How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day

Michael J. Gelb argues that most people dramatically underestimate their own mental capabilities. He opens by noting that 95 percent of what is known about the human brain has been learned in the last 20 years, and that schools and corporations have barely begun applying this knowledge. He identifies two flaws in the traditional IQ model originated by psychologist Alfred Binet: the assumption that intelligence is fixed at birth, and the narrow focus on verbal and mathematical reasoning as sole measures of intelligence. He cites a meta-analysis published in the journal Nature showing that genes account for no more than 48 percent of IQ, with the remainder shaped by prenatal care, environment, and education. Drawing on psychologist Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, which identifies at least seven measurable types, Gelb proposes Leonardo da Vinci as the ideal role model for developing one's full potential, since Leonardo demonstrated genius across all seven categories. Citing Tony Buzan and Raymond Keene's The Book of Genius, which ranks Leonardo as the greatest genius of all time, Gelb introduces a practical framework of seven principles abstracted from Leonardo's methods, named in Italian and designed to guide readers toward what he calls a personal Renaissance.

To contextualize Leonardo's achievement, Gelb draws parallels between the Renaissance and the present day. He locates the Renaissance's origins in the painter Masaccio's frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel in Florence, where human figures were depicted for the first time as three-dimensional, emotionally expressive beings rather than flat medieval forms. Drawing on William Manchester's A World Lit Only by Fire, Gelb describes the medieval period as one of intellectual stagnation in which the church suppressed independent thought and all knowledge was assumed already known. Key innovations fueled the transformation: the printing press, inexpensive paper, navigational instruments, the long-range cannon, and the mechanical clock. Gelb argues that the Black Plague of the 14th century was the seminal trigger, killing nearly half the European population, shaking faith in the church, and concentrating wealth among survivors who invested in independent scholarship. He draws explicit parallels to the modern era, arguing that accelerating change in telecommunications, medicine, and computing multiplies the value of independent, creative thinking.

Gelb provides a biographical sketch of Leonardo's life. Born on April 15, 1452, near the town of Vinci, Leonardo was the illegitimate son of a peasant mother and a prosperous Florentine notary. Barred from his father's profession, he was apprenticed to the master sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio, whose studio emphasized practical experience over theory. Leonardo's earliest known painting, an angel in Verrocchio's Baptism of Christ, was so accomplished that the biographer Giorgio Vasari claimed Verrocchio vowed never to paint again. Leonardo's talents attracted the attention of Lorenzo de' Medici, the de facto ruler of Florence and Verrocchio's prime patron, and he was admitted to a guild of apothecaries, physicians, and artists in 1472. Shortly before his 24th birthday, he was arrested on charges of sodomy, then a capital crime. Though the charges were dismissed, the experience contributed to his eventual departure from Florence.

In 1482, Leonardo moved to Milan, where he composed an extraordinary letter to Ludovico Sforza, regent of Milan, detailing his capabilities in military engineering, architecture, and art. Under Sforza's patronage, he created The Last Supper and constructed a 24-foot model for a massive equestrian monument, but the bronze intended for casting was diverted to build cannons. When the French overwhelmed Milan in 1499, soldiers destroyed the model by using it for target practice. Leonardo returned to Florence, befriended the political thinker Niccolò Machiavelli, and received a commission to paint The Battle of Anghiari in direct competition with the Renaissance artist Michelangelo, though neither work was completed. During this period he also painted the Mona Lisa. After a period in Rome where Pope Leo X largely ignored him, Leonardo spent his final years under the patronage of François I, king of France, who left him free to think, converse, and philosophize. A severe stroke cost him the use of his right hand, and he died on May 2, 1519, at age 67.

Gelb surveys Leonardo's accomplishments across art, invention, military engineering, and science. He notes Leonardo's pioneering use of oil paints, chiaroscuro (the use of light and shadow for dramatic emphasis), and sfumato (a smoky, hazy blending of forms and tones). Leonardo designed flying machines, parachutes, helicopters, automated looms, and canal locks. His military designs included tanks, machine guns, and submarines, though he called war "beastly madness." His scientific contributions to anatomy, botany, geology, and physics anticipated discoveries by Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and Darwin.

The heart of the book presents seven principles drawn from Leonardo's methods, each accompanied by self-assessment questions and practical exercises. The first, Curiosità, represents an insatiably curious approach to life. Gelb argues that schooling suppresses natural curiosity by rewarding correct answers over questioning. Exercises include keeping a journal, writing 100 important questions, practicing theme observation, and pursuing an "ideal hobby." The second, Dimostrazione, emphasizes testing knowledge through experience and learning from mistakes. Leonardo proudly called himself a "disciple of experience" and championed original thought, yet he also experienced spectacular failures, including a disastrous attempt to automate a banquet kitchen. Exercises include examining one's most influential experiences, checking the sources of one's beliefs, and creating personal affirmations.

The third principle, Sensazione, focuses on refining the senses, especially sight. Leonardo's motto saper vedere (knowing how to see) underpinned both his art and his science. Exercises range from eye-palming and describing sunrises to comparative wine tasting and synesthesia experiments such as drawing music or vocalizing the sounds of paintings. Gelb includes a case study in which a medical equipment company improved learning effectiveness by 90 percent after enriching its training environment with music, art reproductions, and full-spectrum lighting.

The fourth principle, Sfumato (literally "going up in smoke"), cultivates comfort with ambiguity and paradox. Gelb analyzes the Mona Lisa as Leonardo's supreme expression of paradox, discussing the many interpretations of her enigmatic smile and presenting Bell Laboratories researcher Dr. Lillian Schwartz's computer-modeling evidence suggesting the painting may be a self-portrait. The chapter emphasizes incubation and intuition, noting that Leonardo alternated intense work sessions with periods of apparent idleness and once told the duke of Milan that "the greatest geniuses sometimes accomplish more when they work less."

The fifth principle, Arte/Scienza, addresses the balance between logic and imagination. Gelb introduces mind mapping, a whole-brain note-taking method originated by Tony Buzan and inspired by Leonardo's organic, nonlinear notebooks. He argues that traditional outlining stifles creative thinking by imposing premature organization. The sixth principle, Corporalità, addresses fitness, poise, and ambidexterity. Gelb describes Leonardo's legendary physical strength and vegetarian diet, presents the Alexander Technique as a method for cultivating grace and body awareness, and recommends juggling as a way to develop mind-body coordination.

The seventh principle, Connessione, addresses systems thinking and the interconnectedness of all things. Leonardo used the image of ripples expanding from a stone dropped in water to express this idea and studied the human body as a complete system that served as a metaphor for the earth. Exercises include analyzing family dynamics as a system, finding unexpected connections between unrelated things, and a culminating seven-day process for creating a "Master Mind Map of Your Life" that integrates all seven principles into a comprehensive plan encompassing goals, values, purpose, and strategy.

In a brief conclusion, Gelb quotes a rare personal passage from Leonardo's notebooks describing the conflicting emotions of fear and desire Leonardo felt before the entrance of a dark cavern. This image encapsulates Leonardo's essential legacy as Gelb presents it: the inspiration for curiosity and wonder to triumph over fear, and a reminder, in an age of specialization and fragmentation, of what it means to pursue wholeness. The book's final section provides a step-by-step drawing course grounded in Leonardo's belief that drawing is the foundation of learning how to see, progressing from warm-up exercises through contour drawing, shading, perspective, and drawing from memory.