Lessons from Craig Wright

Craig Wright is the Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Music Emeritus at Yale University. Insights are primarily drawn from his popular "Genius Course" and his book, The Hidden Habits of Genius.

On the Definition and Nature of Genius

On defining genius: "A genius is a person of extraordinary mental powers whose original works or insights change society in some significant way for good or for ill across cultures and across time." [1]
On talent vs. genius: "A person of talent hits a target that no one else can hit; a person of genius hits a target that no one else can see." (Quoting Arthur Schopenhauer, a favorite of Wright's). [2][3]
On the "G-Factor": Wright proposes a "genius formula" which can be expressed as G = S x N x D, where G is genius, S is the significance of the change, N is the number of people affected, and D is the duration of the impact.
On genius being more than IQ: "Standard measures of intelligence—like IQ tests and academic grades—fail to capture some of our most brilliant minds." [4] He points out that figures like Picasso, Beethoven, and Steve Jobs were not top academic students. [5][6]
On the "Eureka!" moment being a myth: "Brilliant insights that change the world are never sudden, but rather, they are the result of unique modes of thinking and lengthy gestation." [7]
On genius and change: "Unless Einstein effects change, he is no Einstein. With the importance of creativity in mind, we see that many individuals popularly referred to as geniuses today are merely celebrities." [8]
On the loneliness of genius: "Genius requires its own way of looking at and living in the world, and it isn't always compatible with conventional ways of living." (Quoting Lillian Ross on Robin Williams). [9]
On genius being a "one-off" phenomenon: "Successful people may produce successful offspring, but geniuses don't produce dynasties of little geniuses." [5]
On the dark side of genius: "Many great minds turn out to be not-so-great human beings. The passage of time tends to obscure the personal destruction many geniuses have caused." [5]
On the relativity of genius: The definition of genius has changed so often over the millennia that it is clearly a concept relative to time and place. [5]

On the Habits and Traits of Geniuses

On the work ethic: "Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work." (Quoting painter Chuck Close). [4][10]
On the importance of routine: "Every genius has a time, place, and environment for working and getting the job done. You may call this 'habit,' 'routine,' 'schedule,' 'rut,' or 'ritual.'" [10]
On childlike imagination: "Genius is only childhood recovered at will." He also quotes Picasso: "Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist as we grow up." [3][6]
On curiosity: "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." (Quoting Albert Einstein). [6] Wright emphasizes that geniuses are lifetime learners. [4]
On passion: "To live longer, find your passion." [6] He notes his research suggests geniuses live longer on average, likely because they are driven by their goals. [4]
On creative maladjustment: "There is a correlation between genius and mental disorder. Rather than stigmatizing or medicating neurological differences, let's learn to embrace them and leverage them to our advantage." [5]
On rebelliousness: "Want to raise a bold, brilliant, original thinker? Permit your children to explore alone, take risks, and experience failure. As Steve Jobs once wondered, 'Why join the navy when you can be a pirate?'" [5][6]
On contrarian thinking: "The more a person can exploit the contradictions of life, the greater his or her potential for genius." [5]
On the power of relaxation: "The best way to have a brilliant insight is to engage in creative relaxation: go for a walk, take a shower, or get a good night's sleep with pen and paper by the bed." [5][6]
On concentration: "Follow her lead but go one step further. Don't interrupt yourself with diverting web searches or email... you alone are responsible for synthesizing that information and producing something." (Referencing Agatha Christie's ability to shut herself away). [10]
On optimism: "Optimists tend to be successful, and pessimists tend to be right... But if you think that something is possible, then you're going to try to find a way to make it work." (Quoting Mark Zuckerberg). [3]
On resilience: "There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction." (Quoting Oprah Winfrey). [2][9]
On obsession: "The secret of life is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to... it must be something you cannot possibly do." (Quoting sculptor Henry Moore). [4]
On originality and seeing what others don't: "A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." (Quoting Steve Jobs). [2][8]
On cross-training your brain: "Some of the most creative scientific achievements have been accomplished by men who, trained in one field, enter upon another.” You need to cross-train. [3]

Learnings from Professor Wright's Teaching

Learning: Cultivate habits, don't wait for inspiration. Genius is a product of consistent, daily rituals and showing up to do the work, regardless of how you feel. [5][10]
Learning: Embrace your inner child. Don't be afraid to be playful, curious, and to look at the world with fresh eyes. Resisting the pressure to "grow up" can be a source of creativity. [5][11]
Learning: Failure is a necessary step. Geniuses are often rebellious and take risks. Allowing for failure is essential for creating something truly original. [5][6]
Learning: Your environment matters. To improve your chances of being a genius, move to a metropolis or a university town where ideas and competition flourish. [6][8]
Learning: IQ is overrated. Don't be discouraged by conventional metrics of intelligence. Many historical geniuses were poor students but possessed other crucial traits like passion and resilience. [4][5]
Learning: Let your mind wander. The brain's "default mode network," active during relaxation like walking or showering, is often where creative breakthroughs happen. [3][5]
Learning: Be a "polymath" or "T-shaped" person. Develop deep expertise in one area but cultivate broad interests in many others. This cross-pollination of ideas is a hallmark of genius. [3]
Learning: Find an impossible goal. Having a driving passion or obsession that you can devote your life to is linked to longevity and happiness. [4]
Learning: Don't treat gifted children like prodigies. Wright cautions that this puts immense pressure on them and that prodigies rarely become adult geniuses who change the world. [5][6]
Learning: Be an optimist. Believing something is possible is the first step to making it work. Optimism is a key ingredient for success and a longer life. [1][3]
Learning: Active listening is a skill. In his music courses, Wright argues that listening is not a passive activity but an active and rewarding process that can be developed to understand human greatness. [12][13]
Learning: Music is a universal language of structure. By understanding the basic elements of music like rhythm, melody, and form, one can learn strategies to understand many different kinds of complex systems. [12]
Learning: It's never too late to be creative. "For every youthful Mozart there is an aged Verdi; for every precocious Picasso, a Grandma Moses." [6][8]
Learning: Think for yourself. Ultimately, geniuses are those who can synthesize vast amounts of information and produce something new from their own unique perspective. [10]
Learning: Genius is not just about the individual. An idea only becomes genius when it is communicated and adopted by a receptive society, thereby creating change. [8]

On Music and Culture

On the definition of a "song": "What do you have to have to make something a song? ... Lyrics. You've got to have a text and so we don't have--in eighty percent of classical music--we don't have lyrics." [14]
On the power of a motive: Discussing Beethoven's 5th, he points out how a simple four-note rhythmic idea can be a "motive" that ties entire symphonic movements together. [14]
On musical meaning: He teaches students to analyze how musical elements like harmony and melody (major vs. minor keys) make us feel the way we do. [15]
On his own journey: "I had the very best teachers i had the best instruments. i had the strongest work ethic i lacked only one thing musical talent... so off I went to Harvard. to get a PhD in musicology." [1]
On studying Mozart: Wright describes his deep dive into the life of Mozart as a key impetus for his research into the nature of genius. [1]
On interdisciplinary study: His work evolved from a primary-source approach to early music to a broad, interdisciplinary view, as reflected in his book The Maze and the Warrior: Symbols in Architecture, Theology and Music. [16]
On the goal of music appreciation: He argues that learning the elements of Western classical music helps one understand "the magnitude of human greatness." [12]
On the accessibility of education: As an early adopter and academic director for online education at Yale, he has made his popular courses available to hundreds of thousands of learners globally via platforms like Coursera. [16][17]
On the purpose of his "Genius" book: "This book won't make you a genius. But embracing the hidden habits of these transformative individuals will make you more strategic, creative, and successful, and, ultimately, happier." [7]
On the ultimate goal of learning: "Unlocking the habits of genius has changed me and my view of the world. Perhaps a careful reading of this book will change you as well.” [5]

Learn more:

Lessons from Craig Wright

On the Definition and Nature of Genius

On the Habits and Traits of Geniuses

Learnings from Professor Wright's Teaching

On Music and Culture

Written by Antoine Buteau

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