"A French woman, upon spotting Picasso in a cafe, approached the great master and insisted that he make a quick sketch of her. Graciously, Picasso obliged. After studying her for a moment, he used a single pencil stroke to create her portrait. He handed the woman his work of art and she gushed, 'It's perfect! You managed to capture my true essence with just one stroke. Now how much do I owe you?' " I cut in dramatically, " 'Five thousand dollars,' said Picasso." Carter frowned heavily. "Are you telling the story or am I?" "Go onnnn," I said with exaggerated courtesy. "Picasso informed the woman that she owed him fifty thousand francs. And the woman was furious. She said to Picasso, 'It only took you a second to draw it!' To which Picasso responded, 'Madame, it took me my entire life. It was my fifty years of serial preparation and fifty years of perfecting my unique talents and fifty years of honing my experience plus the five seconds that produced this sketch.' " "Nice story." "You see," Carter continued complacently, "it takes years and years of study and practice to build expertise in any profession. And with that knowledge comes the appearance of ease and the perception that what's being asked is--oh, no big deal. But, it is a big deal."