For I think it is the case with genius that it is not when quiescent so very much above mediocrity as the difference between the two might lead us to think, but that it has the power and privilege of rising from that level to a height utterly far from mediocrity: in other words that its greatness is that it can be so great.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Genius is defined not by constant superiority but by the ability to rise far above average.
- In plain terms
- Genius is the power to reach heights far beyond the average.
- What can you take from it?
- Greatness comes from potential, not constant state.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you define talent?
- What makes someone stand out?
Another view
It overlooks consistent steady improvement.
More from Gerard Manley Hopkins
It is a happy thing that there is no royal road to poetry. The world should know by this time that one cannot reach Parnassus except by flying thither.
Permalink to quote #1 Do you know, a horrible thing has happened to me. I have begun to doubt Tennyson.
Permalink to quote #3 I think that the trivialness of life is, and personally to each one, ought to be seen to be, done away with by the Incarnation.
Permalink to quote #4
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