If you're the kind of person who is plagued by self-doubt and who second-guesses everything, I've got some good news, because it might be the smartest thing about you. It might even make you wise.
In 1933, the philosopher Bertrand Russell was witness to a dark year. Hitler had just come to power, and fascism was popular across the continent. And he said it was all down to the fact that fools are always so sure of themselves, while those who are intelligent are so full of doubt.
Because Russell argued that the more you actually know about something, the more you can see the subtleties. You can see the exceptions, the caveats, and the places you might be wrong. Knowledge rarely means certainty, it just means you know what questions to ask next.
Whereas the ignorant person suffers from none of this. To them, the world is simple and obvious because they lack the necessary details. And so, from the inside, ignorance can feel like certainty.
The problem is that the modern world rewards confidence over being correct. In a shouting match, the person with no doubt always sounds more convincing than the one weighing both sides. And so, the fools and the fanatics are given the megaphone and the spotlight, while the thoughtful are pushed to the side, and they are talked over. This is exactly how a country can loudly and proudly walk off a cliff.
So, if you meet somebody with a self-assured certainty, don't see it as a sign of honour, but see it as a warning sign. And if you meet somebody full of doubt and full of uncertainty, treat it as something to admire, because doubt is the sound of wisdom.