Higher-than-average intelligence doesn't make you any better than anyone else, any more than being taller, or faster, or stronger does. What it often does, however, is allow others to convince you that you should be something different than you are, or than you want to be. Even worse, it gives you the ability to successfully rationalize away your failures, to both yourself and others.

Nassim Taleb says something similar. Too often, "being smart" makes you better at rationalizing, not better at being rational. How much the worse if you make "being smart" part of your identity. (File under "being smart is overrated.")

Source: Vox Popoli: Always an excuse.