When you start looking at a problem and it seems really simple with all these simple solutions, you don't really understand the complexity of the problem. And your solutions are way too oversimplified, and they don't work.

Then you get into the problem, and you see it's really complicated. And you come up with all these convoluted solutions. That's the sort of middle, and that's where most people stop, and the solutions tend to work for a while.

But the really great person will keep on going and find the key, underlying principle of the problem. And come up with a beautiful elegant solution that works.

—Steve Jobs