Peter Higgs (of the namesake Boson fame): "I wouldn't be productive enough for today's academic system" [1].
I entered academia later on in life to pursue a dream that I had when I was 21 and put off for too long. I get to work on what I think are the hardest problems in TCS/QIS, bar none, and that often feels incredible. But academia is just so damned rough with no two way around it. It crushes brilliant people who think slow and don't chase grants. While rewarding people who gleefully call science 'pain'. And worse still, the rewards are quite meager.
Easily the brightest mind I know (who is dutifully in the 'pain' camp) doesn't conform to the performative aspects of academia and is worse off for it, despite their bottomless capability and tenacity. The rope is so tight and it regularly feels like walking it is harder than the halting problem.
Hopefully, that doesn't somehow minimize the overall message I was trying to make.