Quotes about Inner Genius

Egalitarian theory of Genius

If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius.
Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719), English essayist, poet, playwright and politician

Take back the beauty and wit you bestow upon me; leave me my own mediocrity of agreeableness and genius, but leave me also my sincerity, my constancy, and my plain dealing; ’tis all I have to recommend me to the esteem either of others or myself.
Mary Wortley Montagu (baptized 26 May 1689 – 21 August 1762), English poet

Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it within them remain benumbed unless extraordinary events occur to heat up and melt the mass so that it flows forth.
Denis Diderot (5 October 1713 – 31 July 1784), French philosopher, art critic, and writer

If you have a genius, industry will improve it; if you have none, industry will supply its place.
Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792), English painter

Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together.
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1 July 1742 – 24 February 1799), German scientist and satirist

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
Johann Wolfgang Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832), German poet, writer, and philosopher

Each indecision brings its own delays and days are lost lamenting over lost days…What you can do or think you can do, begin it. For boldness has magic, power, and genius in it.
Johann Wolfgang Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832), German poet, writer, and philosopher

If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses.
Johann Wolfgang Goethe

And is he honest who resists his genius or conscience only for the sake of present ease or gratification.
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827), English poet, painter, and printmaker

…it seems as if all peasants and craftsman might be elevated into artists; that is, men who love their labour for its own sake, improve it by their own plastic genius and inventive skill, and thereby cultivate their intellect, ennoble their character, and exalt and refine their pleasures.
Wilhelm von Humboldt (22 June 1767 – 8 April 1835), Prussian philosopher, philologist, diplomat

Genius is, to be sure, not a matter of arbitrariness, but rather of freedom, just as wit, love, and faith, which once shall become arts and disciplines. We should demand genius from everybody, without, however, expecting it.
Friedrich Schlegel (10 March 1772 – 12 January 1829), German poet, literary critic, philosopher

Every complete man has his genius. True virtue is genius.
Friedrich Schlegel

Genius: the superhuman in man.
Victor Hugo (26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885), French poet and novelist

Common sense is as rare as genius, is the basis of genius, and experience is hands and feet to every enterprise.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (25 May 1803 – 27 April 1882), American philosopher, essayist, and poet

Common sense is as rare as genius, – is the basis of genius.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 

To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, — that is genius.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 

So much of our time is preparation, so much is routine, and so much retrospect, that the path of each man’s genius contracts itself to a very few hours.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 

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.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 

In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Accept your genius and say what you think.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882), American poet and educator

Unless a man enters upon the vocation intended for him by nature, and best suited to his peculiar genius, he cannot succeed. I am glad to believe that the majority of persons do find their right vocation.
Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891), American politician, showman

A man receives only what he is ready to receive, whether physically or intellectually or morally, as animals conceive at certain seasons their kind only.
Henry David Thoreau (12 July 1817 – 6 May 1862), American author, poet and philosopher

Follow your genius closely enough, and it will not fail to show you a fresh prospect every hour.
Henry David Thoreau 

Little is to be expected of that day, if it can be called a day, to which we are not awakened by our Genius, but by the mechanical nudgings of some servitor, are not awakened by our own newly acquired force and aspirations from within, accompanied by the undulations of celestial music, instead of factory bells, and a fragrance filling the air–to a higher life than we fell asleep from; and thus the darkness bear its fruit, and prove itself to be good, no less than the light.
Henry David Thoreau 

Create an environment that fosters the creative genius within you!
Ramana Pemmaraju (6 December 1982), English writer

Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered – either by themselves or by others.
Mark Twain (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), American author and humorist

Do not talk about giftedness, inborn talents! One can name great men of all kinds who were very little gifted. They acquired greatness, became ‘geniuses’ (as we put it), through qualities the lack of which no one who knew what they were would boast of: they all pos¬sessed that seriousness of the efficient workman which first learns to construct the parts properly before it ventures to fashion a great whole; they allowed themselves time for it, because they took more pleasure in making the little, secondary things well than in the effect of a dazzling whole.
Friedrich Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900), German philosopher

There is a genius in every man and woman, waiting to be brought forth.
Wallace D. Wattles (1860–7 February 1911), American author

Be not afraid, for all great power throughout the history of humanity has been with the people. From out of their ranks have come all the greatest geniuses of the world, and history can only repeat itself. Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvelous work.
Swami Vivekananda (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), Indian Hindu monk and philosopher

Genius is not a possession of the limited few, but exists in some degree in everyone. Where there is natural growth, a full and free play of faculties, genius will manifest itself.
Robert Henri (June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929), American painter

Mediocrity is self-inflicted. Genius is self-bestowed.
Walter Bowman Russell (May 19, 1871 – May 19, 1963) was an American painter

But the true nature which we repress continues nevertheless to abide within us. Thus it is that at times, if we read the latest masterpiece of a man of genius, we are delighted to find in it all those of our own reflexions which we have despised, joys and sorrows which we have repressed, a whole world of feelings we have scorned, and whose value the book in which we discover them afresh suddenly teaches us.
Marcel Proust (10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922),  French novelist and critic

In books we never find anything but ourselves. Strangely enough, that always gives us great pleasure, and we say the author is a genius.
Thomas Mann (6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955), German novelist, short story writer

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 (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955), German-born theoretical physicist

Genius is, in its essence, nothing but the full completion of the idea of a man, and, therefore, every man ought to have some quality of it, and it should be regarded as a possible principle for every one. Genius is the highest morality, and, therefore, it is every one’s duty. Genius is to be attained by a supreme act of the will, in which the whole universe is affirmed in the individual. Genius is something which ‘men of genius’ take upon themselves; it is the greatest exertion and the greatest pride, the greatest misery and the greatest ecstasy to a man. A man may become a genius if he wishes to.
Otto Weininger (April 3, 1880 – October 4, 1903), Austrian philosopher

There are probably very few people who have not at some time of their lives had some quality of genius. If they have not had such, it is probable that they have also been without great sorrow or great pain. They would have needed only to live sufficiently intently for a time for some quality to reveal itself. The poems of first love are a case in point, and certainly such love is a sufficient stimulus.
Otto Weininger 

Genius of a kind has always been with me; an empty heart that has taken on a certain wooden quality; an excellent, strong woman’s body and a pitiably starved soul.
Mary MacLane (May 1, 1881 — c. August 6, 1929),Canadian-born American writer

Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes.
Edgard Varèse (December 22, 1883 – November 6, 1965), French-born American composer

We are all geniuses up to the age of ten.
Aldous Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963), English writer, novelist, philosopher

I am convinced all of humanity is born with more gifts than we know. Most are born geniuses and just get de-geniused rapidly.
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller (July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983), American architect, author, designer and inventor

Not only must the most privileged feel they are brothers and sisters of the most destitute, but the most destitute must feel as well that something within them makes them equal to the greatest sages and geniuses.
Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov (January 31, 1900 – December 25, 1986), Bulgarian philosopher, pedagogue and mystic

Oh, Salvador, Now you know the truth; if you act the genius you will be one.
Salvador Dali (11 May 1904 – 23 January 1989), Spanish surrealist painter

A genius is someone who has TWO great ideas.
Jacob Bronowski (18 January 1908 – 22 August 1974), British mathematician, historian of science

Finding the center of strength within ourselves is in the long run the best contribution we can make to our fellow men. … One person with indigenous inner strength exercises a great calming effect on panic among people around him. This is what our society needs — not new ideas and inventions; important as these are, and not geniuses and supermen, but persons who can “be”, that is, persons who have a center of strength within themselves.
Rollo May (April 21, 1909 – October 22, 1994), American existential psychologist

One cannot explain the existence of genius. It is better to enjoy it.
Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich (30 March 1909 – 3 November 2001), Austrian-born British art historian

Man is a genius when he is dreaming.
Akira Kurosawa (March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998), Japanese filmmaker

Because genius is a characteristic of consciousness, genius is also universal. That which is universal is, therefore, theoretically available to every man. The process of creativity and genius are inherent in human consciousness. Inasmuch as every human has within himself the same essence of consciousness, genius is a potential that resides within everyone. It awaits only the right circumstances to express it.
David Hawkins (February 28, 1913 – February 24, 2002), American philosopher

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
William Hutchison Murray (18 March 1913 – 19 March 1996), Scottish mountaineer and writer

Almost everyone is born a genius and buried an idiot.
Charles Bukowski (August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994), American poet, novelist

You’re a genius all the time.
Jack Kerouac (March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), American novelist and poet

Genius is rare because the means of becoming one have not been available.
Luis Alberto Machado (21 January 1932 – 23 February 2016), Venezuelan lawyer, author

And indeed if you think you’re a genius at something, what you achieve is very much according to your expectations; if you think you’re no good, you’re not going to get anywhere.
Diana Wynne Jones (16 August 1934 – 26 March 2011), British writer

Genius is an exceedingly common human quality, probably natural to most of us.
John Taylor Gatto (born December 15, 1935), American author and former school teacher

Genius is there in all of us, just waiting for us to tap into it.
Robert R. Toth (born 1939), American Artist, Sculptor and Designer

Genius is a potential that lives within you and every other human being. You have many moments of genius in your lifetime. These are the times when you have a uniquely brilliant idea and implement it even if only you are aware of how fantastic it is.
Wayne Dyer ( (May 10, 1940 – August 29, 2015), American philosopher, and speaker

You’re all geniuses, and you’re all beautiful. You don’t need anyone to tell you who you are. You are what you are. Get out there and get peace, think peace, and live peace and breathe peace, and you’ll get it as soon as you like.
John Lennon (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980), English singer and songwriter, co-founder of the Beatles

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.
Erica Jong (born March 26, 1942), American novelist and poet

For every person with a spark of genius, there are a hundred with ignition trouble.
Kurt Hanks ( born in 1947), American author and designer

Everyone has the potential to become an encourager. You don’t have to be rich. You don’t have to be a genius. You don’t have to have it all together. All you have to do is care about people and initiate.
John Calvin Maxwell (born in 1947), American author, speaker, and pastor

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of ‘soul force’ – something that emanates from a deep truth inside of us and empowers us to act. Once you identify your inner genius, you will be able to take action, whether it’s writing a check or digging a well.
Sue Monk Kidd (born August 12, 1948), American writer

We will discover the nature of our particular genius when we stop trying to conform to our own or to other people’s models, learn to be ourselves, and allow our natural channel to open.
Shakti Gawain (born September 30, 1948), American New Age and personal development author

It’s not about just coming up with the one genius idea that solves the problem, but trying and failing at a hundred other solutions before arriving at the best one.
Tom Kelley (born in 1955) is an American business consultant and author

Their ultimate “strokes of genius” don’t come about because they succeed more often than other people—they just do more, period.
Tom Kelley

The reason we have so few geniuses is that people do not have faith in what they know to be true.
Kevin Solway (born in 1961), English software developer and thinker

There is a genius inside my head. I’m hoping to meet him one day
John Mitchell John Mitchell (born June 21, 1973), English musician, songwriter and record producer

Everything I do, I feel is genius. Whether it is or it isn’t.
Rufus Wainwright (born July 22, 1973), American-Canadian singer-songwriter and composer

We possess within us the unfathomable potential of geniuses.
Joseph Rain, English writer, Speaker and Researcher

All of us, you, your children, your neighbors and their children are everyday geniuses, even though the fact is unnoticed and unremembered by everyone. That’s probably because school hasn’t encouraged us to notice what’s hidden inside us waiting for the right environment to express itself.
Peter Kline, American writer, the author of “Everyday Genius”

I would suggest that our imagination is a tiny shard of God’s infinite genius that we have within us simply because we were created in God’s image.
Craig D. Lounsbrough, American author, counselor and pastor

We all have genius within us, never doubt that fact.
Catherine Pulsifer, American author

Each soul has its share of genius, and genius has boldness in it and a core of imagination intended to transcend the common attitudes and collective patterns.
Michael J. Meade, American author, psychologist and mythologist

Genius is the spirit that is already there in each person, the inner intention, primary style and way of being that makes a true individual regardless of the pressure to conform to temporary social patterns and contemporary cultural fashions.
Michael J. Meade

Fate and destiny are close woven within us and near them can be found the true genius of our lives.
Michael J. Meade

Genius is the spirit that is already there in each person, the inner intention, primary style and way of being that makes a true individual regardless of the pressure to conform to temporary social patterns and contemporary cultural fashions. At the individual level, each person is here to give something that is not just unusual, not only exceptional, but that is unique and valuable by its very nature.
Michael J. Meade