THEY DON'T NEED YOU TO BE SMART

Nobody likes to look like an idiot. That's why the phrase "I don't know" can be remarkably difficult to say. But the one thing that will always be worse than admitting you don't know is pretending you do and then getting it wrong. Because then you look not only like an idiot but also an unreliable liar.

Not that smart is a bad thing, but people don't always need you to be smart. Sure, they need you to be reasonably competent and knowledgeable. But, more than that, they need you to be reliable. They need you to be trustworthy. They need you to be honest. And they need you to care enough to try to find answers to things you don't know. I'd take all those things over smart any day.