Voltaire's observation cuts deeper than mere complaint about human foolishness—he's pointing out that what we call "common sense" is actually the product of careful reasoning and lived experience, not something that arrives unbidden. A person raised without exposure to consequences or different perspectives might lack what seems obvious to everyone else, suggesting that sense, common or otherwise, must be built. Consider how someone brilliant in mathematics might make terrible decisions about relationships, or how a seasoned parent might be utterly lost in a professional environment: intelligence and experience don't transfer across domains. The real sting of Voltaire's remark is that we often mistake our *own* particular wisdom for universal truth, then judge others harshly for not possessing it.