العبقريّ هو أقلّ الناس قدرةً على الانتباه إلى أيّ شيءٍ باهتٍ أو مُنفّرٍ في ذاته. يخلف مواعيده، ويترك رسائله دون ردّ، ويُهمل واجباته الأسرية إهمالًا لا يُصلَح، لأنه عاجزٌ عن صرف انتباهه عن تلك السلاسل الخيالية الأكثر إثارةً التي يشغل بها عقلَه باستمرار.

“A genius is the man in whom you are least likely to find the power of attending to anything insipid or distasteful in itself. He breaks his engagements, leaves his letters unanswered, neglects his family duties incorrigibly, because he is powerless to turn his attention down and back from those more interesting trains of imagery with which his genius constantly occupies his mind.”William James — Talks to Teachers on Psychology and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals (1983)