WIST Quotations

Milne, A. A. -- War with Honour, Macmillan War Pamphlets, Issue 2 (1940)

Dave — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:42:21 +0000

I wrote somewhere once that the third-rate mind was only happy when it was thinking with the majority, the second-rate mind was only happy when it was thinking with the minority, and the first-rate mind was only happy when it was thinking. With equal truth it may be said that a first-rate mind is not one which does not remember the past, nor is it one which cannot forget the past; it is a mind which will use the past but not be ordered by it. It is a mind independent of everybody and everything but the facts in front of it. It is as little perturbed to find itself sharing a thought with the simple as it is elated to find itself sharing a thought with the subtle.

A. A. Milne (1882-1956) English poet and playwright [Alan Alexander Milne]
War with Honour, Macmillan War Pamphlets, Issue 2 (1940)
(Source)

Milne wrote this work in repudiation (or perhaps emendation) of his 1934 book, Peace with Honour, which argued that, given the tragedy of World War 1, that similar saber-rattling about the rise of Hitler's Germany was irresponsible and immoral. Having seen the course of fascism in the first years of World War 2, while still espousing pacifist principles, he saw Hitler as an evil that must be defeated.

Doyle, Arthur Conan -- Story (1886-04), “A Study in Scarlet,” Part 1, ch. 3, Beeton’s Christmas Annual, Vol. 28 (1887-11-21)

Dave — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:47:22 +0000

“They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains,” he [Holmes] remarked with a smile. “It’s a very bad definition, but it does apply to detective work.”

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
Story (1886-04), “A Study in Scarlet,” Part 1, ch. 3, Beeton’s Christmas Annual, Vol. 28 (1887-11-21)
(Source)

Published in novel form 1888-07.

The quotation is usually attributed to Scottish historian and essayist Thomas Carlyle, but is a misquote of what he says on the subject, in his History of Frederick the Great [Friedrich the Second], Vol. 1, Book 4, ch. 3 (1858–65) (emphasis mine):

The good plan itself, this comes not of its own accord; it is the fruit of "genius" (which means transcendent capacity of taking trouble, first of all); given a huge stack of tumbled thrums, it is not in your sleep that you will find the vital centre of it, or get the first thrum by the end!

Thrums, by the way, are the ends of the warp threads in a loom which remain unwoven attached to the loom when the web is cut, or more loosely a collection of leftover thread or yarn.

The "infinite capacity" phrase is sometimes misattributed to Samuel Johnson.

See more discussion here.

Interestingly, Holmes, in the same story, earlier claims not to know Carlyle's works, though he here supposedly quotes him.

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 22, The Last Continent (1998)

Dave — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 23:22:30 +0000

A flash of inspiration struck him with all the force and brilliance that ideas have when they’re travelling through beer.

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Discworld No. 22, The Last Continent (1998)
(Source)

Moffat, Steven -- Sherlock, 01×01 “A Study in Pink” (2010-07-25)

Dave — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 19:06:59 +0000

HOLMES: That’s the frailty of genius, John. It needs an audience.

Steven Moffat (b. 1961) Scottish television writer, producer
Sherlock, 01×01 “A Study in Pink” (2010-07-25)
(Source)

(Source (Video); dialog confirmed)

Moffat, Steven -- Sherlock, 01×01 “A Study in Pink” (2010-07-25)

Dave — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 18:57:52 +0000

WATSON: Pink. You got all that because you realized the case would be pink?

HOLMES: Well, it had to be pink, obviously.

WATSON: Why didn’t I think of that?

HOLMES: Because you’re an idiot. [WATSON looks up, insulted.] No, no, no, don’t be like that. Practically everyone is.

Steven Moffat (b. 1961) Scottish television writer, producer
Sherlock, 01×01 “A Study in Pink” (2010-07-25)
(Source)

(Source (Video); dialog verified)

Moffat, Steven -- Sherlock, 01×01 “A Study in Pink” (2010-07-25)

Dave — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 19:24:08 +0000

HOLMES: Dear God, what is it like in your funny little brains? It must be so boring.

Steven Moffat (b. 1961) Scottish television writer, producer
Sherlock, 01×01 “A Study in Pink” (2010-07-25)
(Source)

(Source (Video))

Einstein, Albert -- (Spurious)

Dave — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 01:32:01 +0000

Intelligent trial and error beats the planning of a sole genius every time.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American physicist
(Spurious)

Not found in Einstein's writings or in any definitive reference I could find.

Pasternak, Boris -- Doctor Zhivago [До́ктор Жива́го], Part 1, ch. 1 “The Five-O’Clock Express,” sec. 4 [Nikolai Nikolaievich] (1955) [tr. Hayward & Harari (1958), UK ed.]

Dave — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 20:26:20 +0000

Of course one does meet brilliant men, but they are isolated. The fashion nowadays is all for groups and societies of every sort. — It is always a sign of mediocrity in people when they herd together, whether their group loyalty is to Solovyev or to Kant or Marx. The truth is only sought by individuals, and they break with those who do not love it enough.

Boris Pasternak (1890-1960) Russian poet, novelist, and literary translator
Doctor Zhivago [До́ктор Жива́го], Part 1, ch. 1 “The Five-O’Clock Express,” sec. 4 [Nikolai Nikolaievich] (1955) [tr. Hayward & Harari (1958), UK ed.]
(Source)

Alternate translations:

Yes, there are gifted men, but the fashion nowadays is all for groups and societies of every sort. Gregariousness is always the refuge of mediocrities, whether they swear by Solovyiëv or Kant or Marx. Only individuals seek the truth, and they shun those whose sole concern is not the truth.
[tr. Hayward & Harari (1958), US ed.]

You come across talented people. But now various circles and associations are the fashion. Every herd is a refuge for giftlessness, whether it's a faith in Soloviev, or Kant, or Marx. Only the solitary seek the truth, and they break with all those who don't love it sufficiently.
[tr. Pevear & Volokhonsky (2010)]

Gould, Stephen Jay -- Dinosaur in a Haystack: Reflections in Natural History, Part 5, ch. 18 “Cabinet Museums: Alive, Alive, O!” (1995)

Dave — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 17:27:35 +0000

Elitism is repulsive when based upon external and artificial limitations like race, gender, or social class. Repulsive and utterly false — for that spark of genius is randomly distributed across all cruel barriers of our social prejudice. We therefore must grant access — and encouragement — to everyone; and must be increasingly vigilant, and tirelessly attentive, in providing such opportunities to all children. We will have no justice until this kind of equality can be attained. But if only a small minority respond, and these are our best and brightest of all races, classes, and genders, shall we deny them the pinnacle of their soul’s striving because all their colleagues prefer passivity and flashing lights? Let them lift their eyes to hills of books, and at least a few museums that display the full magic of nature’s variety. What is wrong with this truly democratic form of elitism?

Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) American paleontologist, geologist, biologist
Dinosaur in a Haystack: Reflections in Natural History, Part 5, ch. 18 “Cabinet Museums: Alive, Alive, O!” (1995)
(Source)

Gould, Stephen Jay -- The Panda’s Thumb, Part 4, ch. 13 “Wide Hats and Narrow Minds” (1980)

Dave — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 02:35:30 +0000

I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.

Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) American paleontologist, geologist, biologist
The Panda’s Thumb, Part 4, ch. 13 “Wide Hats and Narrow Minds” (1980)
(Source)

Hazlitt, William -- “Thoughts on Taste,” Edinburgh Magazine (1819-07)

Dave — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 21:42:28 +0000

It is erroneous to tie down individual genius to ideal models. Each person should do that, not which is best in itself, even supposing this could be known, but that which he can do best, which he will find out if left to himself. Spenser could not have written Paradise Lost, nor Milton the Faerie Queene. Those who aim at faultless regularity will only produce mediocrity, and no one ever approaches perfection except by stealth, and unknown to themselves.

William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English writer
“Thoughts on Taste,” Edinburgh Magazine (1819-07)
(Source)

Baudelaire, Charles -- “Le Peintre de la Vie Moderne [The Painter of Modern Life],” sec. 3 (1863) [tr. Mayne (1964)]

Dave — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 21:09:30 +0000

But genius is nothing more nor less than childhood recovered at will — a childhood now equipped for self-expression with manhood’s capacities and a power of analysis which enables it to order the mass of raw material which it has involuntarily accumulated.

[Le génie n’est que l’enfance retrouvée à volonté, l’enfance douée maintenant, pour s’exprimer, d’organes virils et de l’esprit analytique qui lui permet d’ordonner la somme de matériaux involontairement amassée.]

Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet, essayist, art critic
“Le Peintre de la Vie Moderne [The Painter of Modern Life],” sec. 3 (1863) [tr. Mayne (1964)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

But genius is simply childhood recovered at will, a childhood now equipped for self-expression, with mature faculties and an analytic spirit which permit him to set in order the mass of raw material he has involuntarily accumulated.
[tr. Kline (2020)]

Genius is only childhood recovered at will, childhood now gifted to express itself with the faculties of manhood and with the analytic mind that allows him to give order to the heap of unwittingly hoarded material.
[Source]

But genius is no more than childhood recaptured at will, childhood equipped now with man’s physical means to express itself, and with the analytical mind that enables it to bring order into the sum of experience, involuntarily amassed.
[Source]

Addison, Joseph -- Essay (1711-09-10), The Spectator, No. 166

Dave — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 17:32:41 +0000

Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind, which are delivered down from generation to generation, as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn.

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist, poet, statesman
Essay (1711-09-10), The Spectator, No. 166
(Source)

Joubert, Joseph -- Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 23 “Des Qualités de l’Écrivain [Of the Qualities of Writers],” ¶ 52 (1850 ed.) [tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 22, ¶ 19]

Dave — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 15:10:17 +0000

Genius begins great works; but labour alone finishes them.

[Le génie commence les beaux ouvrages, mais le travail seul les achève.]

Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French moralist, philosopher, essayist, poet
Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 23 “Des Qualités de l’Écrivain [Of the Qualities of Writers],” ¶ 52 (1850 ed.) [tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 22, ¶ 19]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

Genius begins beautiful works, but only labor finishes them.
[tr. Calvert (1866), ch. 8]

Genius begins great works; labour alone finishes them.
[tr. Attwell (1896), ¶ 335]

Beautiful works. Genius beings them, but labor alone finishes them.
[tr. Auster (1983)], 1801]

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- (Spurious)

Dave — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 17:24:02 +0000

Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
(Spurious)

Not found in Emerson's writings. Author remains unknown.

Foglio, Phil -- Agatha H and the Voice of the Castle (2014) [with Kaja Foglio]

Dave — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 16:24:04 +0000

Sparks are a secretive lot, and they keep their blasphemous secrets held close to their vests. On average, a good Spark will invest anywhere from one-half to two-thirds of his or her time and energy on the design and hiding of an elaborate lair, as they seem to have an instinctual understanding that people work best in an environment where the controls to all the deathtraps are right at their fingertips. This is a good thing, overall, as time spent digging an elaborate “Maze of Madness” is less time spent trying to find a way to turn the nearest city into a beautiful volcanic moonscape.

Phil Foglio (b. 1956) American writer, cartoonist
Agatha H and the Voice of the Castle (2014) [with Kaja Foglio]
(Source)

Foglio, Phil -- Agatha H. And the Clockwork Princess (2012) [with Kaja Foglio]

Dave — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 18:11:15 +0000

It is true that most madboy devices are built for purely utilitarian purposes: I want to go faster; How can one person stack all of these starfish; I will gain the respect of my peers if I can turn this entire town into ham, and so on. But there are some things that burst forth from their creator’s brain simply because they want to make the world more aesthetically pleasing. So what if it doesn’t help one conquer the world? It looks awesome. It’s Art.

Phil Foglio (b. 1956) American writer, cartoonist
Agatha H. And the Clockwork Princess (2012) [with Kaja Foglio]
(Source)

Foglio, Phil -- Agatha H. and the Siege of Mechanicsburg (2020) [with Kaja Foglio]

Dave — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 18:29:01 +0000

A secret lab is considered by many to be the physical manifestation of a spark’s mind. Thus they tend to be rather individualistic. Some are spotlessly clean; some are filled with dangerous trash. Some are ruthlessly efficient; some are filled with suicidal deathtraps. Needless to say, sparks are usually vocally dismissive of the labs of others, while surreptitiously making notes about things they’d wished they’d thought of themselves.

Phil Foglio (b. 1956) American writer, cartoonist
Agatha H. and the Siege of Mechanicsburg (2020) [with Kaja Foglio]

Arago, Francois -- Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men, “Joseph Fourier” (1859) [tr. Smyth, Powell, Grant]

Dave — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 20:30:43 +0000

Such is the privilege of genius; it perceives, it seizes relations where vulgar eyes see only isolated facts.

[Tel est le privilége du génie: il aperçoit, il saisit des rapports, là où des yeux vulgaires lie voient que des faits isolés.]

François Arago (1786-1853) French Catalan mathematician, physicist, astronomer, politician
Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men, “Joseph Fourier” (1859) [tr. Smyth, Powell, Grant]
(Source)

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth -- “Table-Talk”

Dave — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 15:02:45 +0000

The difference between a man of genius seen in his works and in person, is like that of a lighthouse seen by night and by day, — in the one case only a great fiery brain, in the other only a white tower.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American poet
“Table-Talk”
(Source)

Moriarty, Michael -- In Amy Wallace, “The Survivor,” New Yorker (26 Jan 2004)

Dave — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 21:10:30 +0000

Genius is what you do with the mistakes.

Michael Moriarty (b. 1941) American-Canadian actor, musician
In Amy Wallace, “The Survivor,” New Yorker (26 Jan 2004)
(Source)

Referring to his work with film producer Larry Cohen. Full quote: "It was skin-of-your-teeth filmmaking. Larry tends occasionally not to look ahead. But genius is what you do with the mistakes, and nobody was better with mistakes than Larry Cohen."

Nathan, George Jean -- The World in Falseface, “Art & Criticism,” #62 (1923)

Dave — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 17:22:40 +0000

The critic who at forty believes the same things he believed at twenty is either a genius or a jackass.

George Jean Nathan (1892-1958) American editor and critic
The World in Falseface, “Art & Criticism,” #62 (1923)
(Source)

Jobs, Steve -- “To the Crazy Ones,” TV advertisement (1997)

Dave — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 18:40:49 +0000

Here’s to the crazy ones — the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them, because they change things, they push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do.

Steve Jobs (1955-2011) American computer inventor, entrepreneur
“To the Crazy Ones,” TV advertisement (1997)
(Source)

Often cited as a quotation from Steve Jobs, this was an Apple advertisement developed by Chiat/Day under the direction of Jobs after his return to the company in 1997, under the campaign "Think Different." The ad and its text was created by Chiat/Day talent like Craig Tanimoto, Rob Siltanen, and Ken Segall. (For more information on the ad's development, see Siltanen's article.)

Jobs did narrate the text at least once, but the original 1997 ad was voiced by Richard Dreyfuss.

Note: nearly all transcripts say, "But the only thing you can't do ..." while the word voiced is "About the only thing you can't do ...."

Menen, Aubrey -- The Prevalence of Witches, ch. 4 (1947)

Dave — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 20:41:00 +0000

It is a mark of genius not to astonish but to be astonished.

Aubrey Menen (1912-1989) British writer, novelist, satirist, theatre critic
The Prevalence of Witches, ch. 4 (1947)
(Source)

Ciardi, John -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 22:04:33 +0000

Intelligence recognizes what has happened. Genius recognizes what will happen.

John Ciardi (1916-1986) American poet, writer, critic
(Attributed)

Simms, William G. -- Egeria, Or Voices of Thought and Counsel, for the Woods and Wayside, “Ambition” (1853)

Dave — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 22:11:31 +0000

He who would acquire fame must not show himself afraid of censure. The dread of censure is the death of genius.

William G. Simms (1806-1870) American writer and politician
Egeria, Or Voices of Thought and Counsel, for the Woods and Wayside, “Ambition” (1853)
(Source)

Einstein, Albert -- (Spurious)

Dave — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 22:32:24 +0000

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American physicist
(Spurious)

For more discussion about this quote: Quote Origin: Everybody is a Genius. But If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid – Quote Investigator®.

Colton, Charles Caleb -- Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 202 (1820)

Dave — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 01:01:47 +0000

A harmless hilarity and a buoyant cheerfulness are not infrequent concomitants of genius; and we are never more deceived than when we mistake gravity for greatness, solemnity for science, and pomposity for erudition.

Charles Caleb "C. C." Colton (1780-1832) English cleric, writer, aphorist
Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 202 (1820)
(Source)

Verne, Jules -- Journey to the Center of the Earth, ch. 7 “A Woman’s Courage” (1864) [tr. Malleson]

Dave — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 17:54:43 +0000

Was I to believe him in earnest in his intention to penetrate to the centre of this massive globe? Had I been listening to the mad speculations of a lunatic, or to the scientific conclusions of a lofty genius? Where did truth stop? Where did error begin?

Jules Verne (1828-1905) French novelist, poet, playwright
Journey to the Center of the Earth, ch. 7 “A Woman’s Courage” (1864) [tr. Malleson]
(Source)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Journal (1831-07)

Dave — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 13:19:09 +0000

Riches are a trust. … Power is a trust. So also is genius or every degree of wisdom. … Talents are a trust, too; that is the condition of their increase. They must be put out to use, or they will ruin the steward.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Journal (1831-07)
(Source)

Richardson, James -- Vectors: Aphorisms and Ten-Second Essays (2001)

Dave — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 13:00:35 +0000

Every life is allocated one hundred seconds of genius. They might be enough, if we could just be sure which ones they are.

James Richardson (b. 1950) American poet
Vectors: Aphorisms and Ten-Second Essays (2001)

Shaw, George Bernard -- The Apple Cart, Preface (1928)

Dave — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 16:43:04 +0000

Like many men of genius, he could not understand why things obvious to him should not be so at once to other people, and found it easier to believe that they were corrupt than that they could be so stupid.

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish playwright and critic
The Apple Cart, Preface (1928)

Beerbohm, Max -- Obituary of Dan Leno, Saturday Review (5 Nov 1904)

Dave — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 13:48:31 +0000

Only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best. Genius must always have lapses proportionate to its triumphs.

Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) English parodist, caricaturist, wit, writer [Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm]
Obituary of Dan Leno, Saturday Review (5 Nov 1904)
(Source)

Acton, John Dalberg (Lord) -- Letter (1881-04-24) to Mary Gladstone

Dave — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 14:34:55 +0000

There is no error so monstrous that it fails to find defenders among the ablest men. Imagine a congress of eminent celebrities, such as More, Bacon, Grotius, Pascal, Cromwell, Bossuet, Montesquieu, Jefferson, Napoleon, Pitt, etc. The result would be an Encyclopedia of Error.

John Dalberg, Lord Acton (1834-1902) British historian, politician, writer
Letter (1881-04-24) to Mary Gladstone

Horace -- Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 2, ep. 3 “Art of Poetry [Ars Poetica; To the Pisos],” l. 358ff (2.3.358-360) (19 BC) [tr. Palmer Bovie (1959)]

Dave — Mon, 16 May 2011 13:23:04 +0000

Good Homer sometimes nods, which gives me a jerk —
But sleep may well worm its way into any long work!

[Et idem
indignor, quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus;
verum operi longo fas est obrepere somnum.]

Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 2, ep. 3 “Art of Poetry [Ars Poetica; To the Pisos],” l. 358ff (2.3.358-360) (19 BC) [tr. Palmer Bovie (1959)]
(Source)

Noting that even the greatest poet, Homer, sometimes produced sub-par work, though they can be forgiven a slip-up in the something as long as the Iliad or Odyssey. Source of the familiar expression, "Even Homer nods."

(Source (Latin)). Other translations:

Yet am righte wrothe that any good should cum from such a sotte.
Good Homer now and then him himselfe will slumber well I wotte.
If that our woorke be longe and huge, so harde it is to kepe
Our selves wakinge, it is dispensed if sumtymes we do sleepe.
[tr. Drant (1567)]

[B]ut am more
Angry, if once I heare good Homer snore.
Though I confesse, that, in a long work, sleep
May, with some right, upon an Author creep.
[tr. Jonson (1640)]

But in long Works, Sleep will sometimes surprize,
Homer himself hath been observ'd to nodd.
[tr. Roscommon (1680)]

Yet hold it for a fault I can't excuse,
If honest Homer slumber o'er his muse;
Although, perhaps, a kind indulgent sleep
O'er works of length allowably may creep.
[tr. Francis (1747)]

Me, who am griev'd and vex'd to the extreme,
If Homer seem to nod, or chance to dream:
Tho' in a work of length o'erlabour'd sleep
At intervals may, not unpardon'd, creep.
[tr. Coleman (1783)]

Vex'd, on the other hand, if now and then
Short fits of slumber creep on Homer's pen:
Howbeit at times the noblest bard, I think,
In works of long attempt may fairly wink.
[tr. Howes (1845)]

And at the same time am I grieved whenever honest Homer grows drowsy. But it is allowable, that sleep should steal upon [the progress of] a long work.
[tr. Smart/Buckley (1853)]

While e'en good Homer may deserve a tap,
If, as he does, he drop his head and nap.
Yet, when a work is long, 'twere somewhat hard
To blame a drowsy moment in a bard.
[tr. Conington (1874)]

Nay, when good Homer drops into a nap,
His knuckles I feel half inclined to rap,
Though in long works 'tis no great sin, if sleep
O'er the tired poet now and then shall creep.
[tr. Martin (1881)]

Equally also does it vex me whenever illustrious Homer nods; yet is it lawful that sleep should creep in upon a lengthened production.
[tr. Elgood (1893)]

And yet I also feel aggrieved, whenever good Homer "nods," but when a work is long, a drowsy mood may well creep over it.
[tr. Fairclough (Loeb) (1926)]

Am I, then, to be indignant whenever good Homer nods? Yes, but it is natural for slumber to steal over a long work.
[tr. Blakeney; ed. Kramer, Jr. (1936)]

I also
find I get upset whenever worthy Homer dozes off,
but into works that long a little sleep must steal.
[tr. Fuchs (1977)]

I scowl, too,
Whene evern Homer nods, though Morpheus (yawn)
Can't be kept out of a really long poem.
[tr. Raffel (1983 ed.)]

It's true that it bothers me
When Homer nods, but, after all, it's true
That writers of such long works must drowse sometimes.
[tr. Ferry (2001)]

I even
feel aggrieved when Homer, the pattern of goodness, nods.
Sleep, however, is bound to creep in on a lengthy work.
[tr. Rudd (2005 ed.)]

And yet I’m displeased too when great Homer nods,
Somnolence may steal over a long work it’s true.
[tr. Kline (2015)]

Hubbard, Elbert -- Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 12: Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Scientists, “William Herschel” (1916)

Dave — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:19:15 +0000

Constant effort and frequent mistakes are the stepping-stones of genius.

Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 12: Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Scientists, “William Herschel” (1916)
(Source)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Essay (1841), “Self-Reliance,” Essays: First Series, No. 2

Dave — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:26:31 +0000

A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his.
In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty. Great works of art have no more affecting lesson for us than this. They teach us to abide by our spontaneous impression with good-humored inflexibility then most when the whole cry of voices is on the other side. Else to-morrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Essay (1841), “Self-Reliance,” Essays: First Series, No. 2
(Source)

This essay was inspired by his reading of Walter Savage Landor in 1833, with passages pulled from his lecture "Individualism," last in his course on "The Philosophy of History" (1836–1837), with other passages from the lectures "School," "Genius," and "Duty" in his course on "Human Life" (1838–1839).

Schopenhauer, Arthur -- Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung [The World as Will and Representation], Vol. 2, ch. 31 “Vom Genie [On Genius]” (1844 ed.) [tr. Payne (1958)]

Dave — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:34:16 +0000

Talent is able to achieve what is beyond other people’s capacity to achieve, yet not what is beyond their capacity of apprehension; therefore it at once finds its appreciators. The achievement of genius, on the other hand, transcends not only others’ capacity of achievement, but also their capacity of apprehension; therefore they do not become immediately aware of it. Talent is like the marksman who hits a target which others cannot reach; genius is like the marksman who hits a target, as far as which others cannot even see.

[Das Talent vermag zu leisten was die Leistungsfähigkeit, jedoch nicht die Apprehensionsfähigkeit der Uebrigen überschreitet: daher findet es sogleich seine Schätzer. Hingegen geht die Leistung des Genies nicht nur über die Leistungs, sondern auch über die Apprehensionsfähigkeit der Andern hinaus: daher werden Diese seiner nicht unmittelbar inne. Das Talent gleicht dem Schützen, der ein Ziel trifft, welches die Uebrigen nicht erreichen können; das Genie dem, der eines trifft, bis zu welchem sie nicht ein Mal zu sehn vermögen.]

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) German philosopher
Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung [The World as Will and Representation], Vol. 2, ch. 31 “Vom Genie [On Genius]” (1844 ed.) [tr. Payne (1958)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Referencing Vol. 1, sec. 36.

Commonly paraphrased: "Talent hits a target no-one else can hit; genius hits targets no-one else can see."

Seneca the Younger -- Moral Essays, “On Tranquility of Mind [De Tranquillitate Animi],” 17.10 [tr. Langsdorf (1900)]

Dave — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:33:12 +0000

Whether we believe the Greek poet, “it is sometimes even pleasant to be mad”, or Plato, “he who is master of himself has knocked in vain at the doors of poetry”; or Aristotle, “no great genius was without a mixture of insanity”; the mind cannot express anything lofty and above the ordinary unless inspired. When it despises the common and the customary, and with sacred inspiration rises higher, then at length it sings something grander than that which can come from mortal lips. It cannot attain anything sublime and lofty so long as it is sane: it must depart from the customary, swing itself aloft, take the bit in its teeth, carry away its rider and bear him to a height whither he would have feared to ascend alone.

[Nam sive Graeco poetae credimus ‘aliquando et insanire iucundum est,’ sive Platoni ‘frustra poeticas fores compos sui pepulit,’ sive Aristoteli ‘nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit’: non potest grande aliquid et super ceteros loqui nisi mota mens. Cum vulgaria et solita contempsit instinctuque sacro surrexit excelsior, tunc demum aliquid cecinit grandius ore mortali. Non potest sublime quicquam et in arduo positum contingere, quam diu apud se est; desciscat oportet a solito et efferatur et mordeat frenos et rectorem rapiat suum eoque ferat, quo per se timuisset escendere.]

Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC-AD 65) Roman statesman, philosopher, playwright [Lucius Annaeus Seneca]
Moral Essays, “On Tranquility of Mind [De Tranquillitate Animi],” 17.10 [tr. Langsdorf (1900)]
(Source)

(Source (Latin)). More on the Aristotle (mis)quote here.

Einstein, Albert -- Letter (1952-03-11) to Carl Seelig [Einstein Archive 39-013]

Dave — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:19:28 +0000

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American physicist
Letter (1952-03-11) to Carl Seelig [Einstein Archive 39-013]

Similar wording was used in a letter (1953-03-04) to Hans Muehsam [Einstein Archive 38-424].

Schopenhauer, Arthur -- Parerga and Paralipomena, Vol. 2, ch. 20 “On Judgement, Criticism, Approbation, and Fame [Über Urtheil, Kritik, Beifall und Ruhm],” § 242 (1851) [tr. Payne (1974)]

Dave — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:52:31 +0000

Great minds are related to the short span of time wherein they live as are large buildings to the narrow plot of ground on which they stand. Thus large buildings are not seen to their full extent because we are too close to them.

[Zu der kurzen Spanne Zeit, in der sie leben, verhalten sich die großen Geister wie große Gebäude zu einem engen Plage, auf dem sie stehn. Man sieht nämlich diese nicht in ihrer Größe, weil man zu nahe davor steht.]

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) German philosopher
Parerga and Paralipomena, Vol. 2, ch. 20 “On Judgement, Criticism, Approbation, and Fame [Über Urtheil, Kritik, Beifall und Ruhm],” § 242 (1851) [tr. Payne (1974)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Alternate translation:

Compared with the short span of time they live, men of great intellect are like huge buildings, standing on a small plot of ground. The size of the building cannot be seen by anyone, just in front of it.
[tr. Saunders (1890)]

Great minds are related to the brief span of time during which they live as great buildings are to a little square in which they stand: you cannot see them in all their magnitude because you are standing too close to them.
[tr. Hollingdale (1970)]

Hubbard, Elbert -- The Philistine, Vol. 23, No. 4, title epigraph (1906-09)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.

Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
The Philistine, Vol. 23, No. 4, title epigraph (1906-09)
(Source)

See Dumas (1865).

Dumas, Alexandre fils -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

One thing that humbles me deeply is to see that human genius has its limits while human stupidity does not.

[Une chose qui m’humilie profondément est de voir que le génie humain a des limites, quand la bêtise humaine n’en a pas.]

Alexandre Dumas, fils (1824-1895) French writer and dramatist
(Attributed)
(Source)

This is the earliest attribution of a phrase like this, given in the Great Universal Dictionary of the Nineteenth Century [Grand Dictionnaire Universel du XIXe Siècle], Vol. 2, "Stupidity [Bêtise]" (c. 1865, during Dumas' lifetime).

The limits of genius vs. limitless stupidity appears in a variety of forms and attributed to a wide variety of individuals. Variants:

"What distresses me is to see that human genius has limitations, and human stupidity has none."
"How despairing it is to see that human genius has limitations, while human stupidity has none."
"Two things are infinite: the Universe and Human Stupidity, and I'm not sure about the Universe."
(Dubiously attributed to Einstein)
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
"Human genius has its limits, but stupidity does not."
"Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped."
(Elbert Hubbard, ed., The Philistine, title epigraph (1906-09)
"Human stupidity is infinite."
(Gustave Flaubert, letter (1880-02-19) to Guy de Maupassant)

For more discussion about this quotation, see:

Gibbon, Edward -- Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 5, ch. 50 (1788)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Conversation enriches the understanding, but solitude is the school of genius.

Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 5, ch. 50 (1788)
(Source)

Mankiewicz, Joseph -- Cleopatra [Agrippa] (1963) [with S. Buchman, B. Hecht, R. MacDougall]

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Well versed in the natural sciences and mathematics. She speaks seven languages proficiently. Were she not a woman one would consider her to be an intellectual.

Joseph Mankiewicz (1909-1993) American screenwriter, director, producer
Cleopatra [Agrippa] (1963) [with S. Buchman, B. Hecht, R. MacDougall]

Speaking of the title character.

Adams, Douglas -- Hitchhiker’s Guide No. 5, Mostly Harmless, ch. 12 (1992)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English author, humorist, screenwriter
Hitchhiker’s Guide No. 5, Mostly Harmless, ch. 12 (1992)
(Source)

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth -- Kavanaugh: A Tale, ch. 13 (1849)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Men of genius are often dull and inert in society, as a blazing meteor, when it descends to earth, is only a stone.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American poet
Kavanaugh: A Tale, ch. 13 (1849)
(Source)

Descartes, René -- Discourse on Method [Discours de la méthode], Part 1 (1637) [tr. Cottingham, Stoothoff (1985)]

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

For it is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to apply it well. The greatest souls are capable of the greatest vices as well as the greatest virtues; and those who proceed but very slowly can make much greater progress, if they always follow the right path, than those who hurry and stray from it.

[Car ce n’est pas assez d’avoir l’esprit bon, mais le principal est de l’appliquer bien. Les plus grandes âmes sont capables des plus grands vices aussi bien que des plus grandes vertus; et ceux qui ne marchent que fort lentement peuvent avancer beaucoup davantage, s’ils suivent toujours le droit chemin, que ne font ceux qui courent et qui s’en éloignent.]

René Descartes (1596-1650) French philosopher, mathematician
Discourse on Method [Discours de la méthode], Part 1 (1637) [tr. Cottingham, Stoothoff (1985)]
(Source)

Sometimes quoted "the main thing is to use it well." (Source (French)). Alternate translations:

For ’tis not enough to have good faculties, but the principal is, to apply them well. The greatest Souls are as capable of the greatest Vices, as of the most eminent Vertues: And those who move but very slowly, may advance much farther, if they always follow the right way; then those who run and straggle from it.
[tr. Newcombe ed. (1649)]

For to be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough; the prime requisite is rightly to apply it. The greatest minds, as they are capable of the highest excellences, are open likewise to the greatest aberrations; and those who travel very slowly may yet make far greater progress, provided they keep always to the straight road, than those who, while they run, forsake it.
[tr. Veitch (1901)

For to be possessed of good mental powers is not sufficient; the principal matter is to apply them well. The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues, and those who proceed very slowly may, provided they always follow the straight road, really advance much faster than those who, though they run, forsake it.
[tr. Haldane, Ross (1911)]

Aristotle -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

There is no great genius without a touch of madness.

[Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit.]

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher
(Attributed)

Attributed to Aristotle in Seneca the Younger, "On Tranquility of Mind [De Tranquillitate Animi]" (17.10) (c. AD 60). (Source (Latin)).

Alternate translations:

"There is no great genius without a mixture of madness." [Example (1851)]
"No great genius was without a mixture of insanity." [tr. Langsdorf (1900)]
"No great genius has ever been without a touch of insanity." [tr. Stewart (1900), "On Peace of Mind"]
"No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness." [Example (1906)]
"No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness." [tr. Basore (1932)]
"No great genius has ever existed without a dash of lunacy." [tr. Davie (2007)]
"There was never any great genius without a tincture of insanity." [tr. @sentantiq (2018)]
"There was never a genius without a tincture of madness."
"No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness."

This quotation as such is not found in surviving Aristotle. It may either represent something from Aristotle that has been lost since Seneca, or else Seneca fabricating a quote, quoting something spurious, or paraphrasing something Aristotle did write, e.g., his comments about madness/melancholy and poets/prominent talents (here and here). See also the Pseudo-Aristotle, Problemata, Book 30, ch. 1:

Why is it that all those who have become eminent in philosophy or politics or poetry or the arts are clearly of an atrabilious temperament, and some of them to such an extent as to be affected by diseases caused by black bile, as is said to have happened to Heracles among the heroes? [tr. Forster (1927)]

Watterson, Bill -- Calvin and Hobbes (1993-09-07)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

CALVIN: I’m a genius, but I’m a misunderstood genius.
HOBBES: What’s misunderstood about you?
CALVIN: Nobody thinks I’m a genius.

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1993-09-07)
(Source)

Watterson, Bill -- Calvin and Hobbes (1989-07-15)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

CALVIN: People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1989-07-15)
(Source)