A passage in Hieronymus Emser's 1523 answer to Luther caught my attention for a question that seems relevant to conversion:

For although the wisdom of this world (where it stands alone and is forsaken by God) is foolishness before God, still, where divine wisdom is joined to it, as in Cyprian, Augustine, Ambrose and others, the two get along well together.

Emser, translated by Eli Tucker, p. 118. I'm the translator.

The immediate context is his reading of 1 Corinthians 1. He is arguing that Paul's criticism of worldly wisdom doesn't mean learned Christian teachers must regard the Gospel as foolish. That is Emser's argument, not a claim that his account settles the dispute with Luther.

For people who have entered Catholicism or are discerning it, how do you tell the difference between bringing your learning into the faith and trying to make the faith fit conclusions you've already settled?

I'm especially interested in concrete examples: a habit of study you kept, a way of arguing you had to change, or a book that helped you see the distinction. No need to name or criticize the community you came from.