Intelligence Is Not Enough

by Edward de Bono

Intelligence is a potential. Without the ability to harness that potential through 'thinking skills,' however, it can be wasted. Dr. de Bono argues passionately that we need to learn how to use our intelligence properly because the believe that intelligence is enough is dangerous. Filled with the essentials of Edward de Bono's teachings in creative thinking, these short pocket books are ideal for reading anywhere at anytime.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help

66 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

Edward de Bono was a Maltese physician, author, inventor, and consultant. He is best known as the originator of the term lateral thinking (structured creativity) and the leading proponent of the deliberate teaching of thinking in schools.

Reviews

[Hitesh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edward de Bono's Intelligence Is Not Enough sets out to challenge the overvaluation of raw intelligence by arguing that effective thinking is a skill in its own right—and must be taught and practiced deliberately. In theory, it’s a promising premise. In execution, however, this 60-page book often feels less like a deep dive into thinking strategies and more like a glossy brochure for de Bono’s various programs.

Much of the content reads like promotional material for his established frameworks—such as the CoRT thinking program, Six Thinking Hats, and lateral thinking tools—without offering substantial new insights or practical takeaways. The message that intelligence needs to be paired with well-developed thinking skills is valid, but the book barely scratches the surface. It gestures toward deeper ideas but never quite delivers on them.

For readers familiar with de Bono’s work, this might serve as a brief refresher. For newcomers, however, it risks coming across more like a pitch than a fully formed argument. This felt more like a 60-page marketing pamphlet than a book with real substance.

In short: the title promises a bold message, but the content lacks depth. If you're truly interested in de Bono’s methods, you might be better served by exploring Lateral Thinking or Six Thinking Hats—books that offer much more meat and practical guidance.

[Atul Sabnis · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a long time, we have all been besotted by intelligence and intelligent people. "I didn't understand a word he said, he must be very intelligent," is an oft heard statement.

De Bono makes the distinction between intelligence and thinking-skill.

He uses an example of the power of eyesight and the ability to look in the right direction. Without the ability to look in the right direction, your power of eyesight is pretty useless.

From somewhere in the middle of the book, however, it all seemed to become an advertisement of all his processes and models that he has invented. It was almost a brochure.

It's a small book, and only the first half is relevant to the title.

[Shhhhh Ahhhhh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short book that essentially argues that if our concept of intelligence is meaningful at all, it still doesn't translate to real world performance in a variety of cognitive tasks. In essence, it's the hardware and the software, at best, just the software at worst. Introduces some novel concepts here that are prompting me to read his other work.

[Ambika Rani K · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very short and sweet book filled with all the important concepts highlighted throughout Edward De Bono's books.

Primarily this book says

"Many highly intelligent people are poor thinkers. Many people of average intelligence are skilled thinkers. The power of a car is separate from the way the car is driven."

It touches upon all of his significant achievements by making even average intelligent people into skilled thinkers ultimately making them perform 10 times more than that of the intelligent people. In this process, he highlights how, each of his thinking strategy like the CoRT, Six Thinking Hats. Lateral Thinking has helped him achieve the following:

ABB in Finland used to spend 30 days on their multi-national discussions. Today, they do it in two days, using the parallel thinking tools of Six Thinking Hats.

In the United Kingdom the government has the new deal program for unemployed youngsters. teaching these youngsters thinking, directly, for just six hours increased their employment rate 500 percent.

Xerox in the United Kingdom tells how using the thinking techniques enabled them to achieve in less than a day what would otherwise taken a week.

In the Karee platinum mine in south africa there used to be 210 fights a month between the workers there. the fighting, thought to be related to the seven different ethnic cultures the miners came from, made for an very difficult work environment. when "thinking" was taught directly to the miners, who had never been to school- even for one day, the number of fights per month dropped to just 4.

Channel 4 television in England said that as a result of the training they had generated more ideas in two days than they had in the previous six months.

A lateral thinking employee at DuPont eliminated nine steps in their manufacturing process for Kevlar and saved the company 30 million dollars a year.

(Source: http://www.debonothinkingsystems.com/...)

Overall, its a short and sweet book which will help you believe in the statement that

Intelligence is called Intelligence only if it is used in an Intelligent Way. Everyone of us are intelligent. Provided we need to be trained to think properly.

Hope you enjoyed this review.

Thanks,
ARK

[Tuong Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather short book, clear-cut and simple, organising all ideas into place. Just when it starts to get interesting at creativity: asymmetric pattern, challenge, concept extraction, concept fan, provocation, movement and random entry, operacy, and 'ago ergo erigo', it abruptly ends.
Anyway, to my short attention span, maybe this is good idea, each book is just long enough to concentrate on absorbing one idea, and then an outline to link them together like this.
Now I need to read the other books.

[Ravinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick overview of De Bono's various ideas that he never tires of sharing by saying "I created". Yes, Edward, we know.

[Niena Aniesza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku ini bercerita tentang maksud sebenar kebijaksanaan. Ada sesetengah pihak samakan kebijaksanaan dengan skor ujian IQ. Ini tidak tepat.

GG3 (Aristotle, Socrates dan Pluto) mempopularkan cara berfikir secara analisis. Analisis sahaja tidak cukup.

Dalam dunia hari ini semuanya di hujung jari. Universiti bukan lagi sumber maklumat. Universiti sepatutnya terlibat dalam mengajar kemahiran berfikir, kemahiran manusiawi dan kemahiran pengurusan.

[Bhomit Bhandari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short read. It's more of a self promo brochure of De Bono and his reasoning of why it's essential to design new ways of thinking and emphasis on thinking as a skill that can be thought to anyone.

[Parth Agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply an eye opener. I want to share an instance of mine, today only my teacher of economics was saying that the problem with our generation is that everything is getting lost behind the loudness of vogue or trend which is a prominent, if not the only, reason that we are bereft of quality at our disposal. Quality stuff you say? Right here!!.
Readers can expect philosophical bend in this book which will shatter a lot of myths that prevail in this world. It's 62 pages only so go for it:)

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deals with how intelligence needs to be put in to action for the creative use of intelligence. Education according to De Bono needs "operacy" ie., putting in to action what is learnt is important.

[Vikas Kapale · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is nice but I think so, it is incomplete one. to understand whole factors one need to read other books of the author. some times it seems that it criticizes the intelligent individual.

[Tejas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much is repeated that I read in other book.