Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Eccentricity is often misunderstood pride rather than madness, common among geniuses.
- In plain terms
- Being odd is usually just pride, not insanity.
- What can you take from it?
- True genius often ignores crowd opinion.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who calls you eccentric?
- What do you value more than approval?
Another view
Some eccentricity does signal genuine mental issues.
More from Edith Sitwell
The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth.
Permalink to quote #29 Vulgarity is, in reality, nothing but a modern, chic, pert descendant of the goddess Dullness.
Permalink to quote #31 The living blind and seeing Dead together lie As if in love . . . There was no more hating then, And no more love; Gone is the heart of Man.
Permalink to quote #28
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Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
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