Hidden Habits of Genius

"An unusually engaging book on the forces that fueloriginality across fields." -Adam GrantLooking at the 14 key traits of genius, from curiosity tocreative maladjustment to obsession, Professor Craig Wright, creator of YaleUniversity's popular "Genius Course," explores what we can learn from brilliantminds that have changed the world.Einstein. Beethoven. Picasso. Jobs. The word genius evokesthese iconic figures, whose cultural contributions have irreversibly shapedsociety.Yet Beethoven could not multiply. Picasso couldn't pass a4th grade math test. And Jobs left high school with a 2.65 GPA. What does thissay about our metrics for measuring success and achievement today? Why do weteach children to behave and play by the rules, when the transformativegeniuses of Western culture have done just the opposite? And what is genius,really?Professor Craig Wright, creator of Yale University's popular"Genius Course," has devoted more than two decades to exploring these questionsand probing the nature of this term, which is deeply embedded in our culture.In The Hidden Habits of Genius, he reveals what we can learn from thelives of those we have dubbed "geniuses," past and present.Examining the lives of transformative individuals rangingfrom Charles Darwin and Marie Curie to Leonardo Da Vinci and Andy Warhol toToni Morrison and Elon Musk, Wright identifies more than a dozen drivers ofgenius-characteristics and patterns of behavior common to great mindsthroughout history. He argues that genius is about more than intellect and workethic-it is far more complex-and that the famed "eureka" moment is a Hollywoodfiction. Brilliant insights that change the world are never sudden, but rather,they are the result of unique modes of thinking and lengthy gestation. Mostimportantly, the habits of mind that produce great thinking and discovery canbe actively learned and cultivated, and Wright shows us how.This book won't make you a genius. But embracing the hiddenhabits of these transformative individuals will make you more strategic,creative, and successful, and, ultimately, happier.