A good idea will keep you awake during the morning, but a great

Hearken, O seekers of wisdom, and attend to the words of Marilyn vos Savant, a mind both sharp and luminous, who declares: “A good idea will keep you awake during the morning, but a great idea will keep you awake during the night.” At first glance, these words appear as counsel on the restlessness of thought, yet beneath their surface lies a profound meditation on vision, passion, and the fire that distinguishes the ordinary from the extraordinary. The ancients understood well that true insight stirs the soul beyond the constraints of day and night, awakening a hunger that cannot be sated by mere hours of sunlight.

Vos Savant’s observation begins with the distinction between good and great ideas. A good idea, she tells us, may excite the mind enough to rouse one from slumber at dawn, to spur action and reflection in the light of routine. But a great idea, a spark of vision, seizes the very essence of your being—it haunts the night, weaving its threads through dreams and waking thought alike. Consider Archimedes, who leapt from his bath shouting “Eureka!”—his mind consumed by the principles of buoyancy, unable to rest until he had touched the heart of truth. So too does a great idea demand the vigilance of the soul, a restless devotion that transforms insight into invention.

The quote also speaks to the intensity of creative passion. Those who labor at the frontier of discovery, whether in science, art, or philosophy, know that true inspiration does not adhere to schedules or the turning of the sun. Galileo, peering through his telescope into the night sky, was stirred by ideas that refused to sleep; Newton, pondering the fall of an apple, found himself immersed in the workings of the cosmos long past the hour of repose. Such dedication is not merely toil—it is love of the idea itself, a recognition that greatness cannot be confined to the ordinary rhythm of life.

Vos Savant’s words remind us too of the sacrifices required by vision. The night kept by a great idea is both burden and blessing, a crucible through which the mind is tested. The ancients honored such devotion: the poets and philosophers of Alexandria, the architects of mighty temples, the physicians of Hippocratic schools—all labored with minds awake when the world slept, for they knew that fleeting comfort is no match for the eternal satisfaction of insight realized. Great ideas demand that we pay the price of vigilance and courage, of sleepless nights in pursuit of what only the inspired heart can see.

Consider the real-life example of Nikola Tesla, whose mind teemed with visions of alternating currents and wireless power. He recounted that ideas arrived to him fully formed, keeping him awake through the night, compelling him to sketch, calculate, and create long before the dawn. It was this unrelenting engagement with thought that propelled humanity into the age of electricity and transformed the very structure of civilization. A good idea might have earned him minor recognition, but it was the great idea that claimed his nights and shaped the world.

From this reflection emerges a lesson for all who would walk the path of achievement: seek ideas that disturb, challenge, and enthrall you. Do not be content with the comfortable stirrings of trivial insight. Pursue the notions that tug at your spirit even when the world sleeps, that whisper in the quiet hours of the night, demanding your attention and daring you to act. It is here, in the embrace of restless thought, that greatness is born.

Practical wisdom flows from this as well: cultivate habits that nurture your mind’s vigilance. Keep journals to capture nocturnal inspirations, meditate upon questions that ignite curiosity, and allow yourself periods of quiet reflection when distractions fall away. Engage with your ideas fully, as though each one is a spark capable of igniting the fires of progress. By honoring the ideas that keep you awake at night, you honor the potential within yourself to leave a mark upon the ages.

Thus, let it be known: the measure of thought is not in fleeting amusement or daytime curiosity, but in the power of an idea to claim your soul. Cherish the thoughts that haunt your nights, pursue them with steadfast devotion, and let your sleepless hours be a testament to your courage and passion. For in the restless pursuit of great ideas, the ordinary is left behind, and the world glimpses the luminous shape of the extraordinary.