HOW TO THINK

LIKE LEONARDO
DA VINCI
Seven Steps to Genius
Every Day
MICHAEL J. GELB

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 How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci - Page 1

MAIN IDEA
Leonardo da Vinci was the ultimate high achiever -- with simultaneous careers as a world-class artist, architect, scientist, inventor
and engineer. In his spare time, he was also an accomplished cook and played musical instruments to a professional level.
Therefore, if anybody can exemplify how to apply creativity and learning skills productively, da Vinci is the consummate role model.
While it is true that Leonardo da Vinci was a genius, it is also true that most people typically use only a fraction of their potential
brain-power. Therefore, by analyzing how da Vinci achieved so much, a system for personal and professional achievement can
be developed. In essence, this system has seven key principles, detailed below.
By learning through imitation of the system da Vinci used to achieve so much, you are following a role model that embodies a very
practical and down-to-earth approach to applied genius. This system also provides proven techniques for sharpening the mind,
liberating intelligence, creative thinking and expansive self-expression.
Leonardo da Vinci lived through one of the most remarkably creative periods in history -- the Renaissance. Notable developments
of this era include the printing press, pencils, inexpensive paper, the magnetic compass, the large sailing ship, the long-range
cannon and the mechanical clock -- inventions that would alter the course of human history. Like the Renaissance, the modern
era is characterized by technology, and the release of newer versions of consumer products and technologies. Therefore, it is
altogether appropriate to look to the Renaissance for hints and clues on how to manage change creatively and productively. Da
Vincis approach to life and his careers provides just such guidance and inspiration.
In the final analysis, Leonardo da Vinci could well serve as the patron saint of independent thinkers, and the ultimate model of what
the human spirit is capable of achieving.

Principle #1 -- Curiosita -- The Quest for Continuous Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2

Everyone actually has quite a keen sense of curiosity. The challenge, however, lies in refining and
developing this trait over the course of an entire career. That requires that you continue to ask great
questions on a regular basis -- and then search intensely to find the answers to those great questions.

Principle #2 -- Dimostrazione -- Test Knowledge Through Practical Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3

First-hand experience is the best source of wisdom and know-how. And the best, most practical way to
create added value through experience is to use it to test and improve what you are actually working on.
Real-world experience (including disasters, failures and mistakes) will teach far more than any teacher
ever can.

Principle #3 -- Sensazione -- Constantly Sharpen the Senses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4

The five senses -- sight, sound, touch, taste and smell -- are the keys to creating added value in any kind
of activity. Therefore, by refining and improving the senses, you increase both your intelligence and your
ability to learn from the world around you.

Principle #4 -- Sfumato -- Be Comfortable With Ambiguity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5

Creativity flourishes if you can keep your mind open in the face of uncertainty. The ability to embrace
uncertainty and function productively in the face of ambiguity with relish is a characteristic of genius --
and a worthwhile trait in a rapidly changing world.

Principle #5 -- Arte / Scienza -- Balance Science and Art, Logic and Imagination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
The concept of being left-brained (logical) or right-brained (artistic) is now well known. Leonardo da Vincis
life, however, showed what can be achieved when both sides of the brain are harnessed. The dynamic
between the two sides of the brain generates substantial capacity for achievement.

Principle #6 -- Corporalita -- Develop Poise -- the Balance of Body and Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7
In addition to cultivating an ability to think clearly, logically and creatively, da Vinci was in exceptionally
good physical health. He taught (and exemplified) the idea that smart people should also take good care
of their physical health and well-being if they expect to remain productive throughout their lives.

Principle #7 -- Connessione -- Maintain a Big Picture Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8

Despite the fact we live in an age of specialization, maintaining an accurate visualization of the grander
scheme of things can be particularly worthwhile. The greatest success (and most inner happiness) will
come to those who understand that all actions, patterns and relationships are part of the totality that
envelopes the human race.

Principle #1 -- Curiosita
The Quest for Continuous Learning
Main Idea
Everyone actually has quite a keen sense of curiosity. The
challenge, however, lies in refining and developing this trait over
the course of an entire career. That requires that you continue
to ask great questions on a regular basis -- and then search
intensely to find the answers to those great questions.
Supporting Ideas
Curiosity is an intense desire to learn more -- an unquenchable
thirst for more and more knowledge. The mechanism by which
curiosity functions is through seeking answers to questions.
Therefore, it is quite logical that the key to expanding a sense of
curiosity is to ask good questions.
In fact, the greatest minds in business and history have always
focused on great questions. What is a great question? Its a
question that strikes precisely to the heart of an important quality
of life issue.
How can a sense of curiosity be refined and enhanced, and
some of those great questions formulated? Leonardo da Vincis
example suggest these practical steps:
1. Keep a journal or notebook.
Leonardo da Vinci kept about 7,000 pages of notes recording
his thoughts during his lifetime, and most scholars believe
that was only one-half of what he actually wrote. He jotted
down ideas, thoughts, sketches and impressions whenever
they came to him.
In November 1994, Bill Gates purchased 18 sheets of
Leonardo da Vincis notebooks for $30.8 million. da Vincis
notebooks included original plans and ideas for a flying
machine, a helicopter, a parachute, the extendible ladder,
three-speed gear shift, the bicycle, adjustable spanners, the
snorkel, hydraulic jacks, locks for canal systems, folding
furniture, a water-powered alarm clock and the worlds first
revolving stage.
2. Use questions to guide and structure thinking.
Try and make a list of the 100 questions that are most
important to you in one sitting. Then, go back through that
list and look for themes. What are most of your questions
actually about?
Now, choose 10 questions that are most important to you,
and rank them in importance. These questions should relate
to your broad quality of life. Some sample questions:
Which activities allow me to best feel like I am expressing
my natural character traits?
What is the one thing I could start -- or stop -- doing today
that would most improve my quality of life?
What is my greatest personal talent?
How can I get paid for doing what I love to do?
Who are my most inspiring role models?
How can I best be of service to others?
What is my hearts deepest desire?
How am I perceived by: my best friend; my worst enemy;
my boss; my children; my spouse?
What are my blessings in life?
What legacy would I most like to leave?
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci - Page 2
Next, develop 10 questions from your professional field,
about your career or some other aspect of your professional
life. Dont be afraid to ask the simple questions -- theyre often
the most profound:
When did this start?
Who is affected by this issue?
How does this occur -- from different perspectives?
Where else does this occur?
Why is this issue important -- and to whom?
3. Work on a theme.
Choose a theme for the day, and write down in your notebook
everything you observe that day -- including your thoughts --
that ties in with that theme. Reward yourself appropriately for
what you come up with.
4. Set aside uninterrupted time to contemplate.
Many people are so busy doing they fail to stop and think
about what it is they should be doing. Offset that tendency
by setting aside quality contemplation time -- just you and
your notebook. Set a goal for how much time you allocate to
this activity each day.
5. Stream of consciousness writing.
For a 10-minute period, write down every thought that comes
to you on a subject. Dont stop to censor -- just keep writing
whatever comes to mind. You might come up with some
gibberish, but there may also be some rather profound
insights in what you come up with as well.
Leonardo da Vincis life was actually one long exercise in
creative problem solving with a high degree of originality. It was
based on his intense curiosity and an open mind posing
questions from different perspectives. He always focused on
asking the right question instead of seeking the right answer to
the wrong question.
Key Thoughts
Most business inventions are inspired by the question, "What
if...?" The multi-billion dollar economy of Silicon Valley was
largely inspired by the question, "What if we shrunk the size of
computer chips?" The craze for offering rebates as a sales
incentive was born from the question, "What if we paid our
consumers to buy it?" What if... questions stimulate your
imagination and shake up your perspective. Consider any
product or service you might offer, and ask, what if I: shrunk it;
enlarged it; made it lighter; made it heavier; changed its shape;
reversed it; tightened it; loosened it; added something;
subtracted something; interchanged parts; stayed open for
24-hours; guaranteed it; changed its name; made it recyclable,
stronger, weaker, softer, harder, portable, immovable, doubled
the price or paid customers to take it. The happiest people in the
world ask, "What if I could find some way to get paid for doing
what I love?"
-- Michael Gelb
I roamed the countryside searching for answers to things I did
not understand. These questions and other strange phenomena
engage my thought throughout my life.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
Undoubtedly the most curios man who ever lived. He wouldnt
take Yes for an answer.
-- Kenneth Clark on Leonardo da Vinci

Principle #2 -- Dimostrazione
Test Knowledge Through Practical Experience
Main Idea
First-hand experience is the best source of wisdom and
know-how. And the best, most practical way to create added
value through experience is to use it to test and improve what
you are actually working on. Real-world experience (including
disasters, failures and mistakes) will teach far more than any
teacher ever can.
Supporting Ideas
The ability to learn from mistakes and a willingness to test
opinions in the crucible of actual experience are the basis for
developing good judgment and sound reasoning abilities.
Without this, a person will be held captive by his preconceptions
and the limited knowledge that passes for prevailing wisdom.
Only against a wealth of first-hand experience can a person
develop originality and independence of thought. And that will
require learning from mistakes just as thoroughly as learning
from what does succeed.
The practical steps required to learn from actual experience are:
1. Become aware of how experience has molded perceptions.
Take your notebook and:
List 5 - 7 of the most influential experiences of your life.
Summarize what you learned from each experience.
Select your one most influential experience. Consider
how this has shaped and colored all your attitudes.
Finally, ask how things would differ in your life or career
if you rethought some of the conclusions youve drawn.
This exercise will help you understand the direct link between
past experience and current or future perceptions -- and the
power you have to shape those perceptions.
2. Analyze your beliefs and their sources.
Most people never stop to look carefully at what the source
of their information is. Try this exercise:
Choose two or three general topics.
Write down your three main ideas, assumptions or beliefs
in each of those topics.
Now ask yourself where did your personal beliefs come
from, and what is required to change those beliefs.
Through reflection, you will come to understand how your
most influential ideas have been delivered to you, and
whether or not they have been subjected to testing in the
real-world.
3. Put in place a mental self-defense mechanism.
Whenever youre faced with a commercial advertisement:
Analyze the strategy and tactics the advertiser is
attempting to use to influence your buying pattern.
Make a list of the three (or five) best advertisements you
can remember. What was it about them you liked?
Look at 10 recent purchases youve made. To what
degree were your actions influenced by advertising?
If you can remain impartial, you can better arm yourself to
think and act independently.
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci - Page 3
4. Develop a healthy attitude to mistakes and adversity.
Most people see mistakes as major problems. Smart,
creative people view them only as something to learn from
-- and indicators that genuine effort is being put in.
Contemplate and record your observations about:
What role does the fear of making mistakes play in your
life at the present time.
What would your life be like if you adjusted your
perspective to welcome rather than shun mistakes?
In your business career, are you more likely to make
mistakes of commission (doing the wrong thing) or
omission (failing to do the right thing)?
5. Create positive affirmations.
Resilience in the face of adversity is a highly desirable
character trait, which can be enhanced by developing and
contemplating written affirmations.
In your notebook, make a list of affirmation which describe
how you want to feel. For example:
I feel curious about how to solve this problem.
I feel willing to create a business entity that will serve
others by adding to their quality of life.
I feel worthy of enjoying everything Ive worked for in life.
I feel curios about how to make a positive contribution to
the world in which I live.
6. Learn from the mistakes of others.
Ideally, if you can learn from observing the mistakes of
others, you can become more efficient.
Try making a list in your notebook of three people who have
made mistakes youd like to avoid -- and what you have
learned from their experience.
The ability and willingness to learn from experience is a key to
making progress and moving ahead.
Key Thoughts
Experience never errs; it is only your judgment that errs in
promising itself results as are not caused by your experiments.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
In the business world, senior executives overwhelmingly point
to a failure to heed their own experience as the prime cause of
their worst decisions. Too often business people allow their
better judgment, based on experience, to be overruled by
analysts, attorneys and academic authorities. The best leaders
and managers know, as Leonardo did, that experience is the
heart of wisdom.
-- Michael Gelb
A masters in business can sometimes block an ability to master
experience. Many of the M.B.A.s we hired were either
congenitally naive or victims of their own business training. The
result was a kind of real-life learning disability -- a failure to read
people properly or to size up situations and an uncanny knack
for forming the wrong perceptions.
-- Mark McCormack
To me it seems those sciences are vain and full of error which
are not born of experience, mother of all certainty, first hand
experience which in its origin or means or end has passed
through one of the five senses.
-- Leonardo da Vinci

Principle #3 -- Sensazione
Constantly Sharpen the Senses
Main Idea
The five senses -- sight, sound, touch, taste and smell -- are the
keys to creating added value in any kind of activity. Therefore,
by refining and improving the senses, you increase both your
intelligence and your ability to learn from the world around you.
Supporting Ideas
By increasing the amount and quality of sensory information you
take in each day, you refine your intelligence and increase the
quality of your own life.
To focus and sharpen the senses:
1. Vision -- the difference between looking and seeing.
Write a description of a sunrise in your notebook.
Practice focusing on near and distant objects often.
Place your index fingers together at eye level in front of
your face and move them apart while looking straight
ahead. (This sharpens peripheral vision).
Increase the amount of time you spend visualizing
positive outcomes.
Learn to draw or paint.
2. Sound -- the difference between listening and hearing.
Listen to the sounds that surround you. Separate them
into layers -- the loudest, the more subtle, the rare, etc.
Listen for total silence -- the complete absence of sound.
Study the lives and work of composers and artists. Listen
for the patterns they use time and again. Listen to each
individual component of the music, and identify how that
element contributes to the whole.
Develop your own personal all-time top 10 list of music.
3. Touching -- the difference between contact and feeling.
Look at a fine painting. Ponder the delicate touch required
to produce an effect like that.
Go outside and touch some of the patterns that occur in
nature, feeling for texture and form.
Spend an entire day focusing solely on how things feel.
4. Taste.
When eating, avoid distractions and focus on how the
food tastes. Experience all the flavors available.
Buy three kinds of the same food and write down in your
notebook the differences in taste between the three.
Get involved in groups that offer a broad experience of
new and different taste sensations -- such as a regular
dinner group or some other special interest group.
5. Smell.
Write in your notebook what you smell when visiting
various places in your day.
Spend one complete day being totally aware of the smells
and aromas that you come into contact with.
Broaden your vocabulary past a simple It stinks or It
smells nice. Add floral (roses), minty (peppermint),
musky (musk), ethereal (pears), resinous (camphor), foul
(rotten eggs) and acrid (vinegar) to your vocabulary.
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci - Page 4
Go to a fragrance shop and make your own perfume. or
cologne.
Study aromatherapy -- the treatment of physical ailments
through different smells.
6. Synesthesia -- the merging of the senses.
When the sense are merged together, great artistic and
scientific genius can be created.
Try drawing the shapes and colors that come to mind
when listening to your favorite piece of music.
Try transposing your favorite artists or scientists. For
example, if Mozart were a painter, who would he be like,
and what would Mozarts paintings have looked like.
Solve a synthetic problem, using each of the five senses
as a part of the solution. Write your answer in your
notebook, along with the reasons why.
Create a specific workplace where creative problem
solving is the sole activity. Remove all distractions and
add the tools that enhance creative thinking -- good
lighting, a sound system, inspiring art, comfortable
furnishings, pleasant aromas, etc. The environment
should provide accessories that are designed to enhance
and strengthen the senses.
Key Thoughts
All of our knowledge has its origin in our perceptions.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
The eye encompasses the beauty of the whole world. Who
would believe that so small a space could contain the images of
the entire universe.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
The average human looks without seeing, listens without
hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, moves
without physical awareness, inhales without awareness of odor
or fragrance and talks without thinking.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
The five senses are the ministers of the soul.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
just as an athlete develops his muscles, Leonardo trained his
senses, educating his observant faculties. We know from his
notebooks the kind of mental gymnastics he put himself
through.
-- Serge Bramly
The idea or the faculty of imagination serves as both rudder and
bridle to the senses, inasmuch as the thing imagined moves the
sense.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
I have found in my own experience that it is of no small benefit
when you lie in bed in the dark to go over again in the imagination
the outlines of the forms you have been studying or of other
noteworthy things conceived by subtle speculation; and this is
certainly a praiseworthy exercise and useful in impressing things
on the memory.
-- Leonardo da Vinci

Principle #4 -- Sfumato
Be Comfortable With Ambiguity
Main Idea
Creativity flourishes if you can keep your mind open in the face
of uncertainty. The ability to embrace uncertainty and function
productively in the face of ambiguity with relish is a characteristic
of genius -- and a worthwhile trait in a rapidly changing world.
Supporting Ideas
Poise means to remain balanced and calm despite the efforts of
external forces. A person with a high tolerance for ambiguity can
retain their poise and work effectively, while others with less
tolerance will become upset by the lack of certainty.
To increase your tolerance for uncertainty:
1. Go back to your notebook.
Look at your list of 10 most important lifetime questions.
Which one makes you feel most uncertain. Write down
the ambiguities involved in that specific area. Try
sketching an answer. Choose specific music to associate
with thinking about this area.
Take some steps forward in confronting ambiguity head on.
2. Welcome and embrace ambiguity.
In your notebook, list three situation with ambiguous
possibilities from your life. describe how you felt at that
time -- where did the ambiguity hit you?
By becoming aware of how you automatically coped with
ambiguity in the past, you can watch for its presence in the
future -- and develop an enhanced ability to deal with it better.
Once youre thus forewarned, youll look forward to
experiencing the feelings ambiguity can generate.
3. Cultivate your ability to endure confusion.
Contemplate paradox and creative confusion in your life:
Write down when you were the happiest and the saddest.
Is there any connection between the two?
List three of your greatest strengths and three of your
greatest weaknesses. How are the lists related?
List three things that have really changed in your lifetime,
and three things that have not. Compare the two lists.
Evaluate whether the greatest joy in life comes from being
100-percent committed to clear goals, or in achieving a
high quality of life.
These sorts of mental exercises and self-analysis will
prepare one for confusing situations which may arise.
4. Allow time for ideas to incubate and for intuition to make itself
heard.
Incubation is most effective if periods of intense activity can
be alternated with periods of rest. At times, this will produce
an Aha! style breakthrough thought, while at other times
intuition will bubble gently to the surface unaided, subtle and
easy to overlook.
Therefore, to do your best work:
Ponder the question; When, in the past, have you
produced your best ideas? And then replicate those
circumstances again and again.
Many people do their best thinking when alone. If thats
your style, schedule long periods free of interruptions at
least once or twice a week.
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci - Page 5
Refresh your perspective by taking a complete break on
a regular basis. Try and take a 10-minute break doing
something different after an hour of intense study. You will
come back with a better perspective on whatever youre
concentrating on.
5. Trust your gut instincts.
Try writing down your hunches in your notebook as they
occur to you. Checks their accuracy. Teach yourself how
to hone and enhance your instinctive abilities.
Try writing down your feelings about a particular subject.
Identify which part of your anatomy receives those signals
most unerringly -- and then watch for repeat occurrences.
Keep it simple:
- Enjoy a few deep exhalations.
- Soften your belly.
- Be receptive to what your instincts are trying to say.
Key Thoughts
In the 1980s, the American Management Association published
a study concluding that the most successful managers were
distinguished by "high tolerance for ambiguity and intuitive
decision-making skill". Now, as the pace of change accelerates.
"tolerance" for ambiguity is no longer sufficient; ambiguity must
be embraced and enjoyed. As we begin the twenty-first century,
information threatens to overwhelm us with sheer volume.
Intuition is more important than ever. The bottom line: Embrace
ambiguity and trust your gut.
-- Michael Gelb
The highest happiness becomes the cause of unhappiness.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
Constancy may be symbolized by the phoenix which, knowing
that by nature it must be resuscitated, has the constancy to
endure the burning flames which consume it, and then it rises
anew.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
The painter must be solitary. For if you are alone, you are
completely yourself, but if you are accompanied by a single
companion you are half yourself.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
The greatest geniuses sometimes accomplish more when they
work less.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
It is well that you should often leave off work and take a little
relaxation because when you come back to it you are a better
judge.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
The blurred outline and mellowed colors allow one form to
merge with another always leaving something to our
imagination. Everyone who has ever tried to draw or scribble a
face knows that what we call its expression rests mainly in two
features: the corners of the mouth and the corners of the eyes.
Now it is precisely those parts which Leonardo has left
deliberately indistinct, by letting them merge into a soft shadow.
That is why we are never really quite certain in what mood Mona
Lisa is really looking at us.
-- E.H. Gombrich on Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa

Principle #5 -- Arte / Scienza
Balance Science and Art, Logic and Imagination
Main Idea
The concept of being left-brained (logical) or right-brained
(artistic) is now well known. Leonardo da Vincis life, however,
showed what can be achieved when both sides of the brain are
harnessed. The dynamic between the two sides of the brain
generates substantial capacity for achievement.
Supporting Ideas
Da Vinci gave birth to the modern ideas of brainstorming and
creative thinking. He also developed a method of problem
solving, called mind mapping.
To create a mind map:
1. Take a blank piece of paper, and write the question you are
considering at the top.
2. In the center of the page, draw a symbol which represents
both the left- and right-sides of the brain.
3. Next, print key words which come to mind on lines that
radiate out from the central image. Print one key word per
line, with each line being the same length as each key word.
4. For each key word that you have drawn, draw lines out from
there, listing the ideas that flow from that key word. Give each
of these second-generation words their own line, going
outwards from the parent key word.
5. Keep going without censoring what youre doing. Write down
whatever comes to mind for each of the key words.
6. Once youve generated enough material, stop and look at
your map. Look for major themes -- ideas that have been
expressed in a few different variations. Number the themes
you can identify.
7. Connect ideas that are related with arrows, or use colors to
connect these different themes.
8. Now redraw the mind map, with every theme grouped
together. Keep refining it until you feel youve completely
exhausted the subject.
Mind mapping is a technique by which you can generate a lot of
ideas on how to solve problems. It is equally useful for fun
exercises or something that is of critical importance. For
example, you might:
Make a mind map of what you can do on your next day off.
Make a mind map of your dream vacation.
Make a mind map of how to spend a perfect evening with a
close friend or other associate.
Make a mind map of all the possible uses for mind mapping.
(Try coming up with 20 different applications that would be
useful for you).
Make a mind map of something you want to memorize, using
vivid images and other materials.
Enhance your mind maps creatively with drawings, sketches,
pictures, etc. All of these attachments will improve your
memory and recall of that subject.
Use a mind map to do some creative thinking.
And dont forget to include a break for ideas to incubate. Go do
something else for a while, and then come back and draw a
revised version of your mind map. Youll find plenty of new
material will come to mind.
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci - Page 6
Leonardo da Vinci used the concepts of mind maps quite
extensively. Da Vinci was a successful artist, inventor, scientist
and military engineer:
As an artist, he painted the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper --
two of the greatest paintings ever produced, along with a
number of other great works. He transformed the direction of
the art, pioneered the use of oil paints and introduced a host
of innovative methods and techniques. Da Vinci was also a
renowned architect and sculptor.
As an inventor, da Vinci envisaged a vast array of devices
including helicopters, parachutes, hydraulic equipment and
much more. He also pioneered the concept of automation
around which the Industrial Revolution was built.
As a military engineer, da Vinci conceived the tank, machine
gun, guided missile and submarine -- but never wanted any
of these devices to be built.
As a scientist, da Vinci made significant contributions to the
fields of anatomy, botany, geology and physics. He was, in
essence, the father of comparative anatomy, botanical
science, hydrostatics, optics and mechanics. He also
discovered the sun did not move 40-years before Copernicus,
developed the concept of the telescope Galileo would use
60-years later to make his breakthroughs, wrote about the
theory of gravitation 200-years before Newton and suggested
the basic theory of evolution approx. 400 years before Darwin.
In summary, Leonardo da Vinci set the stage for modern
scientific thinking to become established. Pretty impressive
achievements for someone who was born in 1452 and died at
age 67 in 1519.
Key Thoughts
These rules are intended to help you to a free and good
judgment: for good judgment proceeds from good
understanding, and good understanding comes from reason
trained by good rules, and good rules are the children of sound
experience, which is the common mother of all the sciences and
the arts.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
Everything is connected to everything else.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo took an artists vision into science. He understood that
science, as much as painting, has to find the design of nature in
her detail. He gave science what is most needed, the artists
sense that the detail of nature is significant. Until science had
this sense, no one could care -- or could think that it mattered --
how fast two unequal masses fall and whether the orbits of
planets are accurately circles or ellipses.
-- George Sarton
Those who become enamored of the art, without having
previously applied to the diligent study of the scientific part of it,
may be compared to mariners who put to sea in a ship without
a rudder or compass and therefore cannot be certain of arriving
at the wished for port.
-- Leonardo da Vinci

Principle #6 -- Corporalita
Develop Poise -- the Balance of Body and Mind
Main Idea
In addition to cultivating an ability to think clearly, logically and
creatively, da Vinci was in exceptionally good physical health.
He taught (and exemplified) the idea that smart people should
also take good care of their physical health and well-being if they
expect to remain productive throughout their lives.
Supporting Ideas
In business, the state of your physical body influences your mind
and your performance. The essential idea is that you can
improve the quality of your life dramatically by cultivating fitness
and better coordination of mind and body. To do this:
1. Develop a regular fitness program.
A balanced fitness program will have three elements:
Aerobic conditioning -- at least four 20-minute sessions
per week of brisk walking, running, dancing, swimming,
rowing or other activities.
Strength training -- using weights. Strengthens muscles
and promotes the resilience of connective tissue and
bones.
Flexibility exercises -- stretching exercises involving all
the major muscle groups.
Seek expert advice on each of these elements and develop
a program that is suited to your physical condition.
2. Study practical anatomy.
A constructive approach to general fitness is to develop your
kinesthetic sense -- a sense of your weight, position and
movement.
Draw a map of your own anatomy, based on observing
yourself closely in a mirror. Where do you feel most alive?
Where do you feel stiffness? Are all joints working properly?
Your body map will guide you in seeking corrective exercise
programs, stretching routines and so forth. Make a note of
the practical information you gather on this topic, and
integrate this into your overall exercise routine.
3. Use the Alexander Technique to relearn poise.
F. Matthias Alexander was a Shakespearean actor who
developed an important relaxation technique. To follow this
procedure, do this:
This exercise is designed to assist the spine to be properly
aligned and to enhance general balance and poise.
Start by placing some paperback books on the floor about
your bodys length away from you. Stand with your feet
shoulder width apart, and relax.
Regulate your breathing so it is easy and smooth. Be alert
and focused on straightening the spine.
Sit on the floor with your hands behind you, feet flat on
the floor and knees bent.
Now lie backwards, effectively rolling your spine along the
floor, until your head is resting on the paperback books.
Add or take away books until you feel a gentle lengthening
and realignment of your spine. Your knees should still be
bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Rest in that position for 10- to 20-minutes to allow gravity
to do its work naturally. Dont fall asleep.
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci - Page 7
It is important that while you rest in that position, you let
your neck move freely. You should almost be able to feel
your body lengthening as your spine reverts to its natural
shape while you rest.
Arise slowly, with your head leading the movement
forward. Get up in a smooth, flowing transition, easing
yourself into a crawling position before you stand up
again.
Pay particular attention to your senses. You should
almost feel a little taller. Now visualize moving with grace
and poise through your normal daily activities.
For best results, try and repeat this exercise twice each
day -- when you arise in the morning and when you get
home at the conclusion of your work day.
4. Cultivate ambidexterity.
Physical ambidexterity will enhance your ability to use both
sides of your brain to solve problems. Try these ideas:
Practice using your non-dominant hand each morning, or
for a part of each day, to do simple tasks initially and stay
with it until you can achieve more and more.
Try signing your name with your other hand. Try writing
out the alphabet. Practice writing with your non-dominant
hand a little every day.
Try writing with both hands at once. Your dominant hand
will then be training your non-dominant hand.
Experiment with mirror writing. Leonardo da Vinci wrote
his notes so they could only be read in a mirror. Try and
develop the same skill, using your non-dominant hand.
5. Learn how to juggle.
It will help you improve your ambidexterity, balance and
mind-body coordination.
Key Thoughts
To keep in health these rules are wise:
- Beware of anger and avoid grievous moods.
- Rest your head and keep your mind cheerful.
- Be covered well at night.
- exercise moderately.
- Shun wantonness, and pay attention to diet.
- Eat only when you want and sup light.
- Keep upright when you rise from the dining table.
- Do not be with the belly upwards or the head lowered.
- Let your wine be mixed with water, taken a little at a time, not
between meals and not on an empty stomach.
- Eat simple (i.e. vegetarian) food.
- Chew well.
- Go to the toilet regularly!
-- Leonardo da Vinci
The state of your body influences your mind. If your body is stiff
and rigid, or collapsed and limp, your mind will often follow suit.
In many meetings and brainstorming sessions, for example,
people sit around for hours, in more or less the same position,
trying to generate new ideas and solve problems. And then they
wonder, "Why are we stuck?" Many organizations are
introducing brief sitting massage sessions, yoga and aikido
classes to help their people discover greater physical and mental
flexibility.
-- Michael Gelb

Principle #7 -- Connessione
Maintain a Big Picture Perspective
Main Idea
Despite the fact we live in an age of specialization, maintaining
an accurate visualization of the grander scheme of things can
be particularly worthwhile. The greatest success in business (as
well as the most inner happiness) will come to those who
understand that all actions, patterns and relationships are part
of the totality that envelopes the human race.
Supporting Ideas
To develop a healthy perspective of some of the larger picture
issues:
1. Contemplate the concept of wholeness.
Write down in your notebook your concept of wholeness.
What, precisely, does it mean to you? How can it be
expressed most accurately? What is its opposite? What
about conflicts that may occur?
2. Study the system dynamics of your organization.
Ponder the dynamics of any organization. What are the roles
people are called on to play? What happens when stress
becomes involved? How have the roles changed over the
years? Try drawing a diagram that represents the entire
organization from different perspectives.
Use the metaphor of a human body. How does that help you
gain some insights into the dynamics at work in the system?
3. Make some mutant combinations.
Take some completely unrelated items and visualize them
being combined. What would such a mutant object look and
act like? What would be its advantages? Its disadvantages?
Try and use this to your advantage by developing creative
variations to long-established and familiar systems.
4. Talk with an imaginary role model.
Actually having an imaginary conversation with a role model
is often an excellent way to develop perspective and insight
into any situation facing you. If nothing else, it will most
certainly stimulate your creative abilities and may provide
additional inspiration to action.
5. Ponder the origins of things you commonly use.
This exercise makes you stop taking everyday things for
granted and sharpens your awareness of the present
moment. Take any object you use and think about what was
involved in bringing that product to you. There are an infinite
variety of topics you can think about along these lines,
including the development of the materials and
manufacturing processes, the economic and social forces
related to the manufacturing process, the cultural results of
those forces and so on.
6. Think micro / macro.
Microcosmic thinking requires that you focus on the small
level -- right down to the cellular or molecular level even.
Create an image in your mind of all the minute systems and
subsystems that work beneath the surface to create the
larger system.
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How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci - Page 8
Then, change your viewpoint to a macrocosmic one by
looking at how the system fits into the society or economic
network as a whole. How does this system create value, and
how does that value flow to other parts of the system.
By thinking on a micro- and macro- level, you gain a much
broader and more detailed perspective.
7. Develop time lines.
A time line of significant events definitely provides a big
picture perspective. It also enables you to define the
decisions taken, the options not pursued and the relationship
between an action and its consequences.
Try visualizing any timeline as flowing from a source to a
destination. If you can do this vividly enough, you start
refining your predictive powers and fine-tuning your intuition.
8. Make a master mind map of your life, your career, your
company or your product.
Take the time to comprehensively set out -- in mind map
format -- precisely what you expect to achieve during your
lifetime. The same exercise can also be used effectively to
develop a broader perspective on your career, your
businesses entity or even for a specific product.
This exercise will allow you to craft a vision, develop specific
goals and select effective strategies. It will also allow blind
spots to be highlighted, roadblocks to be avoided and
missing elements to be addressed.
This exercise may take several days to allow ideas to
percolate to the surface:
Day 1 -- Develop a logo that presents an image of whatever
is most important to you.
Day 2 -- Develop specific written goals, moving outwards
from the logo.
Day 3 -- Clarify your core values, and the reasons why your
goals are so important.
Day 4 -- Try and specify a central purpose, something around
which the entire entity is built.
Day 5 -- Assess your current realities. Where are you now.
What actions are required to get where you want to be.
Day 6 -- Look for connections, common themes, priorities
and how current actions interact with all these.
Day 7 -- Develop change strategies -- what you want to do
differently in the future to achieve different objectives
Key Thoughts
Everything comes from everything, and everything is made out
of everything, and everything returns into everything.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
What happens to your brain as you get older? Many people
assume that mental and physical abilities necessarily decline
with age; that we are, after age twenty-five, losing significant
brain capacity on a daily basis. Actually, the average brain can
improve with age. Our neurons are capable of making
increasingly complex new connections throughout our lives.
And, our neuronal endowment is so great that even if we lost a
thousand brain cells every day for the rest of our lives, it would
still be less than 1-percent of our total. (Of course, its important
not to lose the 1-percent that you actually use).
-- Michael Gelb