Smart people

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." Einstein is supposed to have said. I was reminded of this yesterday when a couple of NRIs said that they have not really met anybody that much smarter than them. They are not bookish or on Facebook , their self esteem seems to be a result of reasonably successful careers similar to those many other NRIs and perhaps conversations in social gatherings. In research. One is used to seeing the work of others over long periods and of different eras and one percieves hat there are people of different caliber and accomplishment though sometimes luck and location play a role. But one (I) feels that there is room for everybody, that one can contribute if one is interested and works hard. So, it was a bit of a surprise to hear those remarks. I wonder whether we really know the inner lives of others we meet frequently.
P.S. I seem to feel that everybody I meet is smarter than me in some respect or other, but it does not seem to make any difference to what I pursue.