In Stoner, a beautiful novel by one John Williams, a character explains to a friend why academia is the perfect place for him:
You’re capable of work, but you’re just lazy enough so that you can’t work as hard as the world would want you to.
It’s really true. That’s how I am and that’s why I’m in academia.
Clarissa's Blog 
I have a feeling this is why my husband didn’t end up in academia, and why one of my sons probably will! Is the novel worth reading?
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It’s a beautiful novel. A full review is coming shortly!
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My version would be: You’re capable of work, but you’re just lazy and selfish enough so that you don’t want to work as hard on other people’s projects as they would want you to…
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