can be important. It’s what helps us do quick calculations while working on an important, world-changing project, or even a small school assignment. However, someone could have all the intelligence in the world, and never have a chance to use it. Motivation is what gives the world a chance to apply it’s intelligence to important projects, big or small. Without motivation, no one would feel the need to change the world or pass a test. Although intelligence can be important, motivation is a more useful trait because it can be used to do anything, intelligence often leads to being less content with life, and

Although it is helpful in some situations, being smart can be very challenging. In Flowers for Algernon for example, Charlie becomes less content with life as his IQ is increased. He begins to overthink everything, making him slightly paranoid. According to Anna LeMind, “Intelligent, deep thinking individuals often analyze themselves and their own behavior in such a rigorous manner like if they are intentionally seeking out things to blame themselves for.” This is true for many intelligent or even talented individuals such as Meryl Streep, Ellen DeGeneres, Charles Dickens, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Hawking, and of course, Charlie Gordon. In his case, Charlie’s intelligence comes with some arrogance. This arrogance gives Charlie very high expectations of himself, leading to a bit of anxiety when he can’t live up to those standards. For example, when Charlie catches his coworker Gimpy stealing money from the bakery, he simply cannot decide whether or not to tell his boss. Because Charlie happens to be a poor decision maker, he makes himself miserable trying to fix his problem. This issue could have been avoided altogether if it had happened prior to the surgery, and Charlie couldn’t overthink it. Intelligence can unfortunately come with some self-trust