Balancing Pragmatism and Idealism

Most of the people Grant talks about in this book were idealists who had to use practical means to make sure their ideals could actually be realized. Grant discusses how people throughout history managed to be practical enough to appeal to their audience, whether that was law makers, investors or the general public, without compromising their original intentions.

A big feature of Grant’s definition of a successful original is someone who knows what to compromise on and when to compromise on it and what to hold fast on- what can you do without and what is essential. Grant talks at length in Chapter 5, “Goldilocks and the Trojan Horse,” about the idea of tempered radicalism. That is, he says that successful originals hold fast to their ideals while being willing to change or reshape the details. He says that knowing you will get something is...