Its OK to ask dumb questions

So the other night I was sitting at a Track meet chatting with a friend. We got into a conversation about questions, and it this relates to asking for help. We agree that some people don't ask questions, frequently for fear of looking dumb. There is a lot to that. Many people are hyper conscious of other peoples perception of them and they are deeply concerned about not looking dumb. 

Its OK to ask dumb questions. The only way anyone learns anything is to ask questions and you have to start someplace. So if the question you ask seems naive to others but is meaningful to you, that's ok. I'm not talking about asking intentionally dumb questions, that is wasteful. However, if you have a gap in your knowledge and you don't know something, just ask the question. 

If it makes you feel better, you can preface the question by saying something like 'This might be a dumb question, but...' Or you can just blurt it out and if it turns out to be a dumb question, have a good laugh with everyone. The important thing to do is make sure you've got an answer.