The Son Does Not Move

Leonardo da Vinci, often called a “Universal Genius,” was one of the most diversely talented individuals to have ever lived. Though Leonardo was never a wealthy man, he was able to intimately observe the trappings of great wealth in the court of the Duke of Milan, where he lived for 16-years. During this time, as part of a treatise he was writing on painting, Leonardo offered various instructions for painters, including advice about how to lead their lives.  He urged fellow artists to avoid getting too wealthy, because as he said, ”money is celebrated only for its own sake,” and is “a magnet for envy.” Regarding priorities, Leonardo believed virtue, and not wealth was the key to happiness. In his treatise he remarked, the “glory of the virtue of mortals is far greater than that of their treasures.”

Throughout his life, da Vinci famously scribbled thousands upon thousands of observations in his private notebooks, covering a broad spectrum of topics including linear perspective, painting,…