Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes on Genius (25 Quotes)

Talent finds its models, methods, and ends in society, exists for exhibition, and goes to the soul only for power to work. Genius is its own end, and draws its means and the style of its architecture from within.

Common sense is as rare as genius, - is the basis of genius

No power of genius has ever yet had the smallest success in explaining existence. The perfect enigma remains.

Manners are the happy ways of doing things each one a stroke of genius or of love, now repeated and hardened into usage. They form at least a rich varnish, with which the routine of life is washed, and its details adorned.

Common sense is as rare as genius.

The book, the college, the school of art, the institution of any kind, stop with some past utterance of genius.... They look backward and not forward. But genius looks forward the eyes of man are set in his forehead, not in his hindhead man hopes genius creates. Whatever talents may be, if the man create not, the pure efflux of the Deity is not his cinders and smoke there may be, but not yet flame.

A man of genius is privileged only as far as he is genius. His dullness is as insupportable as any other dullness.

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

Genius is its own end, and draws its means and the style of its architecture from within, going abroad only for audience, and spectator, as we adapt our voice and phrase to the distance and character of the ear we speak to.

So much of our time is spent in preparation, so much in routine, and so much in retrospect, that the amount of each person's genius is confined to a very few hours.

Genius has no taste for weaving sand.

That which we call character is a reserved force which acts directly by presence, and without means. It is conceived of as a certain undemonstrable force, a familiar or genius, by whose impulses the man is guided, but whose counsels he cannot impart.

Art is a jealous mistress, and if a man have a genius for painting, poetry, music, architecture, or philosophy, he makes a bad husband and an ill provider.

Universities are, of course, hostile to geniuses, which, seeing and using ways of their own, discredit the routine as churches and monasteries persecute youthful saints.

We feed on genius great men exist that there might be greater men.

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.

The peril of every fine faculty is the delight of playing with it for pride. Talent is commonly developed at the expense of character, and the greater it grows, the more is the mischief. Talent is mistaken for genius, a dogma or system for truth, ambition for greatest, ingenuity for poetry, sensuality for art.

Genius borrows nobly.

Genius is always sufficiently the enemy of genius by over influence. The literature of every nation bear me witness. The English dramatic poets have Shakspearized now for two hundred years.

When nature has work to be done, she creates a genius to do it.

The miracles of genius always rest on profound convictions which refuse to be analyzed.

Genius always finds itself a century too early.

The man of genius inspires us with a boundless confidence in our own powers.

The hearing ear is always found close to the speaking tongue and no genius can long or often utter anything which is not invited and gladly entertained by men around him.

The greatest genius is the most indebted person.