Suffering fools

You often hear the phrase “he doesn’t suffer fools gladly” uttered like it’s a compliment. As in “He’s so brilliant that the contrast with other people just gets so annoying sometimes.”

But this is not a compliment. It’s a way of saying that a person is so arrogant that he thinks it’s okay to be an ass to somebody for not understanding what he understands, or not sharing his opinion.

We are all fools from time to time, but qualities like patience and humility make good people suffer us with heart instead of irritation. It’s not that we’re being deliberately mean. We’re just a little slow, so bear with us.

As for me, I love suffering fools when the opportunity presents itself. You know why? Because they make me feel smart.