Parents are usually more careful to bestow knowledge on their children rather than virtue, the art of speaking well rather than doing well; but their manners should be of the greatest concern.
Only the free-wheeling artist-explorer, non-academic, scientist-philosopher, mechanic, economist-poet who has never waited for patron-starting and accrediting of his co-ordinate capabilities holds the prime initiative today.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True innovators do not wait for approval or validation to pursue their creative visions.
This quote by R. Buckminster Fuller emphasizes the importance of self-initiative and the ability to explore, create, and innovate without seeking external validation or traditional credentials. It speaks to the essence of creativity and the value of a multidisciplinary approach, suggesting that true progress comes from those who bravely navigate their own paths in various fields rather than conforming to established norms.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing careers in the arts, one might use this quote to inspire students to follow their passions without waiting for approval.
More from R. Buckminster Fuller
All quotes βThere is no such thing as genius, some children are just less damaged than others.
The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun.
I have spent most of my life unlearning things that were proved not to be true
The earth is like a spaceship that didn't come with an operating manual.
Nature is trying very hard to make us succeed, but nature does not depend on us. We are not the only experiment.
Similar quotes
Somewhere along the line a convention developed that the opening of a film was just a laundry list of credits. There was no incentive to complicate an area that was settled.
Loneliness is necessary for pure poetry. When someone intrudes into the poet's life (and any sudden personal contact, whether in the bed or in the heart, is an intrusion) the poet loses his or her balance for a moment, slips into being what he or she is, uses his or her poetry as one would use money or sympathy. The person who writes the poetry emerges, tentatively, like a hermit crab from a conch shell. The poet, for that instant, ceases to be a dead person.
Writing is like shouting into the world. So when someone shouts back, it's a really big deal. To have people who read hundreds and hundreds of books a year say, 'Hey, we thought this was really great,' that's a huge self-esteem boost.
I could imagine at a certain age, when I have no vocal cords left, that I would find a young man who could sing my parts for me. But I don't see why I would stop.
The audience too should be respected by being presented with a film as they remember it, and for those who have not seen it, as it was intended to be seen. Anything less is a degradation of the film and its audience.
The origins of poetry are clearly rooted in obscurity, in secretiveness, in incantation, in spells that must at once invoke and protect, tell the secret and keep it.