>biggest misconception that non-mathematicians have about how mathematicians work is that there is some mysterious mental faculty
Popular perception would have you believe that advanced math is like weight lifting, where you need the brain muscle to process it. This weight is measured in IQ, and above a certain measure you are a genius. Einstein is the champion, and so if "you're no Einstein" then you have a perfect excuse to be ignorant and incapable of any advanced topics in math.
Of course, the reality as it should be perceived is that any advanced scientific topic is more like a journey, and that it never truly gets more difficult. It just becomes more specific and hence technical. We just go deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of our choosing. Unfortunately, with this view, there are no excuses in being bad at anything. It's more dedication and obsession.
And Einstein himself has rejected any notion of genius being quoted often as saying, "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
Except, didn't work, because the former group has written the quote off the words of a genius.