If you put enough work into something, eventually you’ll know everything you need to know to be successful in that field. It doesn’t mean you’ll know everything there is to know about it, but you’ll know everything that is essential.

After that, it becomes a matter of temperament—self-control. Your success will depend less on learning beyond the essentials and more on learning to control yourself.

This requires regular moments of solitude for quiet reflection. That’s when we’re better able to put things into perspective. It’s also where you begin to understand what the essentials are.