This was the quote that really resonated with me: "You know, it's funny. For all Feynman's independence, he was surprisingly diligent. I remember once he was p

This was the quote that really resonated with me: "You know, it's funny. For all Feynman's independence, he was surprisingly diligent. I remember once he was preparing some fairly minor conference talk. He was quite concerned about it. I said, "You're a great speaker; what are you worrying about?" He said, "Yes, everyone thinks I'm a great speaker. So that means they expect more from me." It reminds me of Daniel Chambliss' findings in "The Mundanity of Excellence": "Swimmers like Lundquist, who train at competition-level intensity, therefore have an advantage: arriving at a meet, they are already accustomed to doing turns correctly, taking legal starts, doing a proper warmup, and being aggressive from the outset of the competition. If each day of the season is approached with a seriousness of purpose, then the big meet will not come as a shock. Feynman's diligence was not at all surprising. We cultivate this idea of eccentric geniuses. But it's precisely the diligence- to little details, over years and decades- that makes all the difference. - http://www.visakanv.com/blog/2014/01/the-mundanity-of-excellence-by-daniel-chambliss/ http://www.visakanv.com/blog/2014/01/the-mundanity-of-excell...