"Intelligence is really a kind of taste: taste in ideas"

This quote by Susan Sontag suggests that intelligence is not a repaired trait, but rather a subjective quality that is based upon private preferences. She indicates that intelligence resembles having good taste in food or style, because it is based upon individual opinion and specific judgement. In other words, intelligence is not always a step of one's knowledge or academic ability, but rather a measure of one's capability to discern between good and bad concepts. This quote encourages us to think seriously and to form our own viewpoints, instead of just accepting the concepts of others. It also recommends that intelligence is not a repaired trait, however rather something that can be developed and enhanced gradually.