“I believe that excessive admiration for the work of great minds is one of the most unfortunate preoccupations of intellectual youth–along with a conviction that certain problems cannot be attacked, let alone solved, because of one’s relatively limited abilities.
“In ordinate respect for genius is based on a commendable sense of fairness and modesty that is [...]
“[This advice] may prove comforting and useful to a large number of modest individuals with a retiring nature who, despite yearning for reputation, have not yet reaped the desired harvest, due either to a certain lack of determination or to misdirected efforts. This advice is aimed more at the spirit than the intellect because I [...]
“Let us assert without further ado that there are no rules of logic for making discoveries, let alone for converting those lacking a natural talent for thinking logically into successful researchers. As for geniuses, it is well-known that they have difficulty bowing to rules–they prefer to make them instead. Condorcet has noted that ‘The mediocre [...]