"A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep"

This quote by Saul Bellow speaks to the power of illusion and how it can be utilized to mask ignorance. It recommends that when we need an illusion, we can utilize our intelligence to produce one. This might be in the kind of an incorrect complacency, a false sense of understanding, or an incorrect sense of control. In essence, we can use our intelligence to develop an incorrect truth that enables us to neglect the reality. This quote is a tip that we need to know our own illusions and not permit them to cloud our judgement. We ought to aim to be honest with ourselves and not enable our requirement for an illusion to lead us astray.