I'm very much enjoying reading Leonard Mlodinow's The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules our Lives, which has just been published in paperback. I was particularly struck by the following passage, in which Mlodinow is discussing Francis Galton's ambition to improve human intelligence by breeding selection. The problem, Mlodinow claims, is that the notion of intelligence or genius is far more complex than Galton realized:
'In fact, in recent years psychologists have found that the ability to persist in the face of obstacles is at least as important a factor in success as talent. That's why experts often speak of the ten-year rule,' meaning that it takes at least a decade of hard work, practice, and striving to become highly successful in most endeavours. It might seem daunting to think that effort and chance, as much as innate talent, are what counts. But I find it encouraging because while our genetic makeup is out of our control, our degree of effort is up to us.'
How very reassuring. I just wish I had the gene that gave me the ability to persist in the face of obstacles.
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