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Dizzying obsession – a component of genius.

… And so on and on, with all the relentlessness of a visionary who had “set for himself the most magnificent of all tasks for the mind of mankind: nothing less than knowing fully the measure of man and how he fits into the cosmos.”

Given our preoccupation with the dangers of fruitless obsession, and the emphasis we put on the virtues of a balanced life, we sometimes forget that dizzying obsession is also, as Isaacson writes, “a component of genius.”

Above : Walter Isaacson’s biography of Leonardo da Vinci page 220.

“In “Leonardo da Vinci,” Isaacson’s approach, true to his background, is fundamentally journalistic. No intellectual peacocking for him, and though his writing is certainly graceful, it is never needlessly ornate. But make no mistake: He knows his stuff, crowdsourcing, with extreme diligence, an array of art, historical, medical and other experts to arrive at a vigorous, insightful portrait of the world’s most famous portraitist. Da Vinci groupies won’t find startling revelations here. Isaacson’s purpose is a thorough synthesis, which he achieves with flair.”