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Always to see the general in the particular is the very foundation of genius.
Arthur Schopenhauer
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Genius involves the ability to recognize universal truths in specific details.

Arthur Schopenhauer suggests that true genius lies in the capacity to discern broader, underlying concepts from particular instances. This ability to generalize from specific examples enables deeper understanding and innovation, as it allows one to identify patterns and principles that are not immediately obvious.

Themes

GeniusWisdomUnderstandingInsightDetailsGeneralization

In practice

Example use cases

In a lecture about creative thinking, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of seeing broader concepts in everyday observations.

More from Arthur Schopenhauer

We can come to look upon the deaths of our enemies with as much regret as we feel for those of our friends, namely, when we miss their existence as witnesses to our success.
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To be shocked at how deeply rejection hurts is to ignore what acceptance involves. We must never allow our suffering to be compounded by suggestions that there is something odd in suffering so deeply. There would be something amiss if we didn't.
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Almost all of our sorrows spring out of our relations with other people.
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Life is full of troubles and vexations, that one must either rise above it by means of corrected thoughts, or leave it.
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Our religions will never at any time take root; the ancient wisdom of the human race will not be supplanted by the events in Galilee. On the contrary, Indian wisdom flows back to Europe, and will produce a fundamental change in our knowledge and thought.
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We will gradually become indifferent to what goes on in the minds of other people when we acquire a knowledge of the superficial nature of their thoughts, the narrowness of their views and of the number of their errors. Whoever attaches a lot of value to the opinions of others pays them too much honor.
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