What is a clear sign that someone is smart?

1. Smart people know that they don't always have to have an opinion on everything. No one knows enough to have an informed and unchanging opinion on every point of conversation.
   — cloudyskiesandcocoa


2. How they talk. Having intelligent conversations with them without it seeming like they’re trying to sound smart.
   — Hebrew_


3. The ability to entertain an idea without accepting it. The ability to think abstractly or hypothetically.
   — Martian-mellow






4. Knowing how much they *don't* know. If you're trying to sound smart or if you're waving your hands in the air, screaming for all to hear: "I KNOW EVERYTHING!!T" then chances are, you aren't the intellectual you think you are. Also, humility in knowledge always leads me to believe people are intelligent. They don't remind you that they have a doctorate (although some do) and they are generally willing to listen to all sides of the story.
   — FartyMcFartsworth


5. Knowing when they are wrong.
   — shakabrah18


6. Capacity to explain things to others in a way that the listener can understand. It's not a necessary condition -- there are a lot of smart cookies in the world who are just terrible when it comes to having people skills -- but one of the fastest ways to prove you understand the material in question is to demonstrate that you can pitch it at a level that a lay person can understand. When you get that lay person to ask smart and relevant questions, you know you're onto a winner.
   — Portarossa






7. Most smart people I know have imposter syndrome - they believe they're not as smart or as talented as others assume them to be, and feel comparatively inadequate. They have a different benchmark. It's why they're convinced they won't do well and freak out before exams, before acing them. They're not being obnoxious; they genuinely believe they'll fail. It's a bit of an opposite to the Dunning-Kruger effect. A cognitive bias where an incompetent person believes they're cognitively superior due to their inability to recognize their own inability.
   — manlikerealities


8. I see a lot of comments about their honesty and humbleness, but that isn’t always the same a smart. A smart person asks questions about the simplest things to make sure what they know is the correct. They treat their brain not as a place filled with the right answers, but a place to collect facts and figure out what is true.
   — yottalogical


9. Checking if you meet any of the requirements on this thread
   — BadIion






10. They ask a lot of questions, including ones that seem stupid. A person is smart because they like to learn and asking questions leads to more learning.
    — bobeany


11. The full and sometimes crushing awareness that even if they are very good at what they do, there is always someone better. Less intelligent people tend to make more claims about their superiority.
    — nookienostradamus


12. They are able to listen to what someone is saying in a discussion and adequately counterpoint it without simply saying, "You're wrong." They can understand the point of view of others and still expressing their opinion without being a dick. They'd also be willing to adapt their POV if sufficient evidence is presented to them.
    — Crypto7899






13. They are ready to listen and learn from anyone with low or high intellect for personal growth
    — godistribal