In my reading of interviews, biographies of many of the foregoing, I don't recall a single one having the goal of being "the best". Most certainly not in the se

In my reading of interviews, biographies of many of the foregoing, I don't recall a single one having the goal of being "the best". Most certainly not in the sense that we talk about sports stars. In my understanding, each and every person on your list was passionate about solving some problem, extending their knowledge, sharing their learning with others. The recognition followed their contributions.