George Steiner Quotes

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.

No one was ever great without some portion of divine inspiration.

Genius is a promontory jutting out into the infinite.

Genius is immediate, but talent takes time.

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

The most ordinary word, when put into place, suddenly acquires brilliance. That is the brilliance with which your images must shine.

Talent is a flame. Genius is a fire.

Men of genius are not be analyzed by commonplace rules.

when you think you've got hold of a genius ... you can't be sure whether it's a spark of the divine fire or a mere flash in the pan.

Genius is a light which makes the darkness visible, like the lightning's flash, which perchance shatters the temple of knowledge itself.

I find the light and work it, work it, work it.

Who in the same given time can produce more than others has vigor; who can produce more and better, has talents; who can produce what none else can, has genius.

Gaiety is a quality of ordinary men. Genius always presupposes some disorder in the machine.

Genius is talent set on fire by courage.

There is no off position on the genius switch.

Young men and young women, full of courage, originality, and genius, are everywhere to be met with.

Not everyone can say, 'I'm going to write a classic today.' If that was the case, we'd all be doing it.

Doing easily what others find difficult is talent; doing what is impossible for talent is genius.

Genius does what it must, and talent does what it can.

God gives talent. Work transforms talent into genius.

No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.

Nature is the master of talents; genius is the master of nature.

Genius is always accompanied by enthusiasm.

Genius is essentially creative; it bears the stamp of the individual who possesses it.

What is called genius is the abundance of life and health.