The study of economics does not require any specific gift, when compared with the highest branches of philosophy or pure science. It is, intellectually, an easy subject. And yet, good or simply competent economists are as rare as the most exotic birds. Is it an easy discipline in which few achieve the level of excellence? This paradox is largely explained by the fact that the economist needs to possess a rare combination of skills. He has to reach a high level in different subjects and must gather talents that are not found together. He must be a mathematician, historian and statesman, and philosopher to some extent. He must understand symbols and speak with words. He must contemplate particular aspects in relation to a whole, and jointly address the abstract and the concrete. He must study the present taking into account the past and thinking about the future. No aspect of human nature or its institutions must pass unnoticed by his observant curiosity. He must combine a willingness to act with neutrality; he must be lofty and incorruptible as an artist, and sometimes as close to the ground as a politician.