I used to think that smart people are fast thinkers. He never took my time to think. “He thinks on his feet. He’s really smart.” I tried it for many years.

Every time I faced a problem, discussion, or when someone asked me a question, I thought, “QUICK, QUICK, QUICK!”

Naturally, my first answers sucked.

Derek Sivers, one of my favorite thinkers, says he’s a slow thinker:

“It’s a common belief that your first reaction is the most honest, but I disagree. Your first reaction is usually outdated. Either it’s an answer you came up with long ago and now use instead of thinking, or it’s triggering a knee-jerk emotional response to something that happened long ago.”