The issue is the expectations this builds. If the only mathematicians you hear about are apparently the smartest fucking people ever, you might think math isn'

The issue is the expectations this builds. If the only mathematicians you hear about are apparently the smartest fucking people ever, you might think math isn't for you even though you enjoy it. The message needs to get out that you don't need to be that exceptional to do math. Mostly, its about being interested. Note that I don't mean interested in the results of math. You need to find the intricacies of a proof interesting (at least some of the time).