Goethe ... is a wonderful instance of the fact that the purest naïveté and the most mighty understanding can go hand in hand. -Thomas Mann on Goethe.
When I read this, it struck me as extraordinarily insightful. Perhaps, I am taking Mann out of content, but I shall talk anyway. Aren't those who pursue science to understand the world this way too - naïve but with a heart that holds the laws of the world? One could think Einstein may have been naïve when he wrote letters to President Roosevelt on the Manhattan project, but, that was not because he did not understand. Was it? It was because he had a mighty understanding.
By extension, someone's cleverness is not a sign of understanding. This is a sobering thought. All one can hope for is to be able to choose naïveté and understanding whenever cunning and misunderstanding seduce us.