“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.” ― Confucius

“Everything not saved will be lost” -Nintendo quit screen

As someone that struggles with asking questions I love being in the presence of the "humble and honest idiot" since they tend to ask all the question's I should've asked.

Yes. This is how student should be in school too. I have gotten into arguments with professors and stopped doing homework when I had an A because the professor throws out “this is basic”, “this is simple”, instead of explaining it. I called him bad, and he called me stupid. The latter is probably true but as a student, DO NOT care about the stupid grades that the education system has molded you into. Care about understanding. It makes getting grades so much easier.

"The great thing about KZfaq is that you can make up random quotes and credit anybody for it." - George Washington

“If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.” ― Albert Einstein

"Being the idiot in the room" is also a subtle way of telling the others in that room, that "I value your expertise on this subject, please teach me". This instantly creates a more trusting and productive environment and welds the team into a more solution oriented work flow. Of course your questions have to be smart for them to yield the desired outcome.

I think the larger problem isn't people wanting to not look stupid (though there are a lot of people who do think that way) but rather people not wanting to have attention placed on themselves in a crowd of people. I was never one to ask questions in school. But not necessarily because I didn't want to look stupid but because I didn't want to hold the lesson up or have everyone wait on me. The logic was that I could just get through the lesson quickly now and then spend time on my own later figuring it out. The only time that there would be exception to this is when what is being explained is something that I would have to enact later. Then the fear of not understand what to do in a public space overrides not wanting to hold up a group lecture.

"Stop quoting my brother." ~Moon Tzu

“If you’re dumb, you’re dumb, tf you gonna do” - Julius Caesar maybe

I always tune out what my teacher is saying while she addresses the class until after she’s done, then I call her over to my table and have her explain what we’re doing to me “in a way that even a 4 year old could understand” and have her explain to me why each and every step is there and what purpose it serves to reach the end goal…that’s the only reason I pass that class (or any of my classes for that matter)

I have this mentality, even if a well experienced person is talking about a specific matter that I don’t understand I insist on asking to explain it. Eventually more people on the room also realizes that they didn’t understand or something didn’t make any sense and we all insist. There are many well experienced professionals that doesn’t know much about their field, they did get there using another skills and that’s perfectly fine. If you want to lecture about something better be well prepared

"Don't quote things that I haven't said" -sun tzu, the art of war

"There's no shame in being an idiot, but it is a shame to stay an idiot" - My Math teacher at school

Awesome content! And thanks so much for NOT adding any background music while you speak to try to make it more motivational. This is great and free of distraction

Thank you Simon Sinek for saying that there is value in being an idiot. I felt like an idiot my whole life and understanding it from a beneficial perspective lifts the heaviness of the negative label I placed on myself. 🙏❤

'If being curious is called being an idiot. I'm okay with it.' Wish we had more people around like him.

"If you think you're the smartest person in the room - you're sitting there alone" - My divorce lawyer

This is a universal truth he just articulated. I learned this in college and witnessed it my entire working career. People who don’t understand would seldom say so or ask clarifying questions. It’s their loss.

Man, I wasn't even looking for this video, it's like it just came up out of nowhere and it's exactly what I needed to hear. Thank You!

“Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.” -The Dude

This is the way most of the world works. It takes confidence to stop and ask questions to clarify. In a lot of cases things are being done wrong because no one asked. Great video!

Y'know, I'm also an idiot. And what matters is I embraced it. When you understand that it's actually not bad being an idiot (except if your idiocy can hurt people physically or mentally) life gets... only little easier for you. Sadly just little. Why you ask? Because people get mad at you for asking too many questions and sometimes you asking the same questions again, because you just... forgot the answers. And it actually really hurts when people telling you almost direct that you stupid being... After that you having a bad mood for a long time (hours). And when you in this condition you become more stupid than you already are. And it's just.. really painful for me. I get it that people get mad because they can't be patient all the time. I understand. (Next words will be a little bit off topic but its about my past idiocy, that HURT people, which was not okay. Im not embracing that idiocy. I embrace that I HAD that idiocy) I was in situations with people who made dumbest decisions and i was angry. It was several years ago when i was pretty toxic on dumb people... I really sorry for them for my toxic actions. And it's funny (no) that I only started to understand my toxic behavior on dumb people when I started compare my dumbass and how people reacting to it and people dumbness and how I reacted to them. It was no difference... My idiocy didn't let me understand that a long time. But hey! Im an idiot! Im slow and forgetful! But like i said early, its ok to be an idiot when you are not hurting other people. My past idiocy hurt dumb people. And that's not ok. My idiocy now - I hope is ok right now. I actually wasn't plan to say about my past toxicity in this comment but I just.. wanted to say it. Because I embraced my own past. And wrote this for people, who might be struggling with something relatable to my situation. And now returning to the topic! And I guess to conclusion. It's ok to be an idiot if you don't hurt people AND ALSO don't get mad at people who might be dumb like you. It's called double standards if you do that like i did.. And of course for smart people. Don't get mad at dumb people.. you actually can hurt them.. And dumb people probably will become angry and their idiocy might become hurtful for others. Be patient to others! And our lifes will become less sad! (If you see many mistakes in my sentences im sorry. English is not my native language)

why are you always have the exact answers for my questions dude? every time I look for an answer for my felling, there is a video of Simon Sinek explaining that its ok to feel like that. thank you very much.

"If you get sick, it's because you're using your cellphone all day " - mother

I remember this one kid who always asked questions and everyone looked at him like he was the dumbest person in the room in math class. He was the reason I passed. I thank people like this for being who they are.

Important advice not just in being "the idiot", but in also being the brave. Most people are too cowardly to admit the emperor is naked, until someone finally stands up who isn't afraid of being "cancelled". We need people like that now more than ever!

"There's alot of value being an idiot🙂❤️" this saying can blow away more than half pain of my life....

Thats why school is wasting time mostly, you ask something and everyone is rolling eyes and shaming you, making you feel something is wrong with you and stop asking things again.

"Never stop when you’re tired, Stop when you’re done." ~Johny Sins

We are being punished for not knowing things or for not understanding. That's the issue. We should be encouraged to say "I don't understand, can you explain it again?", but we aren't. It's a sad world we live in, where people with natural talent and knowledge will get ahead and the people who are late bloomers or who just take longer to grasp something will be left behind. It's like we're living in a damn jungle, but we aren't.

I really appreciate this, because I am dyslexia and in school there were times i didn't understand stuff and i felt like i was the only one in the room that didn't, and if i asked questions student and even teachers would get frustrated with me. You should always have the courage to want to be better and not let others stop you or hold you back.

“Don’t eat yellow snow” - Sun Tzu: Art of war

“If you know you are stupid, you are smart. If you don't know you are stupid, you are happy” ― Albert Albeinstein

love this! i can definitely relate and even though I've never heard it put like that I always knew there was value in my action to ask and clarify that which I didn't know or understood

Great lesson! Many times we Fear the judgment of others for asking questions but you got to the point there.

"Being an idiot is better than trying to look smart" -sun tzu, the art of war

Shout out to all the brave idiots in my classrooms, the only time I ever understood stuff deeply was when someone else asked a question for me. Love you guys

Thats how you gain knowledge, ask questions and dont bother with ppl that think you are slow or dumb, the once that keep their mouth shut will never learn new things. Love this one Simon, keep it up ! 😊

SIMON IS A INTROVERTED TRUE GENIUS WHO UNDERSTANDS HIS POSITION IN THE UNIVERSE . COOL AND HONEST MAN HE IS .

"Better to be an idiot for a minute, than an idiot for a lifetime" -Someone, probably Sun Tzu

"Sometimes the algorithm leads you to unbidden places." - Confusion

This does help a lot. People who have the confidence and doesn’t both necessarily does not have to be smart. Thanks again..

This is one of the channels that gave me the courage to start my KZfaq channel 5 months ago about self development. Now I have 291 subs and almost > 100 hours of watch time. I know it’s not comparable with others but I’m still proud I started because I’ve been learning so many lessons that I couldn’t have learned without getting started in the 1st place.

I asked the majority of the "stupid questions"... and graduated top of my class. I value my education over my pride. It's really as simple as that.

Bravo! It takes courage to speak up and ask questions to gain clarity in a room where the message is expected to be understood.

The moment i got motivation from the video and ton of idea from comment section. Thank you so much 🙏

I just think he is soooo BRILLIANT!! A true sign of intelligence is where one can understand they don’t know!! I appreciate and applaud 👏🏼 you! A hero of mine!!

"No matter where you go, there you are." - Marco Polo

Lol everyone just quoting proverbs now. Here's mine "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today" - Chinese guy

Love this. I’ve always asked a lot of questions. I never wanted to appear like an idiot but that often lead me to believe I knew more than I did. Looking back now, I was the idiot in the room. I just never perceived myself that way. My distorted perception; everyone learns this way. I asked questions with an outcome already in mind which made it hard for me to fully see other perspectives sometimes but I’m working on it everyday.

I have always had the same mantra. I walk into a meeting and if I know I am in over my head, I simply announce, without shame, that you need to speak to me slowly, like I am an idiot, and I will ask a lot of dumb questions until I understand--but I "will" understand. Years later I saw basically the exact same scene with Jeremy Irons in Margin Call. I love being able to take complex stuff people say and boil it down into something simple I can transfer to someone else. Nice video! Good for you for posting this.

“I hate it when people confuse education with intelligence, you can have a bachelors degree and still be an idiot” -Elon musk

"Just talk really complex stuff that they get completely confused and won't even dare to ask you a question." - My ex-boss

I always waited till after class in college to seek clarification on things from the professor. Got sick of sticking my neck out for all those who just wanted to look good. You earn the benefit of knowledge. I always scored better on exams.

When in February 2022 I joined the company where I'm currently working, the Trainer told us (we were a bunch of 4 newbies) "Here there are no stupid questions, please don't be afraid to ask if you don't understand" - I never felt so happy of this work culture, a great start.

"Look, that guy has a gun." - Franz Ferdinand

True intelligence is acknowledging what you don’t know. -Christopher Hitchens

That guy is a freaking Hero! Thank you for saying this!

Maintaining the role of an idiot is very useful in business. People think they can do whatever they like to you and almost always they reveal it somehow so that you can avoid the damage happening. For me this has been working well for a long time. I often gain extra information of competitors and reveal to myself the future plans of other companies.

“A man once stared into a blinking light, then shook.” - Convulsion

Admitting to being stupid requires a lot of bravery - "I'm okay being the idiot" is a good charm to counter that fear indeed.

I do this. It's great advice because after lectures or meetings people will come to me and thank me for asking the questions because they didn't know either

This is also a good lesson for those who are smart who have to bring someone in on the idea. You can't truly master your topic if you can't simplify it.

This happens to EVERYONE in high school. The "stupidest" person in the room always raising their hand is the valedictorian. The rest of us were too embarrassed to raise our hands.

If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.

I think that happens in classrooms all the time. Thank you for sharing Simon xx 😘

My teachers always used to tell me if you have a question you should ask because most likely there’s other people who have the same question. I’m so glad I had good teachers growing up

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Pamela Anderson, Krakow 1942

"never wipe your arse with a hedgehog" - sun tzu, The art of war

Yup. And often, the person explaining something doesn't actually understand the information enough to explain it well.

You're not alone, I can relate.

"You're not that guy, pal, trust me, you're not that guy." -That guy

"Don't believe every quote you see on the internet" - Adolf Hitler

This was so motivational thank you thank you thank you 😍🙏❤ go you man!!!

It's very important not to afraid to ask questions, no matter how experienced or educated you are, that's one of the most valuable things i learned while working in London in engineering firms, if you don't understand something, just ask, it's better to ask something than assume, and then spend more time fixing the mistake, double check it with one or more people. Sharing the knowledge is what makes us stronger and wiser.

"If everyone in the comments is posting quotes you better do the same to not look stupid“ - Homer Simpson

Very true. If you won't ask, you'll never know! Luckily for me, I can Google anything nowadays 👍

That's not even being an idiot. That is called "knowing what you know" and not being embarrassed by it.

I learned this as a young dumb boot camp Naval officer, when I had smart, much older more knowledgable senior enlisted working for me. They were smart but I was accountable, but the discussions also forced them to think outside the box rather than falling back on "this is how we've always done it." I've been an analyst my whole career, never the expert on a subject, but I learned how to break down a process and a project.

"never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you" ~Rick Astley

This is the problem with growing narcissistic traits within society. I remember one bully in high school making fun of me because I would always ask questions during class.

True words. I spent a lot of my young years worried that me not understanding something would make those around me think I was dumb. When I finally got fed up not understanding, and let that go. I not only started asking the right questions to understand. I found those around me thought I was a lot brighter than I thought they originally perceived me as. It was never a lack of cognitive ability i suffered from. It was a self consciousness of it that I didn't think mine was good enough, and that I would be judged for it by others. And that even the smartest people are going to be wrong some times. With those self imposed mental barriers gone understanding things around me, and things being explained to me became a lot easier. Also dropping any notion that someone with a degree will automatically be smarter/sharper than you are.

Wish I had this advice in back in 1st grade. Always afraid to look stupid asking questions in class. Prob cost me a lot of knowledge and wisdom. Needed to hear this 🙏🏻

"I don't know it" is the most underrated sentence these days. We all have to pretend we know everything about anything whilst we don't. And that is perfectly fine.

Everything he just said boils down to honesty; just be honest enough to be who you are and if that's a problem for others it's their problem not yours.

A simple like dosn't do this justice! Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! You are so, so right! Thank you!

"I never said any of that stuff, stop misquoting me!" -Mark Twain

"Rather be an idiot among kings, than king of the idiots" ― My cat

After 40 years in business, including sales roles in publicly traded firms, I can only but wholeheartedly say AMEN. This is so very spot on.

THANK you for this.

That’s why children are inspiring: They’re always asking questions and don’t harbour the fear of being berated or scorned for their lack of knowledge. It’s a shame that the adult world can’t adopt this mindset.

people in my college class being like "yea hes right, my prof is always so mad when i ask something, but im just trying to understand everything so im cool, even simon sinek said it." no tiffany youve been on your phone for the last 30minutes and now dont understand something everyone that listened already understands.

Totally agree, you must accept that you dont know or understand certain things before you can start working on changing that. While ego does hurt, at the end ego wont matter but a life you lived will.

"I'm as smart as a horse and I'm hung like Einstein" ~Testicules ~

I think that's what a leader looks like - breaking the barrier of fear even if it takes to look like an idiot, and somehow eventually getting to the base of everything else - the truth. Thank you Simon for coming up on this.

Clarity is King.... This is how I've achieved some of my biggest Wins.... And while you may look to be less knowledgeable to others, this method has earned me a lot of respect among the people who matter.

This guy just explained my own personal philosophy that ive always had about social groups.

It’s always taken me longer than everyone to comprehend a new skill or new work structure or understand what most people find insanely easy. BUT- once I do learn, I master it. I become better at it than those who taught me. People don’t want to teach me the way I need to be taught. So, I learn the hard way. Which, usually strengthens me and works out for my good. I may not be the sharpest tool in the box, but I’m damn sure the strongest (inside)

"There's a lot of value in being an idiot" - Simon Sinek