Effortless genius?
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:date: 2023-10-02T16:38:13
:category: literature
:tags: review, harryPotter, blogComment
 
(my comments on “`Is Hermione actually that smart?`_” by `/u/sullivanbri966`_)

`/u/VisenyaMartell`_:

    I heard someone once claim that she is ‘a genius through
    effort, not an effortless genius.’

I don’t think there is such thing as an effortless genius. Thomas
Alva Edison (who could be easily qualified as a genius himself)
said somewhere (`the source is difficult to find`_): “Genius is
one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

There is also his statement, that “Opportunity is missed by most
people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”,
which is quite unpleasant when you think about it.

`/u/Ch1pp`_:

    Your argument could just as easily say we all made an effort
    to start breathing after we left the womb so nothing we do is
    effortless. I'd say genius is more sporadic rather than being
    a culmination of life experience to the point where one
    becomes “a genius”.

I am not saying there are no geniuses in the world who come with
unexpected and awesome and change the whole world’s understanding
of the point (I had a great honour to have of those in my life
even), but what I am saying is that behind that a short moment of
brilliance there is usually A LOT of work, and that without that
work that brilliance would not show up.

I like what both `Robert Heinlein`_ (also `this summary`_) and
`Ray Bradbury`_ (essay, not the collection) are unanimous in
their writing advice (using Bradbury’s words; both of these are
certainly geniuses in their world): write five thousand words
every day ready to be published, and after ten or so years doing
so (and being published), you may actually write a story or two,
which are what you want to write.

I have here a letter from my grandfather `Jiří Trnka`_ who
bitterly complained that his very good friend `Jan Werich`_ (a
very famous Czech actor) is too lazy and too comfortable in his
success, so he will not probably do anything good in his later
years. Which was actually true: Werich made the last great things
in the 1950s’ and then he just drifted without doing much for the
next thirty years.

.. _`/u/VisenyaMartell`:
    https://www.reddit.com/user/VisenyaMartell/

.. _`/u/Ch1pp`:
    https://www.reddit.com/user/Ch1pp/

.. _`/u/sullivanbri966`:
    https://www.reddit.com/user/sullivanbri966/

.. _`Is Hermione actually that smart?`:
    https://www.reddit.com/r/HPfanfiction/comments/16xxg6b/comment/k358tg6/?context=3

.. _`the source is difficult to find`:
    https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison#1900s

.. _`Robert Heinlein`:
   https://archive.org/details/n.t.-revista-nota-do-tradutor-24/page/126/mode/1up

.. _`this summary`:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Writing_of_Speculative_Fiction

.. _`Ray Bradbury`:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_in_the_Art_of_Writing

.. _`Jiří Trnka`:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji%C5%99%C3%AD_Trnka

.. _`Jan Werich`:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Werich