The analogy to athletics must be pressed until all recognize that in the
exercise of intellect those who lack the muscles, coordination, and will power
can claim no place at the training table, let alone on the playing field.
-- Jacques Barzun
Related:
Barzun's Laws of Learning
1) The simple but difficult arts of paying attentio
copying accurately, following an argument, detecting
an ambiguity or a false inference, testing guesses by
summoning up contrary instances, organizing one's
time and one's thought for study -- all these arts --
cannot be taught in the air but only through the
difficulties of a defined subject....
The simple but difficult arts of paying attention, copying accurately
following
an argument, detecting an ambiguity or a false inference, testing guesses by
summoning up contrary instances, organizing one's time and one's thought for
study- all these arts cannot be taught in the air but only through the
difficulties of a defined subjec...