Imagine that, within your chosen profession, you are, by objective ranking, the fifth-most-skilled practitioner on Earth. You can run a political campaign more ruthlessly, or plot movies with better pace, or sack groceries with more care than all but four other humans. Not bad. Now imagine that fifth place is the best you will ever do. You will be well-compensated, well-regarded, and perhaps even well-known, but you will never beat your fellow operatives in a Presidential race. You will be nominated for many Oscars, but never win. It’s a blessed position, but a frustrating one, too—not only to be so close to true greatness and fall short, but also to know, each and every time, that your best will not be enough. - New Yorker
