What Does it Take to be an Architect?

Why in the world would Sir Norman Foster, world-renown, Pritzker Prize winning architect, bother with a tiny gallery in New York City's former skid row, the Bowery? "To be an architect, you have to be an optimist," Foster told the New York Times. "You have to be a realist, but you have to be an optimist."

Foster's answer got me wondering: What qualities does it take to be a really good architect? Optimism? Realism? Persistence? Insanity? Tell us what what you think, and read what others have written: What qualities make a great architect?

More: Architect's Challenge: A Sliver of a Space in the New York Times