I have to agree. Being a genius is very important if you want to be a mathematician. Tao is an excellent teacher, but I still don't know that someone as smart

I have to agree. Being a genius is very important if you want to be a mathematician. Tao is an excellent teacher, but I still don't know that someone as smart as him can really appreciate this. His perspective is nicely idealist, but is highly unrealistic for normal people. For example, he writes, "Professional mathematics is not a sport ... mathematics needs all the good people it can get." But if you want to be a professional mathematician, then you do need to play the sport, because you aren't going to get a job anywhere, let alone at UCLA, otherwise. It is a very competitive field.