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When I went to grad school I thought I'd meet lots of geniuses with, like, unearthly intelligences. I was surprised to find that none of the successful scientists I met, even those from top-tier universities leading highly-respected labs, were geniuses of that sort. Some were even "slow thinkers" or had slightly faulty memories. But what the most successful scientists did have was: i) very high levels of motivation, and ii) excellent work habits.