How To Think Like History’s Greatest Genius - Michael Gelb

Why would anyone want to think like Leonardo da Vinci?

Why would anybody not want to think (laughs) like Leonardo da Vinci, if you even dreamed that it was possible? Most people... are never really made aware of the phenomenal unlimited potential with which we are all born, the incredible brains that we're gifted with. But they didn't come with a manual, so, (laughs) you know, just like baby ducks learn to walk by imitating their mothers, we learn how to think and how to be by the people we get to imitate, and usually that's a default setting, your mom and dad, the people around you when you grow up, your teachers. But what if you called on history's greatest genius to be your personal mentor in utilizing those amazing capabilities?

What was da Vinci like as a person? What was his demeanor?

He was charming, he was funny. (laughs) He was elegant, uh, he liked to dress really well. He wore the finest clothes that he could afford, the finest fabrics. He was a musician. He had a gift for... making people feel comfortable, for connecting with others, which is part of how he was able to get high-level patrons throughout his career. He charmed them and they, they thought, "Well, we kind of like this guy, let's keep him around and see what he can do." And then he winds up, you know, painting the (laughs) Last Supper and the Mona Lisa and a few other things.

So he was a canny operator, then?

Uh, yeah. I mean, you had to be. To, to get by at- at- at that time, you needed, uh, patronage. You needed a sponsor. Just like I notice you always have these great sponsors on your show (laughs) and I want to buy all those products every time I watch. It's like, "Yeah, I need that backpack."

They're my patrons.

(laughs)

Yeah, exactly, Needman Magic Backpack, shout out. Um, how much... you know, I- I love Italy. I've spent a lot of time in Florence and Rome, uh, recently came back from Venice. Um, you know, the period of time Michelangelo, da Vinci, uh... Politically very interesting in Italy. How much did the sort of political landscape, the cultural landscape of Italy at the time, do you think sort of shape who he was, his opportunities, the way he saw the world, the places that he placed his efforts?

Sure. Well, he had to move because of political turmoil. His, uh, tenure, his original tenure in Florence came to an end when he saw that, uh, he might be better off under the patronage of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan. So you probably read the most famous employment application letter of all time.

Can you tell people about that- that letter, please?

(laughs) Well, you gotta love it because, "Most illustrious lord," and then he basically says, "Having seen what other people can do, I gotta tell you, I can do way better." (laughs) And then he goes on to say, "I can build you bridges, I can take care of everything in ti- in times of war," because the felt need of despots, like Sforza was, "Build me some cannon, uh, help me get, uh, underwater to blow up the enemy's fortress." So Leonardo goes on and on about how he can help with all this, and then he says, uh, I think it's number 11, he says, "Oh yeah, by the way, I can do a little painting." (laughs) And then he says, "Not only that, I'll come to your palace and I'll prove that I can do all of this," and then he says, "all in most gracious humility." (laughs) He got the job. (laughs)