They Can't Even Define Intelligence, Much Less Measure It — by Steven Goldthwaite
By Steven Goldthwaite
I wasn’t the best student. It wasn’t that I didn’t like learning. I did. I was curious about all kinds of things. The problem was that they weren’t always the things I was supposed to be learning. I probably spent too much time pursuing whatever interested me at the moment and not enough time on classwork.
After my freshman year at Lehigh, I received my grades. They were bad. Actually, they were terrible. I remember calling my father from the phone in my dorm to deliver the bad news. I read him my grades. His response was something I have remembered and repeated for most of my life now.
He said, “They can’t even define intelligence, much less measure it. Do the best you can.”
He didn’t tell me the grades didn’t matter. He didn’t tell me I was smarter than my professors thought I was. And he didn’t tell me I needed to work harder. He simply put grades in perspective.
What I heard was: Don’t let someone else’s measurement define you.
There will always be people, institutions and systems trying to put us into categories. Successful or unsuccessful. Smart or not smart. Qualified or unqualified. Good student or bad student. Some of those measurements are useful. But they aren’t necessarily definitions of who we are or what we’re capable of becoming. That distinction became important in my life.
Not too many years later, I started my first company. There was no grade telling me I was qualified to do it. No one handed me a certificate saying I was ready. I certainly didn’t know everything I needed to know. I just started.
Over the years there were many more businesses, successes, failures, difficult decisions and things I had to learn the hard way. Looking back, I think some of my willingness to take those chances came from the confidence my father gave me. Do your best. Learn. Most importantly stay curious.
But don’t let somebody else’s definition of you become your own.
Questions this Key Learning answers
How do I stop bad grades from defining me?
The author’s father did not deny that the grades mattered or claim they were inaccurate. He simply put them in perspective: “They can’t even define intelligence, much less measure it. Do the best you can.” Our analysis frames a grade as evidence of performance at one moment—not a permanent definition of identity, ability, or potential.
Should I start something if I do not feel qualified?
The author started his first company without a grade, certificate, or complete knowledge proving he was ready. He “just started,” then learned through businesses, failures, successes, and difficult decisions. Our analysis suggests that when qualifications feel incomplete, a manageable action can create real experience. Uncertainty does not have to become someone else’s definition of what is possible.
What should I say when someone receives a bad evaluation?
The author’s father acknowledged the reality without turning it into a verdict. He did not dismiss the grades, criticize the professors, or demand more effort. He said, “Do the best you can,” while questioning whether a score could define intelligence. Our analysis describes this as encouragement that preserves agency: recognize present performance, then affirm the person’s capacity to learn and act.