Another thought: most of us are not made of the same kind of stuff as Donald Knuth. Whatever origin you think world-changing inventions or intellectual work ha

Another thought: most of us are not made of the same kind of stuff as Donald Knuth. Whatever origin you think world-changing inventions or intellectual work has, talent or the right mettle to push yourself extremely hard or whatever, most people do not possess it. I don't. And I think there is much less motivation to "go against the flow" if you are reasonably sure that no great benefit will follow from it.