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I think you have to look at Gates' history. He is incredibly intelligent, but he would never have become successful by following the rules. Gates became successful by breaking them. Had Gates been a rule-follower, he would have sold MS DOS to IBM, accepted a position with them, and become a department head.

Most people, myself included, are not smart enough to break the rules and get away with it like Gates does. Gates also lives in a fairly cloistered world. He's surrounded by people who have their degrees, and jump when he says jump. Discipline isn't a problem in his world.

"He is incredibly intelligent, but he would never have become successful by following the rules. Gates became successful by breaking them."

I heard that Bill and his sister were not allowed to watch TV as children, and that Bill had read the entire encyclopedia. I googled this:

"...Bill [Bill Gates' father] was a lawyer at a distinguished Seattle firm and Mary taught at a local school a few years before they started their family. ... When Bill was put into public school he soon became bored. To fight boredom, the Gates family bought him a new edition of the World Book Encyclopedia. He quickly read through the entire set. After he became disruptive in school, because of his lack of challenge, the Gates sent him off to Lakeside private school.

Lakeside proves to be a great opportunity for young Bill. Shortly after he was sent to Lakeside, they leased computer time from various businesses in Seattle..."

source: http://www.digitaltermpapers.com/c3769.htm