Michael J. Gelb - How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day  

In HOW TO THINK LIKE LEONARDO DA VINCI, Michael Gelb provides an inspirational, practical guide to developing your Da Vincian powers. I recommend it to anyone who wants to experience a personal or professional renaissance.

D ELANO E. L EWIS, PRESIDENT AND CEO,
N ATIONAL P UBLIC R ADIO

For learning how to approach life like a genius His view reflects the current trend in working with multiple intelligences and creativity. The Renaissance mood Gelb successfully invokes, however, adds a unique richness to this deeper, more expansive work.

P UBLISHERS W EEKLY

The seven Da Vincian principles discussed can refine the use of intellect and teach the reader the unchanged art of thinking clearly and fulfilling ones potential.

L IBRARY J OURNAL

In HOW TO THINK LIKE LEONARDO DA VINCI, Michael Gelb makes the practical teachings of historys greatest genius come alive for the modern world. Buy it. Read it! Live it!

T ONY B UZAN, AUTHOR OF
T HE B OOK OF G ENIUS AND
T HE M IND M AP B OOK

Michael Gelb centers his book on models of the very highest achievement and demonstrates how genius is put together, by steps virtually anyone can take, if they have the willingness to practice. Those who have watched Gelb in action know him as a master practitioner in many disciplines. Get this book and stick with it.

T ED H UGHES , N EW Y ORK T IMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
B IRTHDAY L ETTERS

HOW TO THINK LIKE LEORNARDO DA VINCI
A Delta Book

PUBLISHING HISTORY
Delacorte Press hardcover edition published August 1998
Dell Trade Paperback edition published February 2000
Delta Trade Paperback reissue edition / June 2004

Published by
Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York

The terms High Performance Learning and Mind Mapping are registered trademarks used with the permission of Michael J. Gelb and the Buzan Organization, respectively.

I think continually of those who were truly great from Selected Poems by Stephen Spender. Copyright 1934 and renewed 1962 by Stephen Spender.
Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc., and Peters Fraser & Dunlop Group Ltd.

This book presents nutrition and exercise information which may or may not be right for you. In view of the complex, individual, and specific nature of health and fitness problems, this book is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Every individual is different. Before starting any diet or exercise program, get your doctors approval. The publisher and the author expressly disclaim any responsibility for any loss or risk incurred as a consequence of the application of the contents of this book.

All rights reserved
Copyright 1998 by Michael J. Gelb
New preface copyright 2004 by Michael J. Gelb

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-04655
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

Delta is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

eISBN: 978-0-307-57352-0

v3.1_r1

This book is dedicated
to the Da Vincian spirit manifested in
the life and work of Charles Dent

G razie to all who participated in the evolution of the Da Vincian exercises and to the readers who offered valuable feedback on the evolving manuscript: Ann-Marie Bolton, Jolie Barbiere, Stacy Forsythe, Michael Frederick, Ruth Kissane, John Ramo, Dr. Dale Schusterman, and Sylvia Tognetti.

Grazie to the cognoscenti of music appreciation: Audrey Elizabeth Ellzey, Dr. Roy S. Ellzey, Joshua Habermann, Murray Horwitz, Dr. Elain Jerdine, and Stacy Forsythe.

Grazie to Professor Roger Paden for repeatedly raiding his faculty library on my behalf.

Grazie to my clients and friends who keep the Da Vincian spirit alive in their organizations, especially Ed Bassett, Charlie Bacon, Bob Ginsberg, Dave Chu, Jim DAgostino, Marv Damsma, Doug Durand, Gerry Kirk, Delano Lewis, Nina Lesavoy, Joseph Rende, Harvey Sanders, Dr. Raj Sisodia, Debbie Ronning, Ketan Patel, Marlene Weiss, and the Lucent Idea Verse team.

Grazie molto to my parents, Joan and Sandy Gelb, who inspired my Da Vincian approach to life. To Joan Arnold for incisive editing and constructive feedback. To Sir Brian Tovey for sharing his insights on Florence and the Renaissance. To my wonderful literary agent, Muriel Nellis, and her staff, especially Jane Roberts. And to Tom Spain for his Da Vincian vision and brilliant editing, and his team at Delacorte, especially Mitch Hoffman and Ellen Cipriano.

Grazie mille to Lorraine Gill for her remarkable commitment to saper vedre.

Grazie mille to four people who made exceptional contributions to this book:

Nusa Maal for her contributions to the Drawing Course, her magnificent illustrations, and for championing the principles of multi-sensory intelligence.

To the modern uomo universale Tony Buzan for creating mind maps, the Da Vincian thinking tool.

Grand master Raymond Keene, O.B.E., for sharing his profound knowledge of history and genius.

Audrey Elizabeth Ellzey for invaluable support in research and administration and for her Da Vincian fealty to truth.

C ontents

Preface to New Edition:
A Touch of Eternal Beauty

Introduction: Your Brain Is Much
Better than You Think

O ne of Leonardo da Vincis favorite images was the rippling, repeating circles of water emanating from the point where a stone is dropped into a pond or a lake. I see Leonardos own life as a gem tossed into the pool of time that became known as the Renaissance, with his genius rippling on and on into eternity. This image came back to me one night in the summer of 2003 as I was sitting in the audience at the Second Stage Theatre in New York City, watching Mary Zimmermans brilliant play The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, for her work reminded me once again of the way in which the maestros genius lives on. There, brought to vivid life on the stage, thanks to the marvelous stagecraft, the wonderful ensemble of actors, and Marys own creative reimagining of Leonardos world, were Leonardos casual observations about everything from the days to-do and shopping lists to the most fundamental questions about art, architecture, space, history, and philosophy. Over five centuries after he wrote them, the words Leonardo tossed off in his daily journals had become the basis of a full-length play with a sold-out run and stellar reviews.

Invited by the artistic director of the theater to speak to the audience afterward, I was particularly struck by a question that one young woman asked, which may reflect something that you, too, have wondered about: How can the scope and depth of Leonardos genius be understood, and why does his influence seem to growing?

To the first part of the question I have no answer. The longer I study both his biography and his works, the more the mystery of his unparalleled genius seems to grow. But the reasons for his influence are easier to understand, and were perhaps best summed up by the art critic Bernard Berenson when he said of Leonardo: Everything he touched turned to eternal beauty. Beyond that, we sense in his