Act dumb sometimes...

A newspaper article today talks about the life of a gentleman who has made a name for himself by creating a whole chain of retail outlets just selling bread.

His life was wrought with challenges and successes. But the key lesson learnt was that he never gave up and sought to overcome his challenges one by one.

One of the interesting comments that he shared was this,"Act dumb sometimes. You don't have to appear too smart."

It was probably because of this 'tactic' that he managed to achieve what he wanted during some deadlocked situations.

How can this be? Isn't it a known fact that if you 'look dumb', you will be 'trampled' all over?

Ah! But there is wisdom in his quote.

So in what situations do we 'Act dumb' and yet be 'smart'? Or as Singaporeans like to say 'Think smart, act blur'. May I suggest the following:


- When being stopped by the traffic policeman for speeding,"Huh? I thought this was a race car track."

- When you get caught for shoplifting,"Doh! I thought these were free samples!" (pretty lame lah)

- When you accidentally walk into the Ladies' washroom,"Er...sorry, I thought this was the car park."

- When trying to elicit competitive intelligence from a big mouth insider,"Oh really? I did not know! I must be so out of touch! You are so knowledgeable!" (say this in irritatingly high pitch)

- When your wife catches you in the arms of another woman,"Is this a new massage technique?"


Yes, humility can go a long way. Perhaps, that is probably why my youngest sister can get away with almost anything. I believe that it was a mutual friend who bestowed upon her the extremely flattering comment that she was 'Blonde with black hair'.

My sis is going to kill me...