The creator of Yale University's popular "Genius Course" examines how fourteen key habits of genius, from curiosity and creative maladjustment to rebelliousness and obsession, have been effectively demonstrated by history's most influential and change-promoting intellectuals Pablo Picasso couldn't pass a 4th grade math test. Steve Jobs left high school with a 2.65 GPA. Yet they are considered geniuses, and their cultural contributions have helped shaped society. What is genius, really? Wright has explored the nature of this term, and here he reveals what we can learn from the lives of those we have dubbed 'geniuses,' past and present. Wright identifies characteristics and patterns of behavior common to great minds throughout history. He argues that genius is about more than intellect and work ethic: Brilliant insights that change the world are never sudden, but are the result of unique modes of thinking and lengthy gestation. And the habits of mind that produce great thinking and discovery can be actively learned and cultivated.

Introduction: Hitting the hidden target -- Gift or hard work?: IQ or many Qs? -- Genius and gender: the game is rigged -- Avoid the prodigy bubble -- Imagine the world as does a child -- Develop a lust for learning -- Find your missing piece -- Leverage your difference -- Rebels, misfits and troublemakers -- Be the fox -- Think opposite -- Get lucky -- Move fast and break things -- Now relax -- Time to concentrate! -- Epilogue: Unexpected outcomes.