But reality is much more complex and honest.

First, intelligence isn't the number of pages you've read.
Intelligence is the ability to understand, connect, analyze, make decisions, and learn from experience.
A person may not have read a single novel, but still:

be tech-savvy

make money

build relationships

see where they're being deceived

quickly grasp new things

And conversely, you can read hundreds of books and still be completely helpless in life.

Second, books are just one way to acquire information. Today, people learn through:

videos

podcasts

conversations

practice

mistakes

observation

If you watch, listen, try, think - your brain is working.
It's not "sleeping" just because you haven't held a paperback in your hands.

Thirdly, school has greatly distorted attitudes toward reading.
Many were forced to read books through mandatory reading, grades, and boring texts they weren't interested in.
And then they were told:
"If you don't read, there's something wrong with you."

But that's a lie.
It's not that you're bad - it's that the format isn't right for you.

What's important is:
❗ Can you think for yourself?
❗ Do you ask questions?
❗ Do you want to understand, not just repeat?

If so, you're not stupid. Period.

And one more thing that's rarely talked about:
Not reading is not a death sentence or a label.
It's not "forever."
Some people start reading at 30.
Some never do.
And both can be normal.

A book is a tool.
Not a measure of human worth.

So if you've never read a book and you're asking yourself this question,
it's already a sign of thinking.
And stupid people, as a rule, don't ask such questions at all.