coberst wrote:
"It is our lack of character, not our lack of intelligence that stalls our progress."

Would that it were so, but unfortunately lack of intelligence will spoil the prospect of success more quickly than anything else. Good teaching can help, but it is useless if the learner is unable to learn what is being taught. Learning is a two-way street, a fact that can sometimes be forgotten.

I think a lot depends on the definition of "progress". Sometimes it can mean the ability to learn to lift a cup to the mouth.