Even a group of smart people can end up making stupid decisions.

The Crowd isn’t saying these people are all terrible; it’s saying that even if each individual is quite wise on their own, once you bring them together, they become the mob. Once people cluster, they start smoothing things over—that’s instinct.

Because you need to survive, because you need to fit in, because you need to get by, because you worry about the nail that sticks up getting hammered down.

So, for those content to just coast through life, human nature is about seeing through things but keeping quiet.

Be prepared: you will be seen through. In some people’s eyes, you’re a clown. But so what? Just because someone sees through you doesn’t mean they’ll call you out. There are plenty of people in this world who lack real substance. When ants form a raft to cross the river, a large proportion of those in the inner ring lack real capability.

And yet, they still made it across.