Real Or Copied?

Charlie Munger, the celebrated partner of Warren Buffet, says that there are two types of knowledge people come with- Real and Copied.

Real knowledge is real. It can’t be bought or copied. It has to be earned by doing real work and experiencing the truth to a point where you develop an innate understanding. This is the knowledge of the seekers- those who have an innate curiosity to truly learn and understand. The person with real knowledge is not afraid of saying, “I don’t know,” because everything is in the service of learning and understanding.

The second type of knowledge is superficial. On the surface, you have some key insights and answers but go deeper, and you lack a true understanding of the subject. This is the knowledge of the talkers- people who look to impress and manage without a desire to learn and grow. They lack understanding. The person with the copied knowledge is more interested in hiding his ignorance and appearing knowledgeable.

Taking the words of Albert Einstein- Any fool can know. The point is to understand.

All of us should focus on building real knowledge so that we understand.