Though the characters in Sex and the City most often dealt with matters of the heart, navigating the tumultuous waters of romance in New York City also meant balancing ion with perspicacity. Even neurotic Carrie and pampered Charlotte used their intellect and insight into people's behaviors to find happiness and love.
Where some characters like Steve didn't have high-flying corporate jobs or boast of college degrees, they made up for it with street smarts, and where some didn't have a grasp on erudite language or fancy turns of phrase like Berger, they had a way of communicating that was more practical than anything in Carrie's columns. The way they learned from their mistakes, their professional aptitude, and their romantic choices covered a wide range of intelligence.
Smith
The series doesn't often give Smith a chance to show off his intellect, especially given that his narrative is formulated around his modeling and acting career. Regardless of that, Smith does have an emotional intuitiveness that he does showcase in the later seasons, especially when Samantha is battling breast cancer.
Smith goes through life with a "go with the flow" attitude and isn't often phased by anything (including Samantha's infidelity), and though he may not always appear smart, he is kind, which is one of his most sterling qualities.
Steve
Miranda's on-again, off-again partner Steve didn't ever claim to be one of New York City's greatest minds, just a "nice guy". Nevertheless, he begins the series as a bartender and, after acquiring some business acumen from Miranda, eventually owns his own establishment with Aidan.
Steve likes the simple things in life and the creature comforts of watching sports on tv, chowing down on Chinese takeout, and laying in bed past noon on a Sunday. He knows enough to know he doesn't know everything, but for everything else, he seems to need someone like Miranda to give him direction.
Stanford
One of Carrie's oldest friends in New York City, Stanford is a media agent and publicist who represents various attractive young men throughout the Big Apple. Though he isn't fond of his body and considers himself nothing special to look at, he cultivates a sharp sense of style and a wide net of professional connections.
Stanford knows his limitations and often doesn't take risks, but he isn't adverse to stepping outside his comfort zone if it means attaining some of his longer life goals, like having a family. He's often the voice of reason with Carrie, and discourages her from acting on some of her more precarious impulses.
Aidan
Carrie's long-term boyfriend Aidan knows when to not get involved with life's drama and when to mind his own business. His aversion to the status-starved quo of New York City doesn't often make sense to Carrie, but she could learn a thing or two about Aidan's less chaotic approach to life.
Some fans question Aidan's intelligence for being with Carrie for so long despite the way she treats him, but he's still able to maintain not one, but two businesses despite suffering heartache, and is able to casually purchase Carrie's apartment, proving in matters beyond the heart that he's very successful.
Harry
Charlotte's second husband Harry may not be the most charming divorce lawyer in New York City, but he's one of the most efficient ones, and he worships the ground she walks on. He's able to effectively get Charlotte everything she wants out of her split from Trey, including the apartment on Park Avenue, and a handsome amount of liquid assets.
Harry is a creature of habit who's comfortable in himself and what he likes. He doesn't get into unnecessary drama, and resents when Charlotte pulls him into it. He wisely doesn't blame all of their problems on her insistence on having children, and proves to be a wonderful father when they eventually have a family.
Carrie
The series focuses on Carrie's perspective, and therefore makes it difficult for viewers to get a sense of her intelligence, since every interaction she has is colored by her perception of it. However, there are a few clues that fans have, and they namely involve the choices she makes over six seasons.
Carrie is smart enough to have a successful gig as a freelance writer, which she parleys into a series of best-selling books, and retains a rent controlled apartment. When she fails in the intellectual department, it almost always comes down to Carrie's romanticism and commitment to ion over prudence. She often knows what the smart thing to do is, she just does the opposite because it's more exciting.
Charlotte
Beneath her bubbly persona, Charlotte is a shrewd Park Ave princess. Her effervescence masks a calculating mind, who knows the power of perception. She has a grasp on the "real world" and the way it functions much more than her friends give her credit for. She went to the best schools money could buy, and knows that high school mentalities aren't left in high school (especially with her prep school friends).
Her discussions about finding "the perfect man" are not simply the stuff of fairytales - they have roots in realism, because Charlotte knows a prudent partnership is just as important as a romantic one. She understands how classism, racism, industrialism, and theology all shape society, and therefore chooses to keep her head in the clouds.
Big
Mr. Big's job is almost as shrouded in mystery as his first name, but when Carrie needs a down payment on an apartment, he thinks nothing of writing her a check for tens of thousands of dollars. Not only is he smart enough to work on Wall Street as a financier, but his efforts have allowed him to live a lavish lifestyle, even if he isn't always happy with the parameters of societal expectations.
Big loves Carrie for her fiery spirit and quirky independence, but given their difference in age and his mellowed sensibilities, he isn't interested in committing to something unless he's absolutely sure. He is generally regarded as astute, urbane, if immature in matters of the heart.
Samantha
A PR director whose agency only grows more and more successful as the series goes on, Samantha Jones is an impressive package of brains and beauty. She lives her life precisely how she wants to, and doesn't even let the opinions of her three best friends hinder her personal development.
She astutely knows how to market her biggest asset, Smith Jerrod, after plucking him from obscurity as a waiter and turning him into a big star. The antithesis to her friend Carrie, she never thinks with her heart, and her relationships -like her business associations- are often very transactional.
Miranda
As a high powered lawyer who eventually makes partner, Miranda is a driven professional for whom nothing less than excellence is acceptable. She has no rose-colored glasses on about the realities of the world, and is often the most astute of her group of friends when it comes to matters of the heart.
Miranda is a realist and a pragmatist, and though she's often considered abrasive, her common sense ends up helping all of her friends -and a few boyfriends- make something better of themselves.