There are only two races on this planet - the intelligent and the

In an age when nations warred over color, creed, and border, John Fowles, the philosopher-novelist, pierced through the illusions of division and spoke with the clarity of timeless truth: “There are only two races on this planet — the intelligent and the stupid.” These words, sharp as a blade and radiant as light, cut through the false walls humanity builds around itself. They are not an insult, but a revelation — a declaration that the true measure of a person lies not in heritage, skin, or birth, but in the wisdom of the mind and the generosity of the spirit.

For Fowles, intelligence was not mere intellect — not the sterile brilliance of the scholar who knows facts but understands nothing. Intelligence, in his meaning, is the light of awareness, the capacity to see beyond prejudice, to question inherited lies, and to recognize the shared humanity of all. The stupid, by contrast, are not those of low mind, but of closed heart — those who refuse to see, who cling to hatred and fear as their armor. The world, he warns, is not divided by bloodlines, but by the presence or absence of understanding.

To trace the origin of this wisdom, one must look to the fires of history. John Fowles, author of The French Lieutenant’s Woman and The Magus, lived through the ruins of the Second World War — a time when entire nations were seduced by false ideas of superiority. He saw how educated men, brilliant in science and politics, became instruments of evil when their intelligence was divorced from conscience. He witnessed the cost of stupidity — not the stupidity of ignorance, but the willful blindness that chooses ideology over empathy. From that abyss, his words rose like a moral commandment: that humanity must learn to judge not by lineage, but by wisdom.

The ancients, too, knew this truth. Socrates, in his humility, said he was wise only because he knew how little he knew. He belonged to the “race of the intelligent,” for he sought truth over vanity. Aristotle taught that the highest form of intelligence was the ability to entertain a thought without accepting it — to hold contradiction in one’s mind without fear. The stupid, however, fear complexity; they crave certainty, even at the cost of truth. Thus, stupidity is not a lack of knowledge, but the refusal to grow beyond one’s comfort.

History offers many witnesses to this battle between the two races. Consider Galileo Galilei, who dared to say that the Earth moved around the sun. The intelligent saw in his words the beauty of discovery; the stupid saw blasphemy and danger. He was condemned, yet time vindicated him — as it always does those who stand with reason and courage. Or think of Rosa Parks, who, by the simple act of remaining seated, revealed that wisdom and dignity can overturn centuries of ignorance. Her defiance came not from schooling, but from intelligence of the soul — the wisdom that knows equality is not granted by society, but born within every human being.

In this way, Fowles’ quote is not an insult but a mirror, reflecting our choices. Each day, we decide which race we belong to — not by birth, but by thought and action. Do we question, or do we obey blindly? Do we listen, or do we shout down what we fear? Intelligence is not measured in wealth, nor in eloquence, nor in titles; it is measured in humility, in compassion, and in the courage to see clearly when others hide behind lies.

The lesson, then, is as ancient as it is urgent: guard your intelligence, not as vanity, but as virtue. Let it be tempered by kindness, sharpened by curiosity, and guided by truth. Reject the comfort of blind hatred and the laziness of borrowed opinions. Seek understanding — of yourself, of others, of the world. For stupidity is the true darkness, and it spreads wherever wisdom sleeps.

So, my children of the future, remember John Fowles’ words as a compass in an age of confusion. There are indeed only two races — those who see, and those who refuse to see. Choose always to be among the first. Cultivate your mind, open your heart, question everything false, and act always with reason illuminated by love. In doing so, you will not only belong to the race of the intelligent — you will help lift the world out of its long and tragic night.