Is it harder to be kind or clever?

[Edwardo Piet]

It's harder to be clever unless you're clever. I think kindness is always difficult unless you're an especially kind person. Being clever is either very easy or impossible depending on if you're clever or not. Being clever is like being 6 foot 1 inch or taller. Being kind is like being reasonably good at basketball.

I'd say that cleverness isn't a skill at all. It's innate, you're either smart or you're not. Knowledge can be acquired, understanding grows, but capacity for understanding is innate, neurological and genetic. It's certainly an ability but not really a skill that can be trained.

Unless you're talking about being a smartypants/witty. 'Clever' in that sense, isn't necessarily true intelligence at all. Acting smart is very different to being smart. Although it is easier to act smart if you're at least not very stupid.

Less intelligent people generally can't tell the difference between acting intelligent and being intelligent, so they often mistake one for the other.

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"It's okay if you disagree with me, I can't force you to be correct."

Vs

"Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice."

I agree with the second one that I've bolded. That really sums it up for me.