Paul Graham’s Bus Ticket Theory of Genius

Ability and determination are not enough to succeed. There’s something else that’s more important: an obsessive interest in a specific area. The problem is that this key factor is so subtle that it’s poorly understood…

Think of someone who collects bus tickets. They hone in on details that most people wouldn’t think twice about – and they do this for its own sake. There’s no payoff. Who cares, right? But this level of focus is a foundational step toward achieving something great.

Darwin started off with a “bus ticket collector” level of interest in natural history. He wasn’t laying the groundwork for a game-changing take on evolution. His interest was pure. The difference between Darwin’s obsession and a bus ticket collector’s is that his mattered.

Genius = being obsessed with something that matters for its own sake. We’re not forgetting about ability and determination here. Obsessive interest can actually be a substitute for ability. And when you’re obsessed, you don’t need determination. Your curiosity drives you.

The scientist Louis Pasteur famously said: “In the fields of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.” No mind is more prepared than one with an obsessive interest, therefore you’re much more likely to discover new ideas and opportunities.

New paths don’t start out looking promising. If they did, they wouldn’t be new. The popular perception is that only “visionaries” make game-changing discoveries. In reality, they’re just obsessively interested enough to follow paths that “merely ambitious” people wouldn’t.

J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t believe that the best route to writing a masterpiece was to spend years creating an imaginary elvish language first. He did that because it’s simply where his interest took him. Lord of the Rings was a byproduct of that depth.

Here’s the thing: nobody can tell in advance what will “matter”. But there are degrees of meaning. Your path is already more promising if you’re creating (rather than consuming) and if you’re exploring something that’s difficult for others.

Timing plays a part. In Darwin’s case, 1830 was a good time to be obsessive about natural history. It’s also possible that great work requires lots of wasted time. Newton’s laws of motion changed how we see the world, but he went down some dead-ends, too.

Bottom line: It’s important to keep your curiosity alive. Go deep for its own sake. Find something you’d gladly take a year off to explore if you could. The basis for great work is still not 100% known, but it may be that by cultivating interest, you can cultivate genius.