Carlyle, Thomas -- History of Friedrich II of Prussia, called Frederick the Great, Book 4, ch. 3 (1858–1865)

Dave — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 21:29:10 +0000

“Genius” (which means transcendent capacity of taking trouble, first of all).

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish essayist and historian
History of Friedrich II of Prussia, called Frederick the Great, Book 4, ch. 3 (1858–1865)
(Source)

Usually misquoted as "Genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains," which is sometimes misattributed to Samuel Johnson.

See Doyle (1886).

See also more discussion here about the quote.

~Other -- Alan Benner (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 19:06:00 +0000

Perfectionist: One who takes infinite pains and gives them to others.

(Other Authors and Sources)
Alan Benner (Attributed)

WIST Quotations

Carlyle, Thomas -- History of Friedrich II of Prussia, called Frederick the Great, Book 4, ch. 3 (1858–1865)

~Other -- Alan Benner (Attributed)