The Dumbest Things Said By ‘Smart’ People
Some of the smartest minds in history haven’t always spoken with logic or foresight, and sometimes their words have been shockingly, hilariously, or outright absurdly wrong.
Even geniuses, professors, and famous intellectuals have produced statements that range from philosophical blunders to scientific slip-ups, revealing that intelligence doesn’t always guarantee wisdom. Their words can surprise, confuse, and make us laugh at how even brilliant minds can misfire spectacularly.
Come explore the most eyebrow-raising things said by people we assume should know better, and prepare to laugh at the disconnect between their reputations and their words. These quotes are proof that brilliance sometimes carries ridiculousness.
Thomas Edison – AC is Circus Stuff (1880s)
Edison claimed alternating current was dangerous and only for the circus, while the world quietly embraced AC anyway.
Albert Einstein – Nuclear Skeptic (1932)
Einstein doubted atomic energy in 1932, ironically underestimating the power hidden in the atom he helped theorize.
Auguste Comte – Stars Are Untouchable (1850s)
Comte said we’d never study the chemical composition of stars, before spectroscopy proved him wrong.
Simon Newcomb – Astronomy Limits (1888)
Newcomb thought astronomy had reached its limits, unaware of discoveries like exoplanets and black holes.
Frank W. Taussig – Last Great Inventions (1892)
Taussig claimed the telephone, radio, and automobile would be the last major inventions humanity would see.
General John Sedgwick – Elephant Misfire (1864)
Sedgwick joked, “They couldn’t hit an elephant,” moments before being fatally shot during the Civil War.
Steve Chen – YouTube Doubts (2005)
Chen worried no one would want to watch videos online, long before YouTube became a digital phenomenon.
John Maynard Keynes – Short Workweek Fantasy (1930)
Keynes predicted a 15-hour workweek by 2030, an overly optimistic vision for future labor.
Roberto C. Goizueta – New Coke Disaster (1985)
Goizueta introduced a “new formula” for Coca-Cola, sparking a massive consumer backlash and quick reversal.
Irving Fisher – Wall Street Forever (1929)
Fisher declared stock prices permanently high, weeks before the 1929 crash devastated global markets.
John Adams – Wrong Independence Day (1776)
Adams predicted July 2, 1776, as America’s great anniversary, missing the actual celebration by two days.
New York Times – Rockets Are Impossible (1920)
In 1920, the NYT claimed rockets could never leave the Earth’s atmosphere, ignoring the upcoming space age.
Henry Morton – Edison Failed (1880)
Morton ridiculed Edison’s lightbulb as a failure, underestimating the revolutionary impact of electric lighting.
Steve Jobs – Kindle Misjudgment (2007)
Jobs said people no longer read, missing how the Kindle would reinvent reading and digital books.
Steve Ballmer – iPhone Impossibility (2007)
Ballmer claimed the iPhone couldn’t capture a significant market, ignoring how it would reshape technology forever.
Robert Metcalfe – Internet Explosion… Fail? (1995)
Metcalfe predicted the Internet would spectacularly collapse by 1996, an utterly wrong call on the global network.
Ken Olsen – Home Computer Nonsense (1977)
Olsen saw no reason for a home computer, years before the personal computer era transformed society.
Darryl F. Zanuck – TV Fad (1946)
Zanuck insisted television would bore audiences after six months, forgetting it would define entertainment for generations.
Thomas J. Watson – Five Computers Only (1943)
Watson predicted a global market for maybe five computers, missing the digital revolution that was about to explode.
William Orton – Dismissing the Telephone (1876)
Western Union’s Orton said the telephone had no value, ignoring how it would revolutionize communication worldwide.
Lord Kelvin – Physics Complete? (1900)
"No new discoveries remain in physics," Kelvin claimed, completely underestimating the coming quantum and relativity revolutions.
