---
title: "On intellectual horsepower"
description: "\"Become a superior human being\" is how one should improve their professional prospects and quality of life in general, according to many. I'm told to be more curious, intelligent, creative, energetic, etc... What a…"
author: "Ghaith Ayadi"
site: "Verbatim"
collection: "Hokum"
url: "https://verbatim.ayadighaith.com/hokum/on-intellectual-horsepower"
date: 2023-10-30
updated: 2026-09-16
---
# On intellectual horsepower

![](https://butbut7wellsz5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/2026/mplq5u1k-on-intellectual-horsepower-img1.png)

"Become a superior human being" is how one should improve their professional prospects and quality of life in general, according to many. I'm told to be more curious, intelligent, creative, energetic, etc... What a cruel boastful piece of advice...

These things are not acquired. They're given. It's just luck, like being born pretty, rich, or Austrian. Pure luck...

Take curiosity for instance. It's arguably the most essential trait of a great designer and knowledge worker in general. My limited personal experience suggests that training folks to become more curious doesn't work, at all, not even a bit, ever. You can make folks memorize where to look but they don't become more curious. That's why they consistently fail at the slightest hint of nuance.

It's equally pointless to try to increase intelligence. An adult's IQ doesn't move much. And yet most of us teach folks by saying: "Notice this! Now what does that tell you..." The answer is usually: "Nothing". Some people see it, some people will never see it. It's hard to admit.

Observe IQ puzzle A for example. I've been trying to solve it for months without success. The sad fact is that many people see the answer the same way you and I see the answer of B. That's IQ for you. Some people see it, some people don't. Unfortunately, some things you just can't increase, even though it would benefit everyone 😉

Another example is creativity which is the drive to create shit. Some people just have it the same way that some people sometimes feel the drive to write a poem for some reason. You probably never felt like writing a poem. Similarly, some people never felt the drive to create anything. You can't induce that any more than you can induce poetry.

Maybe we need to stop trying to turn people into what they are not. It's counterproductive. I have no doubt that we all want to help. But plenty of people do many evils by trying to help. Sometimes our attempts are just cruel and selfish.

The lucky amongst us make it look like it's just a matter of hard work, which implies that those who can't aren't as dedicated as we are, which is a cruel false doctrine.

It's mostly a mental disposition which is mostly luck. (Examples in the first comment)

Smarts and wealth should not be the only values. They never were. You could have been the smartest cookie in Sparta and they still liked the warrior better. You could have been the richest king in ancient Arabia and they still liked the poet better. They used to burn smart people, now we're burning everyone else... Our values can move. Maybe we must try to move them

My wish is that we stop making people feel like shit by convincing them shit is easy and is just a bit of effort away. Every time you feel the urge to do that, humble yourself with Puzzle A. That's how hard Python is for folks. Some of us just don't get it and that must be ok.

I trust the reader to add the appropriate amount of nuance. Oh, wait... It's probably not that easy...

![](https://butbut7wellsz5so.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/2026/mplq5vqz-on-intellectual-horsepower-img2.jpg)