Intelligence and Creativity Guarantee Nothing – Philosophy Essay
One of the realities of human society is that crude intelligence and creativity do not guarantee success. On the other hand, persistence on a certain matter does, as the long fight of women’s rights activists demonstrates. In addition, continuous effort to better one’s self is crucial, as the experience of talented authors like Jane Austen, whose works are products of revising and polishing, show.
First of all, the prolonged plight of women’s rights activists clearly suggests that, in order to achieve success, one requires primarily insistence and patience. The cause benefited from the assistance of many intelligent and sophisticated women, but no insightful newspaper article or well-crafted slogan could bring about such a groundbreaking change in society. Conversely, progress was made over time, as the public opinion needed to be re-educated, to be taught to put their entrenched prejudices to the test of reason. Therefore, it was not the spark of genius that the cause needed, but persistence. Or, as Thomas Edison puts it, 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.
Another example of the need for effort to polish talent, much like an uncut diamond requires a lot of attention to show its full brilliance, is the renowned writer Jane Austen. A variant of her most famous novel, “Sense and Sensibility”, was given to editors in 1797. But the then “First Impressions” was not commendable/satisfactory yet, and Jane Austen knew it, so that the universal rejection did not surprise her. However, the writer came back to her novel in 1811, and the revised “Sense and Sensibility” was now good enough to become a favorite.
Consequently, even if the dedication of suffragettes and the talent of a great author like Jane Austen is undisputed, success is not certain. It can be concluded that success does indeed require a spark of genius, but the massive contribution of effort is undisputed.