Main piece:

One smart person will always lose to ten dumb people.

Background information (Why does the informant know or like this piece? Where or who did they learn it from? What does it mean to them?):

I would always run into problems with other people during middle school, like group projects or clubs, and I would talk to my dad about these problems. Ultimately he was like “It doesn’t matter if you’re right, ten dumb people will outnumber you anyways.” It’s like, if you’re in a situation you can’t win, just surrender. No need in wasting time, just follow along until they’re wrong and you just speak up again. The smart person will prevail in the end, however long that may be.

Context (When or where would this be performed? Under what circumstance?):

Definitely in private. If someone is consulting you about some problems. It’s like a consolation technique, if you want to console someone. I wouldn’t say this to a stupid person. It would be someone having difficulties… It’s a comforting thing. It’s like “Don’t worry so much about it, it is what it is.”

Personal Analysis:

When I heard this proverb, a smile came to my face. Finally, something I have personally felt could be explained in a succinct phrase. The informant is very ambitious- I have never seen him lose an election or fail to get a position in a club. That’s not to say he never has, though. With group projects so prevalent in high school, I have also felt the frustration of carrying a team of students who seemingly did not know what to do.