--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The magic of Paul’s intelligence is that…" description: "\"“The magic of Paul’s intelligence is that he has more patience than anyone I’ve ever met, and with it he simply wears problems down. To count a hundred..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/ian-caldwell-26135_genius_the-magic-of-paul-s-intelligence-is-that_2013122.png" --- # The magic of Paul’s intelligence is that he has more… ![“The magic of Paul’s intelligence is that he has more patience than anyone I’ve ever met, and with it he simply wears problems down. To count a hundred million stars, he told me once, at the rate of one per second, sounds like a job that no one could possibly complete in a lifetime. In reality, it…” quote by Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/ian-caldwell-26135_genius_the-magic-of-paul-s-intelligence-is-that_2013122.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/ian-caldwell-26135_genius_the-magic-of-paul-s-intelligence-is-that_2013122.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/ian-caldwell-26135_genius_the-magic-of-paul-s-intelligence-is-that_2013122.png) > ““The magic of Paul’s intelligence is that he has more patience than anyone I’ve ever met, and with it he simply wears problems down. To count a hundred million stars, he told me once, at the rate of one per second, sounds like a job that no one could possibly complete in a lifetime. In reality, it would only take three years. The key is focus, a willingness not to be distracted. And that is Paul’s gift: an intuition of just how much a person can do slowly.”” [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage highlights that extraordinary intelligence lies in patience, focus, and steady effort, allowing seemingly impossible tasks to be completed efficiently. **In simple terms:** Patience and focus turn huge challenges into doable work. Key Takeaway Cultivate patience and focus for big goals. Themes intelligence patience focus productivity goal‑setting Mood inspirational reflective Type motivational self‑help When to use this quote - research projects - learning new skills - long‑term planning - creative writing Key Concepts incremental progress deep work mental stamina time management Questions to Reflect On - What tasks could you break into smaller steps? - How does patience change your approach to challenges? A Different Perspective Even with focus, external distractions can derail progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work ethic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-ethic/) ## Related quotes > [Chance throws peculiar conditions in everyone's way. If we apply intelligence, patience and special vision, we are rewarded with new creative breakthroughs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bradford-cannon/chance-throws-peculiar-conditions-in-everyone-s-way-if-we-apply/) [Walter Bradford Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bradford-cannon/) > [I try not to set myself up as different or as a celebrity or special. I have a husband that can get on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/i-try-not-to-set-myself-up-as-different-or-as-a-celebrity-or-special/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [My advice to someone to follow in my footsteps is to have patience. I've been doing this for twelve years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-milian/my-advice-to-someone-to-follow-in-my-footsteps-is-to-have-patience-i/) [Christina Milian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-milian/) > [I was listening to Chuck D, KRS, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, all the greats, studying them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-ren/i-was-listening-to-chuck-d-krs-rakim-big-daddy-kane-all-the-greats/) [MC Ren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-ren/) > [I would spend hours absorbing every intonation, every inflection - how the singer would convey a sentiment and how it would sound coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-edmonson/i-would-spend-hours-absorbing-every-intonation-every-inflection-how/) [Kat Edmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-edmonson/) > [I was studying to be a dental hygienist and working as a dental assistant. I met a photographer and decided to put my job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-ziering/i-was-studying-to-be-a-dental-hygienist-and-working-as-a-dental/) [Nikki Ziering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-ziering/) > [I'm in school every day. It depends on what it is that you do with all that free time when I'm not on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-lyte/i-m-in-school-every-day-it-depends-on-what-it-is-that-you-do-with-all/) [MC Lyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-lyte/) > [“It is certain that one who studies the scriptures every day accomplishes far more than one who devotes considerable time one day and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-hunter/it-is-certain-that-one-who-studies-the-scriptures-every-day/) [Howard W. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-w-hunter/) > [Studying. Notice how they conveniently put "DYING" at the end of this word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/studying-notice-how-they-conveniently-put-dying-at-the-end-of-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a better person when I'm preparing for a role, when I'm studying a role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-m-a-better-person-when-i-m-preparing-for-a-role-when-i-m-studying-a/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I always tell Asian actors, especially Filipinos wanting to break into Hollywood, to study, study and study and show their best. I haven't stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-lee/i-always-tell-asian-actors-especially-filipinos-wanting-to-break-into/) [Reggie Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-lee/) > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The heaviest I've ever been is 65 kilos. That was during my Leaving Cert when I was just studying and eating chocolate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-taylor/the-heaviest-i-ve-ever-been-is-65-kilos-that-was-during-my-leaving/) [Katie Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-taylor/) > [You get better by studying and playing with better players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michail-antonio/you-get-better-by-studying-and-playing-with-better-players/) [Michail Antonio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michail-antonio/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ian Caldwell > [The strong take from the weak, but the smart take from the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/the-strong-take-from-the-weak-but-the-smart-take-from-the-strong/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [The only things people can ever know about you are the ones that you let them see](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/the-only-things-people-can-ever-know-about-you-are-the-ones-that-you/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [“Time is what disperses us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/time-is-what-disperses-us/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [“With that in mind, I try to imagine the greatest gift I could've given my father. And as sleep descends on me, the answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/with-that-in-mind-i-try-to-imagine-the-greatest-gift-i-could-ve-given/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [Never invest yourself in anything so deeply that its failure could cost you your happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/never-invest-yourself-in-anything-so-deeply-that-its-failure-could/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [“Hope, Paul said to me once, which whispered from Pandora's box only after all the other plagues and sorrows had escaped, is the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/hope-paul-said-to-me-once-which-whispered-from-pandora-s-box-only/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [Perfection is the natural consequence of eternity: wait long enough, and anything will realize its potential. Coal becomes diamonds, sand becomes pearls, apes become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/perfection-is-the-natural-consequence-of-eternity-wait-long-enough/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [A son is a promise that time makes to a man,the guarantee every father receives that whatever he holds dear will someday be considered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/a-son-is-a-promise-that-time-makes-to-a-man-the-guarantee-every/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [“They could never quite reconcile themselves to the idea that our lives don't follow the dramatic arc that a good author gives to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/they-could-never-quite-reconcile-themselves-to-the-idea-that-our/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [“Hope...which is whispered from Pandora's box only after all the other plagues and sorrows had escaped, is the best and last of all things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/hope-which-is-whispered-from-pandora-s-box-only-after-all-the-other/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [Two people who think they're in love can find out, when left alone, exactly how little they know about each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/two-people-who-think-they-re-in-love-can-find-out-when-left-alone/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [Adulthood it a glacier encroaching quietly on youth. When it arrives, the stamp of childhood suddenly freezes, capturing us for good in the image…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/adulthood-it-a-glacier-encroaching-quietly-on-youth-when-it-arrives/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [“Inde fernut, titidem qui vivere debeat annos, corpre de patrio parvum phenica renasci' It's from Ovid. It means, 'A little phoenix is born anew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/inde-fernut-titidem-qui-vivere-debeat-annos-corpre-de-patrio-parvum/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [Time is the guy at the amusement park who paints shirts with an airbrush. He sprays out the color in a fine mist until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/time-is-the-guy-at-the-amusement-park-who-paints-shirts-with-an/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) > [“What a strange thing, to build a castle in the air. We made a friendship out of nothing, because nothing was the heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-caldwell/what-a-strange-thing-to-build-a-castle-in-the-air-we-made-a/) [Ian Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) [Explore all 22 Ian Caldwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-caldwell/) ## More Genius quotes > [“If people fully understand you, they will think of you as a normal, if they half understand you, will think of you as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-people-fully-understand-you-they-will-think-of-you-as-a-normal-if/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [The truth is I've just never had any kind of plan at all for my career, which is probably not a very flattering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/the-truth-is-i-ve-just-never-had-any-kind-of-plan-at-all-for-my/) [Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I have known many chess players, but among them there has been only one genius - Capablanca!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/i-have-known-many-chess-players-but-among-them-there-has-been-only/) [Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The beginning of genius is being scared shitless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/the-beginning-of-genius-is-being-scared-shitless/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [Treason implies responsibility for something, control over something, influence upon something, knowledge of something. Treason in our time is a proof of genius. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/treason-implies-responsibility-for-something-control-over-something/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [With the proper training, I could've been an evil genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/with-the-proper-training-i-could-ve-been-an-evil-genius/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Never try to judge any one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajat-dogra/never-try-to-judge-any-one/) [Rajat Dogra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajat-dogra/) > [“genius is a path that we can all take and derive much benefit, happiness, fulfillment, and success from...not a genetic windfall or divine gift.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/genius-is-a-path-that-we-can-all-take-and-derive-much-benefit/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) [Browse all 5,125 Genius quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The magic of Paul’s intelligence is that he has more patience than anyone I’ve ever met, and with it he simply wears problems down. 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