Success Factors for Lab Work

I once heard a story, probably fictional, about two people locked in a library. One of them sat and waited until the doors opened, the other one picked books from the shelves and read. The moral of this simple anecdote tells us that it is not a matter of who is more intelligent, but who is more curious. Sitting and waiting is not an indication of a lack of intelligence, but of a lack of curiosity. When I visited a laboratory for the first time I felt compelled to ask questions about everything.