I have a memory from middle school. I once asked my English teacher if there were dialects in English. Her response? “Stop asking stupid questions.”
That moment stuck with me. For years, I avoided asking questions, even in university. In private, I didn’t mind sounding “stupid,” but in a room full of peers, it was different. Ironically, someone else would eventually ask the same question, and no one batted an eye. It was just my own irrational fear.
As I grew older, I observed a common trait among the people I admire: they ask as many questions as possible, even the most basic ones, until they fully understand a topic.
Even my managers ask questions that, at first glance, seem obvious.
When I pointed this out, one of them told me: “I do it because people often leave out details they assume are understood. Asking questions forces them to clarify things in the most precise way possible.”
This video perfectly captures the essence of what true mastery looks like: starting with naive questions, without fear of sounding stupid.
Because in reality, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers.