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Genius Quotes

Brilliance, and what it takes to keep it.

This page treats genius as something both rare and slightly absurd, a reminder that even a cultivated mind stays subject to ordinary conditions, and a wry claim that monogamy demands more talent than acting does, close to Intelligence quotes.

It is the privilege of genius that life never grows common place, as it does for the rest of us.

Quotes by James Russell Lowell

Freedom is the only law which genius knows.

Quotes by James Russell Lowell

The capacity of the female mind for studies of the highest order cannot be doubted, having been sufficiently illustrated by its works of genius, of erudition, and of science.

Quotes by James Madison

Olivier was another case of a genius, who couldn't understand why anybody would have any trouble doing this, because for him it came so easily.

Quotes by James Lipton

The definition of genius, really, should be that that person can do what the rest of us have to learn how to do.

Quotes by James Lipton

A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.

James Joyce

The iambic pentameter owes its pre-eminence in English poetry to its genius for variation. Good blank verse does not sound like a series of identically measured lines. It sounds like a series of subtle variations on the same theme.

Quotes by James Fenton

I think the founding fathers, in their genius, created a system of three co-equal branches of government and a built-in system of checks and balances.

Quotes by James Clapper

Thirty, 40 years ago, more than that now, even, the cook was certainly at the bottom of the social scale. And any mother would've wanted their child to marry a doctor, a lawyer, an architect, not a cook. Now, we...

Quotes by Jacques Pepin

All of a sudden, those few pages of script that he had shown me with the weird images I could visualize all of that in my brain, and I knew that there was this mad little genius at work here...

Quotes by Jack Nance

I would sing around the house, and I would always play on things just because instruments were always there, but I didn't show any genius as a child. I wasn't a prodigy or anything like that.

Quotes by Jack Garratt

It is the union of independence and dependence of these branches - legislative, executive and judicial - and of the governmental functions possessed by each of them, that constitutes the marvellous genius of this unrivalled document.

Quotes by J. Reuben Clark

Any fool can write a novel but it takes real genius to sell it.

Quotes by J. G. Ballard

What Romantic terminology called genius or talent or inspiration is nothing other than finding the right road empirically, following one's nose, taking shortcuts.

Quotes by Italo Calvino

A man possesses talent; genius possesses the man.

Quotes by Isaac Stern

Genius is patience.

Quotes by Isaac Newton

People either think I'm this totally savage, idiot-savant genius guy who's lucked out or they think I'm a super-manipulative crafty businessman, this kind of MBA guy who's spotted a gap in the market and knows how to create a product...

Quotes by Irvine Welsh

I am a genius who has written poems that will survive with the best of Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Keats.

Quotes by Irving Layton

I know that the twelve notes in each octave and the variety of rhythm offer me opportunities that all of human genius will never exhaust.

Quotes by Igor Stravinsky

If I wait for the genius to come, it just doesn't arrive.

Quotes by Ian Fleming

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this "genius" quotes page cover?
This page explores genius from a few angles -- as an innate trait, a poetic metaphor, and even a joke about relationships. One quote reflects on the mind generally: "Whether you are a genius or an idiot, a thief or, like me, a Zen priest who has cultivated the mind for 30 years - the mind anyway is subject to conditions." For more, see our Mind quotes page.
Is there a poetic quote describing genius as something that rises and shines?
Yes -- one lyrical quote reads: "Rising genius always shoots out its rays from among the clouds, but these will gradually roll away and disappear as it ascends to its steady luster." Browse more on our Talent quotes page.
Does this collection include a witty quote about marriage and genius?
Yes -- one short, funny quote reads: "Marriage requires a special talent, like acting. Monogamy requires genius." It's one of the lighter entries on this page. See more on our Creativity quotes page.
Is there a quote about genius in a business or organizational context?
Yes -- one quote makes the case for tapping into a team's collective genius: "The person who figures out how to harness the collective genius of his or her organization is going to blow the competition away." Browse more on our Intelligence quotes page.
Where can I find more quotes about intelligence and talent?
Continue exploring with our Geniuses quotes, Intelligence quotes, and Talent quotes pages for more.

One line pictures genius shooting rays through clouds before it fully emerges, while another ties business success to tapping a team's collective genius. Related pages: Creativity and Mind.