The first characteristic that the statement mentioned, intelligence, is of minimal importance compared to the other two. Intelligence is not everything; rather, it is merely one component of the totality of a person. Intelligence can be cultivated by any number of means. A person can seek to become more intelligent through study and repetition. The better a person’s vocabulary and knowledge of abstract concepts, the more he or she will be perceived as intelligent. Also, life experience can be gained through dealing with various people, and these experiences can teach one a great deal about life, people, and society. Furthermore, intelligence is relative. For example, some people who are exceptionally intelligent are not necessarily the most pleasant individuals to be around. The speaker, who is clearly very witty, may have his own personality quirks that make his interactions with others less than pleasant. Perhaps he accuses people of lying when none are lying, or frequently interrupts conversations. Such behaviors are not endearing, and are likely to alienate his friends. So, it seems that, while intelligence is important, reliability, as well as a good sense of humor, are of greater importance and, therefore, should be sought in a friend.

Intelligence can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it is extremely helpful in social situations, since it allows one to form inferences about others based on knowledge of their circumstances. If one knows a person’s educational background, for example, one can judge whether that person is intelligent by considering whether he or she is likely to pursue graduate studies. And, of course, intelligence allows one to excel intellectually in any number of pursuits, from science to art, and from mathematics to music. Expertise can be gained through study, but experience is invaluable in rounding out one’s area of expertise. And, as has been noted, intelligence is relative, and a person may have stunning intelligence but be an obnoxious individual, in which case having an intelligent friend can be a very bad thing.

As for reliability, it is valuable to have a friend who you can count on or to rely on in times of need. A friend may come to you with a problem, and, if you are intelligent, you can formulate a solution. Also, if you are reliable, your friend knows that he or she can rely on you, and this builds trust between the two of you. On the other hand, it can be dangerous to have a friend who is unreliable, because such a friendship can only end in mistrust. And, as mentioned above, being intelligent does not necessarily make one a reliable person. Thus, although intelligence is nice to have, reliability, combined with a sense of humour, is more valuable than intelligence alone.