Naval Ravikant: “Clear thinker” is a better compliment than “smart.”

A piece of writing can be worthwhile if it leaves the reader with just one idea. In a paper, that idea might be a method, a perspective, or a way of execution. In AI, for example, a single word “scaling” has driven more than a decade of remarkable progress.

We should place greater value on clear thinking. Ironically, they are often undervalued because they seem obvious in retrospect. Their simplicity can make them look unimpressive, so sometimes, people add unnecessary contents to make them seem more impressive.