It’s not just “people who don’t know how he actually does it”, it’s people who themselves are distinguished physicists (like Mark Kac in my quote) - they call F

It’s not just “people who don’t know how he actually does it”, it’s people who themselves are distinguished physicists (like Mark Kac in my quote) - they call Feynman “a magician“. There have been a lot of smart people who work hard at physics. Most achieve some degree of success, but very few reach the genius level. I agree luck is important (being born in the right family, having right teachers in school, etc), but the main ingredient is a raw talent. Again, no amount of luck and hard work would turn you into a genius if you weren’t born with the necessary mental capacity.