Sometimes the fool is the only person at the table who knows everyone thinks they’re smarter than him.

There is a kind of awareness in being underestimated, since you get to see how everyone actually thinks while they assume you cannot tell. Being the one nobody is performing for gives you an unusually accurate view of the room, which is a real advantage even though it costs something.

If you are underestimated somewhere, notice what you can see from that position. Use the information rather than spending your energy correcting the impression. The correction can wait, and often it arrives on its own.