How To Get Smarter

The simplest advice is often the most profound: Read. A lot. Go to bed every day, a little smarter than you were when you woke up. But this piece from Farnam Street reveals why most people get this wrong.

Charlie Munger's observation captures the real secret:

I constantly see people rise in life who are not the smartest, sometimes not even the most diligent, but they are learning machines. They go to bed every night a little wiser than they were when they got up and boy does that help, particularly when you have a long run ahead of you.

The key word here is "wiser", not just "more informed." There's a crucial difference between consuming information and actually learning something that changes how you think.

Reading for Understanding, Not Information

Consider the newspaper, are you truly learning anything new? Do you consider the writer your superior when it comes to knowledge in the subject? Odds are probably not. That means you're reading for information.

This distinction hit me hard. Most of my reading was just information consumption ... staying current, feeling informed, but not actually getting smarter. Real learning happens when you read above your level, when you engage with ideas that stretch your understanding.

Reading for understanding means narrowing the gap between reader and writer.

This reframes the entire reading experience. Instead of looking for confirmation or entertainment, you're actively trying to absorb the author's mental models and apply them to your own thinking.

The Work Required to Hold an Opinion

Munger's standard for forming opinions is ruthlessly high:

You're not entitled to take a view, unless and until you can argue better against that view than the smartest guy who holds that opposite view. If you can argue better than the smartest person who holds the opposite view, that is when you are entitled to hold a certain view.

This completely changes how you approach controversial topics. Instead of collecting supporting evidence for what you already believe, you actively seek out the strongest counterarguments and try to understand them better than their proponents do.

Thinking Independently

Warren Buffett's approach to information consumption is telling:

"No," says Warren. "We don't read other people's opinions. We want to get the facts, and then think."

This isn't anti-intellectual, it's about maintaining intellectual independence. Consume primary sources, get the raw data, then form your own conclusions. Don't let other people's interpretations become substitutes for your own thinking.

Investing in Yourself

Charlie Munger's self-client approach is brilliant:

Charlie, as a very young lawyer, was probably getting $20 an hour. He thought to himself, 'Who's my most valuable client?' And he decided it was himself. So he decided to sell himself an hour each day.

This reframes learning from a luxury into an investment. If you're worth paying as a professional, you're worth investing in as a learner. The compound returns on knowledge often exceed financial investments.

Beyond Consumption

The final insight ties it all together:

We read a lot. I don't know anyone who's wise who doesn't read a lot. But that's not enough: You have to have a temperament to grab ideas and do sensible things. Most people don't grab the right ideas or don't know what to do with them.

Reading is necessary but not sufficient. The real work is in synthesis, application, and the gradual construction of better mental models. It's about developing the judgment to know which ideas matter and the discipline to act on them.

The Munger-Buffett formula isn't just about getting smarter ... it's about building the kind of cumulative advantage that compounds over decades.