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** Ser Jaime Lannister finds ruling and scheming extremely boring and generally prefers to solve his problems with violence. When that is not an option, however, he can be quite clever. That he is [[MasterSwordsman awesomely qualified]] for violence can't hurt either.
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** [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireJaimeLannister Ser Jaime Lannister Lannister]] finds ruling and scheming extremely boring and generally prefers to solve his problems with violence. When that is not an option, however, he can be quite clever. That he is [[MasterSwordsman awesomely qualified]] for violence can't hurt either.
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** Severus Snape is certainly an extremely skilled Potions brewer, but when it comes to teaching, his style basically consists of "the instructions are on the board, get to work". Rather than give help to students that need it like Neville, he just goes around insulting and bullying them for failing them. [[NeverMyFault It never crosses his mind that his students would succeed more if he bothered to actually teach them.]]
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** Severus Snape is certainly an extremely skilled Potions brewer, but when it comes to teaching, his style basically consists of "the instructions are on the board, get to work". Rather than give help to students that need it like Neville, he just goes around insulting and bullying them for failing them. [[NeverMyFault It never crosses his mind that his students would succeed more if he bothered to actually teach them.]]
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* ''Literature/UniversalMonsters'': Captain Bob. He's got an IQ of 130, but can barely keep his grades up because he thinks his classes are boring and is irritated that the high school won't let him take any advanced classes in his freshman year.
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** Severus Snape is certainly an extremely skilled Potions brewer, but when it comes to teaching, his style basically consists of "the instructions are on the board, get to work". Rather than give help to students that need it like Neville, he just goes around insulting and bullying them for failing them. [[NeverMyFault It never crosses his mind that his students would succeed more if he bothered to actually teach them.]]
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* Literature/NeroWolfe, a portly gourmand and brilliant detective who solves cases from his home, between enjoying gourmet dishes prepared by his personal chef and breeding rare orchids in his private hothouse. He's quite capable of turning down all cases for months at a time if the bank account is healthy. He hates going outside. He sends his handsome assistant Archie Goodwin out to do all his legwork. One of Archie's many responsibilities is to goad Nero into working when needed. ([[EpilepticTrees Some people conjecture that he's the grandson of either Sherlock Holmes or Mycroft Holmes.]])
* Mogget of the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series ends up this way due to being bound with a miniature Ranna. (A bell with soporific effects on the spirit.) He spends as much time as possible asleep in Sameth's pack, only rousing to eat an offered (or not so offered) fish. That said, he's one of the cleverest of the four. Probably for good reason.
* The protagonist of ''Literature/PeterPaysTribute'' has perfected the art of the low B average, getting just good enough grades so that his Dad leaves him alone.
* Mogget of the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series ends up this way due to being bound with a miniature Ranna. (A bell with soporific effects on the spirit.) He spends as much time as possible asleep in Sameth's pack, only rousing to eat an offered (or not so offered) fish. That said, he's one of the cleverest of the four. Probably for good reason.
* The protagonist of ''Literature/PeterPaysTribute'' has perfected the art of the low B average, getting just good enough grades so that his Dad leaves him alone.
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* Literature/NeroWolfe, ''Literature/NeroWolfe'': Nero, a portly gourmand and brilliant detective who solves cases from his home, between enjoying gourmet dishes prepared by his personal chef and breeding rare orchids in his private hothouse. He's quite capable of turning down all cases for months at a time if the bank account is healthy. He hates going outside. He sends his handsome assistant Archie Goodwin out to do all his legwork. One of Archie's many responsibilities is to goad Nero into working when needed. ([[EpilepticTrees Some people conjecture that he's the grandson of either Sherlock Holmes or Mycroft Holmes.]])
* ''Literature/OldKingdom'': Moggetof the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series ends up this way due to being bound with a miniature Ranna. (A bell with soporific effects on the spirit.) He spends as much time as possible asleep in Sameth's pack, only rousing to eat an offered (or not so offered) fish. That said, he's one of the cleverest of the four. Probably for good reason.
* ''Literature/OrphansOfTheSky'': Joe-Jim is one of the smartest people on the ship, and in terms of pure intellect and reasoning power is quite likely the smartest person around, period. However, he is by inclination perfectly content with looking after his personal comfort and welfare, and rarely cares to truly exert himself outside of using idle reading or debate to fill up his free time. As a result, most of the intellectual revolution ends up being spearheaded by Hugh, who, while less quick-witted or imaginative, is profoundly driven and more stubborn about tackling the problems that he ends up facing.
-->''Joe-Jim's minds were brilliantly penetrating when he cared to exert himself; he remained a superficial dilettante because he rarely cared.''
* ''Literature/PeterPaysTribute'': The protagonistof ''Literature/PeterPaysTribute'' has perfected the art of the low B average, getting just good enough grades so that his Dad leaves him alone.
* ''Literature/OldKingdom'': Mogget
* ''Literature/OrphansOfTheSky'': Joe-Jim is one of the smartest people on the ship, and in terms of pure intellect and reasoning power is quite likely the smartest person around, period. However, he is by inclination perfectly content with looking after his personal comfort and welfare, and rarely cares to truly exert himself outside of using idle reading or debate to fill up his free time. As a result, most of the intellectual revolution ends up being spearheaded by Hugh, who, while less quick-witted or imaginative, is profoundly driven and more stubborn about tackling the problems that he ends up facing.
-->''Joe-Jim's minds were brilliantly penetrating when he cared to exert himself; he remained a superficial dilettante because he rarely cared.''
* ''Literature/PeterPaysTribute'': The protagonist
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* Ryan Oberoi, one of the three titular characters in Chetan Bhagat's book ''Five Point Someone'', could fall under this trope. However, when he finds something he is really interested in, he is capable of working ''really'' hard at it.
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* In ''Literature/EricOrLittleByLittle'', the titular protagonist spends his first few years at Roslyn School at or near the top of his form. But as he gets older and more rebellious, he stops caring about schoolwork, and his marks get worse. Some of his masters tell him that he's wasting his potential, but he doesn't listen until [[spoiler:he and Wildney are almost expelled for drunkenness, which scares him into straightening out]].
* Ryan Oberoi, one of the three titular characters in Chetan Bhagat's book''Five Point Someone'', ''Literature/FivePointSomeone'', could fall under this trope. However, when he finds something he is really interested in, he is capable of working ''really'' hard at it.
* Ryan Oberoi, one of the three titular characters in Chetan Bhagat's book
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* The Man Who Was Too Lazy to Fail, from [[Creator/RobertAHeinlein Heinlein's]] ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'', is a [[PlayingWithATrope warped example]]. He went to Annapolis because it was ''easier'' than farming, and memorized mathematical tables because it was the ''easiest'' way of handling the hazing from the upperclassmen -- and that's just for starters. This character was largely based on Delos Wait, a fellow classman of Heinlein's at the Naval Academy.
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* The ''The Man Who Was Too Lazy to Fail, Fail'', from [[Creator/RobertAHeinlein Heinlein's]] ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'', is a [[PlayingWithATrope warped example]]. He went to Annapolis because it was ''easier'' than farming, and memorized mathematical tables because it was the ''easiest'' way of handling the hazing from the upperclassmen -- and that's just for starters. This character was largely based on Delos Wait, a fellow classman of Heinlein's at the Naval Academy.
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* ''Literature/ThirdTimeLuckyAndOtherStoriesOfTheMostPowerfulWizardInTheWorld'': Magdelene is the most powerful wizard in the world. She's not interested in doing much with her power though, living a comfortable life in her house by the sea, enjoying music, reading books and having sex with handsome men sometimes.
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** In''Literature/TheBigFour'', Poirot mentions his brilliant but lazy brother Achille, who is essentially a parody of Mycroft Holmes. [[spoiler:Assuming Poirot didn't make him up.]]
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** In''Literature/TheBigFour'', In ''Literature/TheBigFour'', Poirot mentions his brilliant but lazy brother Achille, who is essentially a parody of Mycroft Holmes. [[spoiler:Assuming Poirot didn't make him up.]]
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* Ryner Lute of ''LightNovel/TheLegendOfTheLegendaryHeroes'' is the most skilled mage in his kingdom, is talented at combat with his lightning-fast reflexes, and backs it all up with a [[PowerCopying special ability called Alpha Stigma]]. But he'd rather nap all the time, and, even when he fights, puts in as little effort as he can get away with (though lazy Ryner can still compete with other mages at their best). [[spoiler:He chooses to be passive because when he overuses his powers, he risks being possessed by an OmnicidalManiac SuperpoweredEvilSide.]]
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* Ryner Lute of ''LightNovel/TheLegendOfTheLegendaryHeroes'' ''Literature/TheLegendOfTheLegendaryHeroes'' is the most skilled mage in his kingdom, is talented at combat with his lightning-fast reflexes, and backs it all up with a [[PowerCopying special ability called Alpha Stigma]]. But he'd rather nap all the time, and, even when he fights, puts in as little effort as he can get away with (though lazy Ryner can still compete with other mages at their best). [[spoiler:He chooses to be passive because when he overuses his powers, he risks being possessed by an OmnicidalManiac SuperpoweredEvilSide.]]
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* Kyon in ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is shown to be quite intelligent and observant and frequently makes [[ViewersAreGeniuses references to advanced physics, ancient mythology, history and psychology]]. He is also a highly apathetic and cynical guy who barely [[BookDumb does above average in school]]. [[UnreliableNarrator Or so he says]]; the occasional line from other characters implies he is of much higher academic status than he claims in his narration. Also, Koizumi teaches him how to play Go during one of their usual club meetings where they do absolutely nothing. After a few games, Kyon is easily beating Koizumi, though it's implied that Koizumi just really sucks at board games so Kyon beating him might not be a sign of vast intellect.
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* Kyon in ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is shown to be quite intelligent and observant and frequently makes [[ViewersAreGeniuses references to advanced physics, ancient mythology, history and psychology]]. He is also a highly apathetic and cynical guy who barely [[BookDumb does above average in school]]. [[UnreliableNarrator Or so he says]]; the occasional line from other characters implies he is of much higher academic status than he claims in his narration. Also, Koizumi teaches him how to play Go during one of their usual club meetings where they do absolutely nothing. After a few games, Kyon is easily beating Koizumi, though it's implied that Koizumi just really sucks at board games so Kyon beating him might not be a sign of vast intellect.
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* Kyon in ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is shown to be quite intelligent and observant and frequently makes [[ViewersAreGeniuses references to advanced physics, ancient mythology, history and psychology]]. He is also a highly apathetic and cynical guy who barely [[BookDumb does above average in school]]. [[UnreliableNarrator Or so he says]]; the occasional line from other characters implies he is of much higher academic status than he claims in his narration. Also, Koizumi teaches him how to play Go during one of their usual club meetings where they do absolutely nothing. After a few games, Kyon is easily beating Koizumi, though it's implied that Koizumi just really sucks at board games so Kyon beating him might not be a sign of vast intellect.
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* Yang Wen-li from ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes''. Like most main characters of this trope, after a HeroicBSOD event, he stops [[CharacterDevelopment being lazy]] which always means OhCrap for his enemies.
* Ryner Lute of ''LightNovel/TheLegendOfTheLegendaryHeroes'' is the most skilled mage in his kingdom, is talented at combat with his lightning-fast reflexes, and backs it all up with a [[PowerCopying special ability called Alpha Stigma]]. But he'd rather nap all the time, and, even when he fights, puts in as little effort as he can get away with (though lazy Ryner can still compete with other mages at their best). [[spoiler:He chooses to be passive because when he overuses his powers, he risks being possessed by an OmnicidalManiac SuperpoweredEvilSide.]]
* Ryner Lute of ''LightNovel/TheLegendOfTheLegendaryHeroes'' is the most skilled mage in his kingdom, is talented at combat with his lightning-fast reflexes, and backs it all up with a [[PowerCopying special ability called Alpha Stigma]]. But he'd rather nap all the time, and, even when he fights, puts in as little effort as he can get away with (though lazy Ryner can still compete with other mages at their best). [[spoiler:He chooses to be passive because when he overuses his powers, he risks being possessed by an OmnicidalManiac SuperpoweredEvilSide.]]
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* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': Celene, a tailor and minor character who serves as [[ThoseTwoGuys a commentator on Akira and Sheryl’s changes in status along with her sister Kashua]], is this, entering every scene [[SleepyHead by being woken up]], and only caring when she can prove herself as a TrueCraftsman due to all the money Akira spends as an UnclePennybags.
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* ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'': Luna Inverse is TheChosenOne, an all-powerful Cipheed Knight blessed with the power of the Elder God of the Slayers universe and the only person in the entire series who can put the fear of God into her [[HeroicComedicSociopath psychotic]] little sister Lina. She could singlehandedly lay waste to the entire Makozu race and still have time for afternoon tea -- if she felt like it. Instead, she's content working as a part-time waitress and forcing Lina to do all the monster-slaying work through sheer force of fear.
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* ''Literature/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'':
** This is one of Leon’s defining character traits; he’s always looking to put work on others as much as possible before being dragged kicking and screaming into the action. He even gives a speech about this to his kingdom’s aristocrats, that they really messed up if they need a teenager to save their butts.
** King Roland eventually shows HiddenDepths of being this instead of just a LazyBum who [[BehindEveryGreatMan makes his wife do all the work.]] What specifically brings out Roland’s brilliance is his SitcomArchNemesis anger at Leon.
** This is one of Leon’s defining character traits; he’s always looking to put work on others as much as possible before being dragged kicking and screaming into the action. He even gives a speech about this to his kingdom’s aristocrats, that they really messed up if they need a teenager to save their butts.
** King Roland eventually shows HiddenDepths of being this instead of just a LazyBum who [[BehindEveryGreatMan makes his wife do all the work.]] What specifically brings out Roland’s brilliance is his SitcomArchNemesis anger at Leon.
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* ''Literature/SmallWorldTabithaKingNovel'':
** Roger, who has discovered a functional key to alternate dimensions, can't think of any better way to make money from it except for what amounts to scalping black-market miniatures.
** Possibly Lucy, although hers is less laziness and more complacency. She doesn't want to design commercial toys or hire a full workshop to produce on a large scale -- although she easily could -- because she's content with her small house and her small business. Meanwhile, the rest of the world counts her amongst the top miniaturists alive and her signature on an item elevates its value tenfold.
** Roger, who has discovered a functional key to alternate dimensions, can't think of any better way to make money from it except for what amounts to scalping black-market miniatures.
** Possibly Lucy, although hers is less laziness and more complacency. She doesn't want to design commercial toys or hire a full workshop to produce on a large scale -- although she easily could -- because she's content with her small house and her small business. Meanwhile, the rest of the world counts her amongst the top miniaturists alive and her signature on an item elevates its value tenfold.
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* In ''Literature/AnimalFarm'', Benjamin is [[DeconstructedCharacterARchetype a deconstruction of this]]. He's smart enough to realize that things probably won't be as rosy as the pigs say they'll be, he sees right through their various deceptions, and he's one of the few animals other than the pigs who can read. But Benjamin can't be bothered to spell it out for the other animals. [[spoiler:In the end, this means Boxer obliviously works himself to near-death from exhaustion, and then meekly goes to his death because he trusts Napoleon's claim that he is being sent to a vet instead, and though Benjamin (who figures out the truth) tells the other animals, it’s too late to save him. All because Benjamin couldn't be bothered to try to make his fellow animals realize what a tyrant Napoleon had become. Even after this, when Napoleon tricks the others into thinking Boxer really was sent to a vet, Benjamin doesn’t try to oppose him.]]
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* ''Literature/AlderaminOnTheSky'': Main character Ikta Solork is a genius military tactician with a deep interest in sciences who would rather relax in a hammock or chase skirts than fight. At the beginning of the series he only tested for the MilitaryAcademy because his best friend Yatori Igsem was going due to family obligations, easily passed, and hoped to be set up with a quiet archives job. Instead, after he and his friends were shipwrecked in the enemy Kioka Republic with the [[KingIncognito runaway princess of the Katvjarna Empire]] and led them safely back across the border, they all ended up being knighted by the Emperor, requiring Ikta to train as a field commander instead.
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* [[GentlemanSnarker Francis Abernathy]] in Donna Tartt's ''Literature/TheSecretHistory'', to the extent that he [[spoiler: marries a blindingly unintelligent woman whom he hates and [[CampGay is not in the least attracted to]] rather than face disinheritance by his grandfather and have to get a job]].
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* [[GentlemanSnarker Francis Abernathy]] in Donna Tartt's ''Literature/TheSecretHistory'', ''Literature/TheSecretHistory''. He comes from family money so he has the means to be IdleRich. It's to the extent that he [[spoiler: marries a blindingly unintelligent woman whom he hates and [[CampGay is not in the least attracted to]] rather than face disinheritance by his grandfather and have to get a job]].job]].
-->'''Bunny:''' You ask me, he's as smart as Henry. Society boy, tons of money. He's had it too easy, though. He's lazy. Likes to play. Won't do a thing after school but drink like a fish and go to parties.
-->'''Bunny:''' You ask me, he's as smart as Henry. Society boy, tons of money. He's had it too easy, though. He's lazy. Likes to play. Won't do a thing after school but drink like a fish and go to parties.
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* ''Literature/AscendanceOfABookworm'': When he put his mind to it, [[spoiler:Sylvester]] can pull quite impressive political moves that match his high position within the setting's status-based society. His subordinates and relatives also wish he would use the brain than comes up with said political moves to do the boring, but necessary, parts of his job instead of foisting them off on others. The fact that he's introduced pulling a KingIncognito for weeks on end says a lot about how invested he is in the aspects of his job that don't involve political maneuvering.
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* ''Literature/AscendanceOfABookworm'': When he put his mind to it, [[spoiler:Sylvester]] can pull quite impressive political moves that match his high position within the setting's status-based society. His subordinates and relatives also wish he would use the brain than comes up with said political moves to do the boring, but necessary, parts of his job instead of foisting them off on others. The fact that he's introduced pulling a KingIncognito for weeks on end a two-digit number of days in a row says a lot about how invested he is in the aspects of his job that don't involve political maneuvering.
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* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'': When he put his mind to it, [[spoiler:Sylvester]] can pull quite impressive political moves that match his high position within the setting's status-based society. His subordinates and relatives also wish he would use the brain than comes up with said political moves to do the boring, but necessary, parts of his job instead of foisting them off on others. The fact that he's introduced pulling a KingIncognito for weeks on end says a lot about how invested he is in the aspects of his job that don't involve political maneuvering.
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* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'': ''Literature/AscendanceOfABookworm'': When he put his mind to it, [[spoiler:Sylvester]] can pull quite impressive political moves that match his high position within the setting's status-based society. His subordinates and relatives also wish he would use the brain than comes up with said political moves to do the boring, but necessary, parts of his job instead of foisting them off on others. The fact that he's introduced pulling a KingIncognito for weeks on end says a lot about how invested he is in the aspects of his job that don't involve political maneuvering.
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* ''LightNovel/AccomplishmentsOfTheDukesDaughter'': Iris was not an accomplished student, which helped fuel Berne's ego. However, this was mostly due to a lack of effort or interest, which is in large part due to her infatuation with Edward. When she's kicked out of school at the start of the story she quickly makes a name for herself as acting fief lord of her family's duchy, instituting numerous reforms and overall helping it prosper.
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* ''LightNovel/AccomplishmentsOfTheDukesDaughter'': ''Literature/AccomplishmentsOfTheDukesDaughter'': Iris was not an accomplished student, which helped fuel Berne's ego. However, this was mostly due to a lack of effort or interest, which is in large part due to her infatuation with Edward. When she's kicked out of school at the start of the story she quickly makes a name for herself as acting fief lord of her family's duchy, instituting numerous reforms and overall helping it prosper.
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* In ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio'', Pinocchio hates school, studying, or work of any kind for that matter, but when he's forced to actually put in the effort, he excels at it. When the Fairy convinces him to go to school, he ends up becoming the top of his class, and the envy of his classmates.
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* Marvin in ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' falls under a subset: Brain the Size of a Planet But Sooooo Depressed.
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* Marvin the paranoid android in ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' falls under frequently brags about having a subset: Brain "brain the Size size of a Planet But Sooooo Depressed.planet", but he's [[TheEeyore so cynical and depressed]] he usually can't be bothered to use his smarts to help people.
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* David Fields from ''Literature/ThingsIShouldHaveKnown'' spends every class browsing the internet and only participating to disagree with other people. He gets such good grades that the teachers let him do whatever he wanted.
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* ''Literature/TheMurderbotDiaries'': Murderbot achieves a great deal, and is very capable in many ways, but complains the entire time how much it would prefer to be watching bad television soaps.
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* Matt from ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' magically ends up being a brilliant strategist, but spends most of the books trying to avoid being an actual military leader, instead spending his time flirting and gambling. It doesn't really work out for him most of the time, though, since he is drawn into battle and troublesome situations all the time, forcing him to follow his destiny even though he would prefer to stay as far away from any danger as possible.
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* Matt from ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' magically ends up being a brilliant strategist, but spends most of the books trying to avoid being an actual military leader, instead spending his time flirting and gambling. It doesn't really work out for him most of the time, though, since he is drawn into battle and troublesome situations all the time, forcing him to follow his destiny even though he would prefer to stay as far away from any danger as possible.possible.
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* ''LightNovel/AccomplishmentsOfTheDukesDaughter'': Iris was not an accomplished student, which helped fuel Berne's ego. However, this was mostly due to a lack of effort or interest, which is in large part due to her infatuation with Edward. When she's kicked out of school at the start of the story she quickly makes a name for herself as acting fief lord of her family's duchy, instituting numerous reforms and overall helping it prosper.
* ''Literature/AlienInASmallTown:'' This is the defining characteristic of Indira's ex-boyfriend Aleksei Callahan (well, besides being self-centered). Genetically engineered to be an {{Ubermensch}}, he got so sick of his mother's "colossal hubristic expectations" of him that he finally became kind of a useless layabout.
* Marco from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' is frequently noted as having below-average grades and not really trying in school, which becomes hilarious when the books gradually reveal him to be by far the most cunning and clever member of the team.
* In ''Literature/ArcOfAScythe'' [[spoiler: [[TheDragon Scythe Rand]] proves that her impulsive, playful personality is hiding a truly devious mind that comes to light the few times she actually applies her self. She acts as a HyperCompetentSidekick to [[BigBad Scythe Goddard]] who's content to kick back and kill people for him, but when he's killed, she organizes an intricate scheme to revive him and give him power over the Scythedom that nearly works, before falling right back into her old ways once he takes over]].
* [[AlphaBitch Elliana Nautilus]] from ''Aria of the Sea'' has incredible dancing skill but doesn't put in the effort, leaving her the oldest student in her class as her teachers don't think she's ready to advance. She only puts in the effort when [[TheRival Cerinthe Gale]] choreographs a beautiful dance in tribute to their goddess, demanding that Cerinthe finish the choreography and let her dance it, which is the first time protagonist Cerinthe as well as the readers realise [[HiddenDepths just how passionate Elliana truly is about ballet]].
* In ''Literature/{{Artemis}}'', Jazz is certainly this. She is smart enough to figure out the orbital mechanics of how spacecraft make it to the Moon in a few minutes, but only works as a porter and smuggler.
* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'': When he put his mind to it, [[spoiler:Sylvester]] can pull quite impressive political moves that match his high position within the setting's status-based society. His subordinates and relatives also wish he would use the brain than comes up with said political moves to do the boring, but necessary, parts of his job instead of foisting them off on others. The fact that he's introduced pulling a KingIncognito for weeks on end says a lot about how invested he is in the aspects of his job that don't involve political maneuvering.
* Early books in ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' established Claudia as this; she's said to have a high IQ and is shown to be able to get good grades on occasion, but she's disorganized and frequently forgets to do her homework or doesn't pay attention in class. This [[{{Flanderization}} is largely forgotten]] as the series progresses.
* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', Belgarath is one of the oldest and most powerful beings in the world but spends most of his time loafing around or reading. To be fair, though, he's also painfully aware of that even the slightest use of his powers could have grave consequences for the entire world.
* In ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'' power or magic ability is determined by how hard you work at it. A very few individuals are born with an innate magical ability, with varying degrees of talent, but anyone can do anything as long as they put in the time and effort. The Company's wizards are all mediocre in ability, as they prefer getting blasted and beating on each other. Their potential is shown whenever they work hard at something, like with One-Eye's spear which can [[spoiler:kill a god]].
* The eponymous ''[[http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Three-Year-Nap-Dianne-Snyder/dp/0395440904 Boy of the Three Year Nap]]'', disguises himself as a god/demon and convinces his wealthy neighbor that if his daughter doesn't marry Nap Boy she'll fall into a coma. [[spoiler: It turns out Nap Boy's mom is smarter -- she turns his trick on him and tells him that if he doesn't work hard he'll die.]]
* Larcener from ''Literature/{{Calamity}}'' is an Epic whose power is being able to permanently steal abilities from other Epics. The only reason why he doesn't rule the world is that he isn't interested in going to the trouble of getting rid of all the other Epics.
* In the original book of ''Literature/CheaperByTheDozen'', one of the early signs of Frank Gilbreth's interest in efficiency is when he works as a bricklayer in his teen years: Normally, as the wall got higher, a bricklayer would have to stop periodically to collect the mortar that falls to the floor, but Gilbreth devised his own system to minimize and catch any wasted mortar. His boss at the time told him: "You ain't smart. You're just too damn lazy to squat."
* Literature/CiaphasCain, '''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM''', though he wouldn't admit it to himself. He can [[VerbalJudo talk a riot into not happening]], [[MasterSwordsman spar with a Tyranid monster, Ork Warboss or Chaos Space Marine]], [[MagneticHero rally the survivors of a ravaged planet to strike back]]... but only in the event that things go very wrong so that he actually has to ''do'' something.
%%* ''Corina the Lazy Enchantress''. The title says it all.
* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': Greg Heffley. Despite consistently failing assignments and tests in school, he has shown considerable intelligence in economics, relationships, and computer sciences. It is simply because of his [[JerkassWoobie adverse social skills]] that he is seen the way he is academically.
* ''Literature/{{Dinoverse}}'':
** At the start of his part Zane fits this trope. He used to be more of an achiever and found that his DisappearedDad would only contact him in any way if his grades were failing -- even letters with nothing in them but "I'm disappointed in you" were treasured. Additionally, Zane was [[HighFatIndex fat]] and targeted by bullies. He felt that people would know how to treat him if he was FatComicRelief but not if he was ''smart'', so he became the FatBestFriend of a popular student, coming up with [[ClassClown stunts]] in exchange for protection. Once he complains internally that it's ''hard'' maintaining a C+ average since he has to know the material to know what to get wrong. After CharacterDevelopment, he decides fuck it, I'm going to be smart, and realized that he was bigger than the bullies, not just fatter.
** Mr. London believes one of his Hypsilophodon friends is this -- he fakes injuries and pretends to be shortsighted in order to get out of having to work or keep watch. The teacher affectionately [[TheNicknamer names]] him "Al".
* Victor Tugelbend in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/MovingPictures''. He's described in the text as the laziest person on the Disc -- but his laziness takes a rather odd form. ("He put more effort into avoiding work than most people put into hard labour"). In order to avoid ever having to do any work, he chooses to remain a student wizard (which, in the days at Unseen University when KlingonPromotion was still popular, is also ''safer'' than becoming a full wizard). That means never passing his final exams (passmark 88%) and also never scoring ''below'' 80% on an exam (so he [[OnOneCondition still qualifies]] for the generous inheritance he's received from his uncle). He, therefore, applies his intelligence to ''consistently'' scoring 84%, every single time. At one point, his teachers catch on and attempt to give him a one question test: "What is your name?" He also takes the view that the physical tasks of life are much harder if you're physically limited, so he works out quite a bit. He ends up becoming the Victor Mature of the Discworld.
* Fred Cassidy in Creator/RogerZelazny's ''Literature/DoorwaysInTheSand''. His uncle's will provides him a healthy amount of money as long as he's in school. Fred has consequently been an undergraduate for thirteen years.
* In ''Literature/EdenGreen'', the main character is intelligent enough to contemplate controlled experiments with her best friend's new immortal needle symbiote, but works an office job and avoids the topic of college.
* ''Literature/EllenAndOtis'': Otis Spofford has a tendency to get in trouble during class because he finishes his schoolwork ahead of time.
* Robert in ''Literature/TheEmigrants'' is seen as this by some: he is the TheSmartGuy out of the main cast, but he also wants to avoid work. And even his search for gold is an attempt at becoming rich quickly, so he won't have to work again. The truth is though that being a BookWorm and not a sturdy farmer like his brother Karl Oskar, Robert is merely trying to avoid ''physical'' work. If he only had been allowed to continue his schooling and get an education, he would have excelled within that environment. But alas, his family is poor struggling farmers. So nobody seems to even see this as an option for him.
* Ryan Oberoi, one of the three titular characters in Chetan Bhagat's book ''Five Point Someone'', could fall under this trope. However, when he finds something he is really interested in, he is capable of working ''really'' hard at it.
* In ''Literature/FreakyFriday'', Annabel's English teacher explains to Annabel/Mrs. Andrews that part of their hostile relationship is because of her frustration with her very bright student's unwillingness to apply herself. This is a huge eye-opener for Annabel, who doesn't consider herself particularly bright.
* The {{Fantasy}} [[FilmNoir Noir]] series ''Literature/GarrettPI'' features the Dead Man, who is usually capable of solving whatever problem or mystery Garrett brings him but usually has to be bribed or forced into it because he's incredibly lazy. (Think Nero Wolfe's telepathic corpse.) He kind of has an excuse -- what with being, y'know, ''dead'' -- but Garrett learns during the series that the Dead Man was about as energetic when he was alive.
%%* Daichi from ''Literature/GreekNinja'' is this to start with.
* Literature/HamishMacbeth would prefer to walk his dog, go fishing, court his love interest or just sit around drinking coffee [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything than do any actual policing]]. It's only when a murder takes place that he has to get himself in gear and solve the crime. It's also been noted that while Hamish is smart enough to be a great investigator, he doesn't actively seek promotion and is perfectly happy to stay in his small police station in Lochdubh.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** Minerva [=McGonagall=], and a few others described students James Potter and Sirius Black this way.
** Also Fred and George Weasley. They were both brilliant wizards, creating all manner of magical tricks and novelties, but failed at many exams because they didn't care about them. They don't mind though, openly acknowledging in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'' that "our talents lie outside the realm of academic achievement." Days later they drop out in spectacular fashion and go on to run the most successful shop in Diagon Alley.
** While there's nothing concrete, Ron may be a case of this as well. He states early on that, due to his high performing older brothers, he doesn't get praise, even when he does well. It would also explain his proficiency in chess.
** According to WordOfGod, Gilderoy Lockhart truly did have the potential to be a gifted wizard, but he was too focused on his vanity and deceit that the only spells he thought to master were memory charms. Because of this, he was easily disarmed by a twelve-year-old Harry.
* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/HaveSpaceSuitWillTravel'': Kip's dad. Though it's not so much "lazy" as it is "fed up with having to work and get ulcers and fill out taxes". He keeps his money in a basket and just sends a wad of it to the IRS each year. Brilliant doesn't seem to begin to cover it. Kip's dad is frequently pestered by Government officials ''begging'' him to come work for them. He refuses, plainly explains that he currently lives within his means, no longer has ulcers, and offers the man more coffee. He rubs elbows with one of, if not THE most important scientific mind on the planet, according to [[spoiler: alien invaders]]. And he drills a work ethic into his less-than-motivated ''teenaged'' son by... Plainly asking him what his plans are for life, and pointing out that the table for cube-roots in the back of a math text didn't descend from on high via an angel courier.
* Literature/HerculePoirot only took cases if they interested him or if they were literally forced on him, and he avoided doing legwork whenever possible. The crime scene investigation is for [[TakeThat quite inferior detectives]] who couldn't fathom to use [[CatchPhrase the little grey cells]], after all.
** In''Literature/TheBigFour'', Poirot mentions his brilliant but lazy brother Achille, who is essentially a parody of Mycroft Holmes. [[spoiler:Assuming Poirot didn't make him up.]]
* Marvin in ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' falls under a subset: Brain the Size of a Planet But Sooooo Depressed.
* Beowulf Schaeffer in Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/KnownSpace'' stories gets into adventures because he is, as the author puts it, "too lazy to stay out of trouble, but bright enough to think his way out once he was in".
* The Marquis of London in the Literature/LordDarcy novel ''Too Many Magicians'', by Creator/RandallGarrett. Given that he's a straight-up homage to Literature/NeroWolfe (his secretary's name is "Bontriomphe"), it's only logical.
* Alexandria DeCambrey of ''Literature/MagicForLiars'' manages to occasionally fail tests despite her apparent access to spells beyond what her teachers believe to be technically possible.
* Elliot in ''Literature/TheMagicians'' isn't hugely lazy, but being one of the few students for whom magic comes easily, he passes over his chance to be tops in the class.
* Literature/NeroWolfe, a portly gourmand and brilliant detective who solves cases from his home, between enjoying gourmet dishes prepared by his personal chef and breeding rare orchids in his private hothouse. He's quite capable of turning down all cases for months at a time if the bank account is healthy. He hates going outside. He sends his handsome assistant Archie Goodwin out to do all his legwork. One of Archie's many responsibilities is to goad Nero into working when needed. ([[EpilepticTrees Some people conjecture that he's the grandson of either Sherlock Holmes or Mycroft Holmes.]])
* Mogget of the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series ends up this way due to being bound with a miniature Ranna. (A bell with soporific effects on the spirit.) He spends as much time as possible asleep in Sameth's pack, only rousing to eat an offered (or not so offered) fish. That said, he's one of the cleverest of the four. Probably for good reason.
* The protagonist of ''Literature/PeterPaysTribute'' has perfected the art of the low B average, getting just good enough grades so that his Dad leaves him alone.
* Creator/PGWodehouse's Literature/{{Psmith}} [[BookDumb got terrible grades at Eton]] and spends the entirety of ''Psmith in the City'' pulling some serious psychology in the workplace [[ProfessionalSlacker just so he won't have to do any actual work]].
* OlderThanPrint: The classic Chinese novel ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' uses this trope to describe Pang Tong initially. He was first assigned to help govern a city but did very little else than get drunk and laze about. When admonished for not doing his job, Pang Tong (still drunk) issued several edicts in a span of mere minutes and every problem in the city was taken care of. Subverted in that [[spoiler: Pang Tong acted like this intentionally, offended that someone of his talent and brilliance was reduced to such a lowly position, to prove his worth]].
* [[GentlemanSnarker Francis Abernathy]] in Donna Tartt's ''Literature/TheSecretHistory'', to the extent that he [[spoiler: marries a blindingly unintelligent woman whom he hates and [[CampGay is not in the least attracted to]] rather than face disinheritance by his grandfather and have to get a job]].
* Mycroft Holmes. Literature/SherlockHolmes acknowledges that his older brother is more brilliant than he; his problem is that he's the single laziest man in England. His world consists of his lodgings, his job at the Foreign Office, and his club (the Diogenes Club, the club for unclubbable men, which happens to be across the street from his lodgings). Sherlock explains that Mycroft refuses to do anything practical, instead preferring to act as a giant computer to crunch all the information he receives. On the other hand, Mycroft's work determines national policy, and Sherlock states that in some ways Mycroft ''is'' the British government. Sherlock, on the other hand, only uses his towering genius to solve private mysteries that interest him. He skips cases that bore him and sometimes prefers to just stay at home. It's lampshaded and somewhat deconstructed in Mycroft's first appearance -- Sherlock notes that if catching criminals only involved being an armchair detective, Mycroft would by far surpass him. However, while Mycroft can put the facts together from the paper, you need someone who can a) examine the evidence onsite and b) actually catch the criminal.
* August Derleth's Literature/SherlockHolmes CaptainErsatz Literature/SolarPons had a brilliant but lazy brother Bancroft, a CaptainErsatz of Mycroft Holmes.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Ser Jaime Lannister finds ruling and scheming extremely boring and generally prefers to solve his problems with violence. When that is not an option, however, he can be quite clever. That he is [[MasterSwordsman awesomely qualified]] for violence can't hurt either.
** King Robert Baratheon is a similar case; he hates ruling but when he has a war to deal with he is a highly effective warrior and general, who could also make enemies into friends during and after the war. Also a case of CripplingOverspecialization; war and fighting are the only things that he can really do well (outside of the bedchamber) and without either to motivate him, he degenerates.
* Gary Karkofsky in Literature/TheSupervillainySaga by Creator/CTPhipps is a prime example of such. Despite the fact he spends most of his time goofing off, cracking wise, or rewatching Star Wars, he is an incredibly effective supervillain. Indeed, Merciless: The Supervillain without [=MercyTM=] benefits from most people thinking he's just a HarmlessVillain.
* Jessica Wakefield of ''Literature/SweetValleyHigh''. In one of the earlier books, it's stated that she gets good grades in most of her classes, despite her primary concern being boys, parties, and shopping. Later books indicate that she's a poor student, but it seems to be everyone's opinion that she'd be an excellent one if she simply applied herself, which in fact does happen several times in the series. Additionally, she is shown to have a natural aptitude and skill for certain things. And in the best example of this, she aces the [=SATs=], considerably outscoring Elizabeth, despite barely studying. Unfortunately, rather than congratulating her, everyone thinks she cheated.
* ''Literature/TalesFromTheMosEisleyCantina'': Labria is the worst spy in Mos Eisley, but when he learns that his favorite band is in town, he pulls off an epic BatmanGambit to arrange for them to get stuck playing at his favorite cantina, while doing so in a way that makes [[BadBoss Jabba the Hutt]] forgive a major blunder he recently made. As Wuher says, if Labria put this sort of thinking to anything else, he'd be a very wealthy being.
* ''Literature/TanteiTeamKZJikenNote'': Wakatake might be a genius striker with supreme reflexes, but he hates practicing. {{Deconstructed|trope}} as this is why his performance is infamously unstable.
* The Man Who Was Too Lazy to Fail, from [[Creator/RobertAHeinlein Heinlein's]] ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'', is a [[PlayingWithATrope warped example]]. He went to Annapolis because it was ''easier'' than farming, and memorized mathematical tables because it was the ''easiest'' way of handling the hazing from the upperclassmen -- and that's just for starters. This character was largely based on Delos Wait, a fellow classman of Heinlein's at the Naval Academy.
-->"Progress doesn't come from early risers -- progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things."
* The Hare from ''[[Literature/AesopsFables The Tortoise and The Hare]]''. Despite being greatly athletic, the hare loses the race due to his laziness.
* Ivan Vorpatril in Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga''. In Ivan's case, it is a case of self-preservation. He may be third in line for the Barrayaran imperium, and as such has been the target of multiple plots. Not to mention that the people ahead of him are close relatives and some of his best friends. He really doesn't want anyone thinking that he is future emperor material. On the other hand, his uncle Aral (Count Vorkosigan) points out that this would have made him a very cunning five-year-old indeed. Ivan's laziness also inspires him to do a very good job with the work he does do, to cut down on the need to do it again.
* ''Literature/{{Waldo}}'', from the Creator/RobertAHeinlein story of the same name. It wasn't entirely by choice in his case.
* Matt from ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' magically ends up being a brilliant strategist, but spends most of the books trying to avoid being an actual military leader, instead spending his time flirting and gambling. It doesn't really work out for him most of the time, though, since he is drawn into battle and troublesome situations all the time, forcing him to follow his destiny even though he would prefer to stay as far away from any danger as possible.
* ''Literature/AlienInASmallTown:'' This is the defining characteristic of Indira's ex-boyfriend Aleksei Callahan (well, besides being self-centered). Genetically engineered to be an {{Ubermensch}}, he got so sick of his mother's "colossal hubristic expectations" of him that he finally became kind of a useless layabout.
* Marco from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' is frequently noted as having below-average grades and not really trying in school, which becomes hilarious when the books gradually reveal him to be by far the most cunning and clever member of the team.
* In ''Literature/ArcOfAScythe'' [[spoiler: [[TheDragon Scythe Rand]] proves that her impulsive, playful personality is hiding a truly devious mind that comes to light the few times she actually applies her self. She acts as a HyperCompetentSidekick to [[BigBad Scythe Goddard]] who's content to kick back and kill people for him, but when he's killed, she organizes an intricate scheme to revive him and give him power over the Scythedom that nearly works, before falling right back into her old ways once he takes over]].
* [[AlphaBitch Elliana Nautilus]] from ''Aria of the Sea'' has incredible dancing skill but doesn't put in the effort, leaving her the oldest student in her class as her teachers don't think she's ready to advance. She only puts in the effort when [[TheRival Cerinthe Gale]] choreographs a beautiful dance in tribute to their goddess, demanding that Cerinthe finish the choreography and let her dance it, which is the first time protagonist Cerinthe as well as the readers realise [[HiddenDepths just how passionate Elliana truly is about ballet]].
* In ''Literature/{{Artemis}}'', Jazz is certainly this. She is smart enough to figure out the orbital mechanics of how spacecraft make it to the Moon in a few minutes, but only works as a porter and smuggler.
* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'': When he put his mind to it, [[spoiler:Sylvester]] can pull quite impressive political moves that match his high position within the setting's status-based society. His subordinates and relatives also wish he would use the brain than comes up with said political moves to do the boring, but necessary, parts of his job instead of foisting them off on others. The fact that he's introduced pulling a KingIncognito for weeks on end says a lot about how invested he is in the aspects of his job that don't involve political maneuvering.
* Early books in ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' established Claudia as this; she's said to have a high IQ and is shown to be able to get good grades on occasion, but she's disorganized and frequently forgets to do her homework or doesn't pay attention in class. This [[{{Flanderization}} is largely forgotten]] as the series progresses.
* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', Belgarath is one of the oldest and most powerful beings in the world but spends most of his time loafing around or reading. To be fair, though, he's also painfully aware of that even the slightest use of his powers could have grave consequences for the entire world.
* In ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'' power or magic ability is determined by how hard you work at it. A very few individuals are born with an innate magical ability, with varying degrees of talent, but anyone can do anything as long as they put in the time and effort. The Company's wizards are all mediocre in ability, as they prefer getting blasted and beating on each other. Their potential is shown whenever they work hard at something, like with One-Eye's spear which can [[spoiler:kill a god]].
* The eponymous ''[[http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Three-Year-Nap-Dianne-Snyder/dp/0395440904 Boy of the Three Year Nap]]'', disguises himself as a god/demon and convinces his wealthy neighbor that if his daughter doesn't marry Nap Boy she'll fall into a coma. [[spoiler: It turns out Nap Boy's mom is smarter -- she turns his trick on him and tells him that if he doesn't work hard he'll die.]]
* Larcener from ''Literature/{{Calamity}}'' is an Epic whose power is being able to permanently steal abilities from other Epics. The only reason why he doesn't rule the world is that he isn't interested in going to the trouble of getting rid of all the other Epics.
* In the original book of ''Literature/CheaperByTheDozen'', one of the early signs of Frank Gilbreth's interest in efficiency is when he works as a bricklayer in his teen years: Normally, as the wall got higher, a bricklayer would have to stop periodically to collect the mortar that falls to the floor, but Gilbreth devised his own system to minimize and catch any wasted mortar. His boss at the time told him: "You ain't smart. You're just too damn lazy to squat."
* Literature/CiaphasCain, '''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM''', though he wouldn't admit it to himself. He can [[VerbalJudo talk a riot into not happening]], [[MasterSwordsman spar with a Tyranid monster, Ork Warboss or Chaos Space Marine]], [[MagneticHero rally the survivors of a ravaged planet to strike back]]... but only in the event that things go very wrong so that he actually has to ''do'' something.
%%* ''Corina the Lazy Enchantress''. The title says it all.
* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': Greg Heffley. Despite consistently failing assignments and tests in school, he has shown considerable intelligence in economics, relationships, and computer sciences. It is simply because of his [[JerkassWoobie adverse social skills]] that he is seen the way he is academically.
* ''Literature/{{Dinoverse}}'':
** At the start of his part Zane fits this trope. He used to be more of an achiever and found that his DisappearedDad would only contact him in any way if his grades were failing -- even letters with nothing in them but "I'm disappointed in you" were treasured. Additionally, Zane was [[HighFatIndex fat]] and targeted by bullies. He felt that people would know how to treat him if he was FatComicRelief but not if he was ''smart'', so he became the FatBestFriend of a popular student, coming up with [[ClassClown stunts]] in exchange for protection. Once he complains internally that it's ''hard'' maintaining a C+ average since he has to know the material to know what to get wrong. After CharacterDevelopment, he decides fuck it, I'm going to be smart, and realized that he was bigger than the bullies, not just fatter.
** Mr. London believes one of his Hypsilophodon friends is this -- he fakes injuries and pretends to be shortsighted in order to get out of having to work or keep watch. The teacher affectionately [[TheNicknamer names]] him "Al".
* Victor Tugelbend in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/MovingPictures''. He's described in the text as the laziest person on the Disc -- but his laziness takes a rather odd form. ("He put more effort into avoiding work than most people put into hard labour"). In order to avoid ever having to do any work, he chooses to remain a student wizard (which, in the days at Unseen University when KlingonPromotion was still popular, is also ''safer'' than becoming a full wizard). That means never passing his final exams (passmark 88%) and also never scoring ''below'' 80% on an exam (so he [[OnOneCondition still qualifies]] for the generous inheritance he's received from his uncle). He, therefore, applies his intelligence to ''consistently'' scoring 84%, every single time. At one point, his teachers catch on and attempt to give him a one question test: "What is your name?" He also takes the view that the physical tasks of life are much harder if you're physically limited, so he works out quite a bit. He ends up becoming the Victor Mature of the Discworld.
* Fred Cassidy in Creator/RogerZelazny's ''Literature/DoorwaysInTheSand''. His uncle's will provides him a healthy amount of money as long as he's in school. Fred has consequently been an undergraduate for thirteen years.
* In ''Literature/EdenGreen'', the main character is intelligent enough to contemplate controlled experiments with her best friend's new immortal needle symbiote, but works an office job and avoids the topic of college.
* ''Literature/EllenAndOtis'': Otis Spofford has a tendency to get in trouble during class because he finishes his schoolwork ahead of time.
* Robert in ''Literature/TheEmigrants'' is seen as this by some: he is the TheSmartGuy out of the main cast, but he also wants to avoid work. And even his search for gold is an attempt at becoming rich quickly, so he won't have to work again. The truth is though that being a BookWorm and not a sturdy farmer like his brother Karl Oskar, Robert is merely trying to avoid ''physical'' work. If he only had been allowed to continue his schooling and get an education, he would have excelled within that environment. But alas, his family is poor struggling farmers. So nobody seems to even see this as an option for him.
* Ryan Oberoi, one of the three titular characters in Chetan Bhagat's book ''Five Point Someone'', could fall under this trope. However, when he finds something he is really interested in, he is capable of working ''really'' hard at it.
* In ''Literature/FreakyFriday'', Annabel's English teacher explains to Annabel/Mrs. Andrews that part of their hostile relationship is because of her frustration with her very bright student's unwillingness to apply herself. This is a huge eye-opener for Annabel, who doesn't consider herself particularly bright.
* The {{Fantasy}} [[FilmNoir Noir]] series ''Literature/GarrettPI'' features the Dead Man, who is usually capable of solving whatever problem or mystery Garrett brings him but usually has to be bribed or forced into it because he's incredibly lazy. (Think Nero Wolfe's telepathic corpse.) He kind of has an excuse -- what with being, y'know, ''dead'' -- but Garrett learns during the series that the Dead Man was about as energetic when he was alive.
%%* Daichi from ''Literature/GreekNinja'' is this to start with.
* Literature/HamishMacbeth would prefer to walk his dog, go fishing, court his love interest or just sit around drinking coffee [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything than do any actual policing]]. It's only when a murder takes place that he has to get himself in gear and solve the crime. It's also been noted that while Hamish is smart enough to be a great investigator, he doesn't actively seek promotion and is perfectly happy to stay in his small police station in Lochdubh.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** Minerva [=McGonagall=], and a few others described students James Potter and Sirius Black this way.
** Also Fred and George Weasley. They were both brilliant wizards, creating all manner of magical tricks and novelties, but failed at many exams because they didn't care about them. They don't mind though, openly acknowledging in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'' that "our talents lie outside the realm of academic achievement." Days later they drop out in spectacular fashion and go on to run the most successful shop in Diagon Alley.
** While there's nothing concrete, Ron may be a case of this as well. He states early on that, due to his high performing older brothers, he doesn't get praise, even when he does well. It would also explain his proficiency in chess.
** According to WordOfGod, Gilderoy Lockhart truly did have the potential to be a gifted wizard, but he was too focused on his vanity and deceit that the only spells he thought to master were memory charms. Because of this, he was easily disarmed by a twelve-year-old Harry.
* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/HaveSpaceSuitWillTravel'': Kip's dad. Though it's not so much "lazy" as it is "fed up with having to work and get ulcers and fill out taxes". He keeps his money in a basket and just sends a wad of it to the IRS each year. Brilliant doesn't seem to begin to cover it. Kip's dad is frequently pestered by Government officials ''begging'' him to come work for them. He refuses, plainly explains that he currently lives within his means, no longer has ulcers, and offers the man more coffee. He rubs elbows with one of, if not THE most important scientific mind on the planet, according to [[spoiler: alien invaders]]. And he drills a work ethic into his less-than-motivated ''teenaged'' son by... Plainly asking him what his plans are for life, and pointing out that the table for cube-roots in the back of a math text didn't descend from on high via an angel courier.
* Literature/HerculePoirot only took cases if they interested him or if they were literally forced on him, and he avoided doing legwork whenever possible. The crime scene investigation is for [[TakeThat quite inferior detectives]] who couldn't fathom to use [[CatchPhrase the little grey cells]], after all.
** In''Literature/TheBigFour'', Poirot mentions his brilliant but lazy brother Achille, who is essentially a parody of Mycroft Holmes. [[spoiler:Assuming Poirot didn't make him up.]]
* Marvin in ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' falls under a subset: Brain the Size of a Planet But Sooooo Depressed.
* Beowulf Schaeffer in Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/KnownSpace'' stories gets into adventures because he is, as the author puts it, "too lazy to stay out of trouble, but bright enough to think his way out once he was in".
* The Marquis of London in the Literature/LordDarcy novel ''Too Many Magicians'', by Creator/RandallGarrett. Given that he's a straight-up homage to Literature/NeroWolfe (his secretary's name is "Bontriomphe"), it's only logical.
* Alexandria DeCambrey of ''Literature/MagicForLiars'' manages to occasionally fail tests despite her apparent access to spells beyond what her teachers believe to be technically possible.
* Elliot in ''Literature/TheMagicians'' isn't hugely lazy, but being one of the few students for whom magic comes easily, he passes over his chance to be tops in the class.
* Literature/NeroWolfe, a portly gourmand and brilliant detective who solves cases from his home, between enjoying gourmet dishes prepared by his personal chef and breeding rare orchids in his private hothouse. He's quite capable of turning down all cases for months at a time if the bank account is healthy. He hates going outside. He sends his handsome assistant Archie Goodwin out to do all his legwork. One of Archie's many responsibilities is to goad Nero into working when needed. ([[EpilepticTrees Some people conjecture that he's the grandson of either Sherlock Holmes or Mycroft Holmes.]])
* Mogget of the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series ends up this way due to being bound with a miniature Ranna. (A bell with soporific effects on the spirit.) He spends as much time as possible asleep in Sameth's pack, only rousing to eat an offered (or not so offered) fish. That said, he's one of the cleverest of the four. Probably for good reason.
* The protagonist of ''Literature/PeterPaysTribute'' has perfected the art of the low B average, getting just good enough grades so that his Dad leaves him alone.
* Creator/PGWodehouse's Literature/{{Psmith}} [[BookDumb got terrible grades at Eton]] and spends the entirety of ''Psmith in the City'' pulling some serious psychology in the workplace [[ProfessionalSlacker just so he won't have to do any actual work]].
* OlderThanPrint: The classic Chinese novel ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' uses this trope to describe Pang Tong initially. He was first assigned to help govern a city but did very little else than get drunk and laze about. When admonished for not doing his job, Pang Tong (still drunk) issued several edicts in a span of mere minutes and every problem in the city was taken care of. Subverted in that [[spoiler: Pang Tong acted like this intentionally, offended that someone of his talent and brilliance was reduced to such a lowly position, to prove his worth]].
* [[GentlemanSnarker Francis Abernathy]] in Donna Tartt's ''Literature/TheSecretHistory'', to the extent that he [[spoiler: marries a blindingly unintelligent woman whom he hates and [[CampGay is not in the least attracted to]] rather than face disinheritance by his grandfather and have to get a job]].
* Mycroft Holmes. Literature/SherlockHolmes acknowledges that his older brother is more brilliant than he; his problem is that he's the single laziest man in England. His world consists of his lodgings, his job at the Foreign Office, and his club (the Diogenes Club, the club for unclubbable men, which happens to be across the street from his lodgings). Sherlock explains that Mycroft refuses to do anything practical, instead preferring to act as a giant computer to crunch all the information he receives. On the other hand, Mycroft's work determines national policy, and Sherlock states that in some ways Mycroft ''is'' the British government. Sherlock, on the other hand, only uses his towering genius to solve private mysteries that interest him. He skips cases that bore him and sometimes prefers to just stay at home. It's lampshaded and somewhat deconstructed in Mycroft's first appearance -- Sherlock notes that if catching criminals only involved being an armchair detective, Mycroft would by far surpass him. However, while Mycroft can put the facts together from the paper, you need someone who can a) examine the evidence onsite and b) actually catch the criminal.
* August Derleth's Literature/SherlockHolmes CaptainErsatz Literature/SolarPons had a brilliant but lazy brother Bancroft, a CaptainErsatz of Mycroft Holmes.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Ser Jaime Lannister finds ruling and scheming extremely boring and generally prefers to solve his problems with violence. When that is not an option, however, he can be quite clever. That he is [[MasterSwordsman awesomely qualified]] for violence can't hurt either.
** King Robert Baratheon is a similar case; he hates ruling but when he has a war to deal with he is a highly effective warrior and general, who could also make enemies into friends during and after the war. Also a case of CripplingOverspecialization; war and fighting are the only things that he can really do well (outside of the bedchamber) and without either to motivate him, he degenerates.
* Gary Karkofsky in Literature/TheSupervillainySaga by Creator/CTPhipps is a prime example of such. Despite the fact he spends most of his time goofing off, cracking wise, or rewatching Star Wars, he is an incredibly effective supervillain. Indeed, Merciless: The Supervillain without [=MercyTM=] benefits from most people thinking he's just a HarmlessVillain.
* Jessica Wakefield of ''Literature/SweetValleyHigh''. In one of the earlier books, it's stated that she gets good grades in most of her classes, despite her primary concern being boys, parties, and shopping. Later books indicate that she's a poor student, but it seems to be everyone's opinion that she'd be an excellent one if she simply applied herself, which in fact does happen several times in the series. Additionally, she is shown to have a natural aptitude and skill for certain things. And in the best example of this, she aces the [=SATs=], considerably outscoring Elizabeth, despite barely studying. Unfortunately, rather than congratulating her, everyone thinks she cheated.
* ''Literature/TalesFromTheMosEisleyCantina'': Labria is the worst spy in Mos Eisley, but when he learns that his favorite band is in town, he pulls off an epic BatmanGambit to arrange for them to get stuck playing at his favorite cantina, while doing so in a way that makes [[BadBoss Jabba the Hutt]] forgive a major blunder he recently made. As Wuher says, if Labria put this sort of thinking to anything else, he'd be a very wealthy being.
* ''Literature/TanteiTeamKZJikenNote'': Wakatake might be a genius striker with supreme reflexes, but he hates practicing. {{Deconstructed|trope}} as this is why his performance is infamously unstable.
* The Man Who Was Too Lazy to Fail, from [[Creator/RobertAHeinlein Heinlein's]] ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'', is a [[PlayingWithATrope warped example]]. He went to Annapolis because it was ''easier'' than farming, and memorized mathematical tables because it was the ''easiest'' way of handling the hazing from the upperclassmen -- and that's just for starters. This character was largely based on Delos Wait, a fellow classman of Heinlein's at the Naval Academy.
-->"Progress doesn't come from early risers -- progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things."
* The Hare from ''[[Literature/AesopsFables The Tortoise and The Hare]]''. Despite being greatly athletic, the hare loses the race due to his laziness.
* Ivan Vorpatril in Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga''. In Ivan's case, it is a case of self-preservation. He may be third in line for the Barrayaran imperium, and as such has been the target of multiple plots. Not to mention that the people ahead of him are close relatives and some of his best friends. He really doesn't want anyone thinking that he is future emperor material. On the other hand, his uncle Aral (Count Vorkosigan) points out that this would have made him a very cunning five-year-old indeed. Ivan's laziness also inspires him to do a very good job with the work he does do, to cut down on the need to do it again.
* ''Literature/{{Waldo}}'', from the Creator/RobertAHeinlein story of the same name. It wasn't entirely by choice in his case.
* Matt from ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' magically ends up being a brilliant strategist, but spends most of the books trying to avoid being an actual military leader, instead spending his time flirting and gambling. It doesn't really work out for him most of the time, though, since he is drawn into battle and troublesome situations all the time, forcing him to follow his destiny even though he would prefer to stay as far away from any danger as possible.
