If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention, than to any other talent.

This remark is commonly traced to Newton’s later-life reflections on how he worked, circulated in early biographical accounts and collections of his sayings rather than in his formal scientific publications. It appears in the context of portraying Newton’s method as one of sustained concentration—long, careful attention to problems over time—rather than flashes of innate genius. The wording is often presented as Newton’s own assessment of the habits behind his achievements in mathematics and natural philosophy, aligning with other anecdotes about his intense focus and persistence when pursuing a line of inquiry.

The remark frames Newton’s achievements not as the product of innate genius alone but of sustained, disciplined focus. By crediting “patient attention” over “any other talent,” the speaker elevates method—careful observation, repeated calculation, and persistence through difficulty—as the decisive engine of discovery. In a broader intellectual sense, the quote functions as a corrective to heroic myths of sudden inspiration: breakthroughs in science (and other fields) more often arise from long concentration on a problem, incremental refinement, and the willingness to stay with uncertainty. It also carries a moral undertone common in early modern self-presentation: humility before truth and an ethic of diligence.