Geniuses

In the Forbes article "How to be a Genius", Scott Berkun mentions two personal attributes among two others that aspiring geniuses can take note of -

• Be obsessed with work
• Don't strive for fame in your own lifetime

An aggrieved reader sarcastically pointed out if being male should also be a criterion as no female names were mentioned in the article.

One of my all-time favorite scientists Marie Curie transcended superficial barriers of gender, language and country in pursuit of knowledge to make discoveries of far-reaching effect for mankind.

The New York Times obituary titled "Mme. Curie Is Dead; Martyr to Science" described Marie Curie thus:

Few persons contributed more to the general welfare of mankind and to the advancement of science than the modest, self-effacing woman whom the world knew as Mme. Curie. Her epoch-making discoveries of polonium and radium, the subsequent honors that were bestowed upon her--she was the only person to receive two Nobel prizes--and the fortunes that could have been hers had she wanted them did not change her mode of life. She remained a worker in the cause of science, preferring her laboratory to a great social place in the sun. The road which she and her husband had chosen she followed throughout her life, disdaining all pomp. And thus she not only conquered great secrets of science but the hearts of the people the world over.

Did you know she is the ONLY person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields, Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911)?

I also find the works of Asimov and polymath Benjamin Franklin stupendous & very inspiring.

Dear Reader, whom do you consider a Genius?