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
You can sing only what you are. You can paint only what you are. You must be what your experiences, your environment, and your heredity have made you. For better or for worse, you must play your own little instrument in the orchestra of life.
My fashion is about the urban woman in the year 3000. I think about obscure, weird things and try to create a world around them.
The real joy is in constructing a sentence. But I see myself as an actor first because writing is what you do when you are ready and acting is what you do when someone else is ready.
You can cage the singer but not the song.
We show people that anybody can paint a picture that they're proud of. It may never hang in the Smithsonian, but it will certainly be something that they'll hang in their home and be proud of. And that's what it's all about.
Good literature can be created only with something that is different from literature.