“Genius is talent set on fire by courage.” – Henry Van Dyke, (1852-1933) was an American Presbyterian clergyman

Genius should not be confused with IQ (intelligence quotient). “It would be more helpful to see genius as simply an extraordinary high degree of insight in a given area of human activity. … Genius can be more accurately identified by perseverance, courage, concentration, enormous drive, and absolute integrity — talent alone is certainly not enough. Dedication of an unusual degree is required to achieve mastery…one could say that genius is the capacity for an extraordinary degree of mastery in one’s calling. A formula followed by all geniuses, prominent or not, is: Do what you like to do best, and do it to the very best of your ability.”[i]

 

[i] David Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D., Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior (Sedona: Veritas Pub, 1995), 201.

 

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