Why Should You Find Smart People Who Disagree With You?

David Senra, reading Kevin Kelly's Excellent Advice for Living, says find smart people who will disagree with you, because a short disagreement can move you off an easy route and onto the harder one you should have taken. One of his smartest friends has a habit of repeating advice from founders straight back to him. The other day the friend called after noticing Senra was trying to take an easy route on something important. All the friend did was quote Napoleon and Lyndon Johnson from Robert Caro's biographies: if you do everything, you will win.

The conversation lasted maybe 60 seconds, maybe 90 seconds. Senra got it, hung up the phone, and took the harder, better route, the route he should have taken to begin with. The harder route would not have happened without smart people willing to disagree.