As a child, I used to confuse education and intelligence. I believed that an educated mind was an intelligent mind. I was, of course, wrong.
I then noticed some well educated people, acting and living with little intelligence. I also noticed people with little formal education, who were extremely intelligent.
Calvin Coolidge on educated derelicts
I recall speaking about this observation with a friend, who introduced me to the term Educated Derelicts. The term was taken from a quote by Calvin Coolidge.
Here’s the quote in full:
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
It seems the most intelligent people are those, who act intelligently — not those who study, yet fail to do anything with what they know.