Persistence

From the books I’m reading.

“Many mathematicians, most famously the French genius Henri Poincare,have testified to the value of leaving a partially solved problem alone for a while and letting the unconscious work behind the scenes.

“Nash ‘wasted’ summer, with his enforced break from his research, proved unexpectedly fruitful, allowing some vague hunches from the spring to crystallize and mature. That October, he started to experience a virtual storm of ideas. Among them was the brilliant insight into human behavior: the Nash’s equilibrium.”-from A Beautiful Mind

“The reality of the creative process is that it often requires persistence, the ability to stare at a problem until it makes sense. It’s forcing oneself to pay attention, to write all night and then fix those words in the morning.It’s sticking with a poem until it’s perfect; refusing to quit on a math question; working until the cut of a dress is just right. The answer won’t arrive suddenly, in a flash of insight. Instead, it will be revealed slowly, gradually emerging after great effort.”-from Imagine, How Creativity Works

Jonah Lehrer was interviewed at NPR for his book, Imagine, March 21, 2012. 

Walking, putting one foot in front of the other, is persistence.