Wisdom is the prime thing

According to Wikipedia,

Richard Porson (25 December 1759 – 25 September 1808) was an English classical scholar.

In addition to his renowned work with ancient Greek texts, he is remembered for his prodigious memory. It is said that he could remember the complete text of Homer, Cicero, Horace, Virgil, and works of Shakespeare, Milton, and Gibbon.

A most intriguing article appeared in the New York Times on June 17, 1877 about Porson. From the article:

On another occasion, calling upon a friend, Porson found him reading Thucydides. Being asked casually the meaning of some word he immediately repeated the context. “But how do you know that it was this passage I was reading?” asked his friend. “Because,” replied Porson, “the word only occurs twice in Thucydides; once on the right-hand page in the edition which you are now using, and once on the left. I observed on which side you looked, and accordingly I knew to which passage you referred.”

…

Upon one occasion he undertook to learn by heart the entire contents of the Morning Chronicle in a week; and he used to say he could repeat Roderick Random from beginning to end.

Now, The Adventures of Roderick Random is a 500-page book, with some 190,000 words.