"Accustomed to being always at the top of his class, Heisenberg found it hard to accept the lowest of three passing grades for his doctorate." The only sad thi

"Accustomed to being always at the top of his class, Heisenberg found it hard to accept the lowest of three passing grades for his doctorate." The only sad thing I can see is that, according to the story, receiving such a low grade at his final oral exam in experimental physics undermined his confidence in his own skills in experimental physics. I would hate to sound blunt, but receiving a low grade for being unable to answer basic questions should not be a surprise to such a theoretical genius. He got his doctorate anyway.