Genius vs. Expertise

Many people hear the story of T. V. Raman and think, What an amazing genius he must be to have succeeded against such odds! Though Raman is assuredly amazing, this is the wrong lesson to take from his journey. He is no more or less a genius than Jennie McCormick, or Alan Rouleau, or Susan Rogers, or any of the other dark horses in this book. He did

Genius can be more accurately identified by perseverance, courage, concentration, enormous drive, and absolute integrity. Talent alone is not enough. Dedication of an unusual degree is required to achieve mastery, and in the simplest definition, one could say that genius is the capacity for an extraordinary degree of mastery in one’s calling. A for

When people hear about geniuses, especially the iconoclastic ones such as Feynman, there’s a tendency to focus on their gifts and not their efforts.

Sprinting is a fine strategy for a young genius, but becoming an old master requires the patience of experimentation to run a marathon. Both are paths to creativity. Yet for those of us who aren’t struck by a bolt of insight, slow and steady experimentation can light the way to a longer stretch of originality.

Genius too does nothing but learn first how to lay bricks then how to build, and continually seek for material and continually form itself around it. Every activity of man is amazingly complicated, not only that of the genius: but none is a ‘miracle.’