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Phrase(s): Genius is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration.
Prov. People get brilliant results primarily by working hard, not because they have special inborn powers. • Child: Betty always does the best drawings in art class. She must be a genius. Father: If you worked hard, you could do just as well. Remember, genius is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs