Maybe you’ve heard this one before.

A pottery instructor divided his class into two sections: the members of the first section would be graded on the number of pots they made, while the members of the second only had to make one pot, but it had to be great if they wanted top marks. The point, of course, was to answer the question: does quantity produce quality, or is it better to focus all your attention on one attempt to make it as good as it can be?

It may or may not surprise you to know that th...