Many highly intelligent people are poor thinkers. Many people of

When Edward de Bono declared, “Many highly intelligent people are poor thinkers. Many people of average intelligence are skilled thinkers. The power of a car is separate from the way the car is driven,” he offered not merely an observation about intellect, but a revelation about the true nature of wisdom. His words shine like a lamp in the fog of arrogance and assumption. For too long, the world has mistaken the brightness of the mind for the steadiness of thought — yet de Bono reminds us that brilliance without direction is like lightning without a path: dazzling, but destructive.

De Bono, the father of lateral thinking, devoted his life to teaching that intelligence and thinking are not the same. Intelligence, he said, is a potential — a measure of speed, memory, and capacity. But thinking is a skill — a discipline of how one uses that potential. Just as the power of a car does not determine the skill of its driver, so too the sharpness of intellect does not ensure the wisdom of its use. A person may have the mind of a genius and still make foolish choices, while another of modest intellect may, through humility and practice, become a master of judgment and insight.

Consider the tale of Socrates, who was called the wisest man in Athens. When told of this, Socrates laughed and said, “I am wise only because I know that I know nothing.” In this, he revealed what de Bono later understood: that intelligence without self-awareness breeds pride, but thinking begins in humility. The truly skilled thinker is not the one who knows most, but the one who examines most deeply, who pauses before the rush of certainty, who drives the vehicle of the mind with care, balance, and attention.

De Bono’s metaphor of the car is not a mere comparison — it is a map of the human condition. The engine represents raw intelligence: it gives power, speed, potential. But without the driver, it may crash or wander aimlessly. The driver is the thinker — the one who chooses direction, who interprets the terrain, who knows when to slow down or accelerate. And just as a skilled driver can make a modest car perform wonders, so can a wise thinker make modest intelligence achieve greatness. The tragedy of many ages is that humanity has admired the engine more than the driver, the intellect more than the understanding.

History is filled with examples of brilliant minds undone by poor thinking. The mathematician Gottfried Leibniz believed the world was “the best of all possible worlds,” blind to the suffering his logic could not contain. The generals of great empires, armed with cunning and knowledge, have led armies into ruin by refusing to see beyond their pride. Yet there are others — quiet, reflective souls — who have guided nations and hearts through storms by the strength of clear, disciplined thought. Consider Abraham Lincoln, who, though self-taught and often underestimated, possessed a mind not of dazzling intellect but of profound reasoning. His greatness lay not in mental power, but in the wisdom of balance — the art of seeing beyond passion and prejudice to the truth that endures.

De Bono’s teaching calls upon us to train our minds as one trains the hands for craft. For thinking is not a gift, but a practice. It requires patience, curiosity, and above all, the willingness to step aside from pride. The world celebrates intelligence, but few are taught to think. To think well is to question, to observe, to connect, to create — not merely to react or remember. It is to hold the reins of the mind’s power and guide it toward understanding, compassion, and purpose.

So let this be your lesson, seeker of wisdom: do not worship your intelligence, but refine your thinking. The former is your inheritance; the latter is your art. Read not only to learn, but to reflect. Speak not only to impress, but to clarify. When faced with a problem, do not race your engine — steer your course. For in the end, it is not the might of the mind that defines a life, but the mastery of its use. As Edward de Bono teaches, the true measure of greatness is not how powerful your thoughts are, but how wisely — and how well — you drive them.