Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no need of change.
H. G. WellsRead
We live in a world of unused and misapplied knowledge and skill.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the prevalence of knowledge and skills that go to waste in society.
H. G. Wells emphasizes that despite the vast reservoir of knowledge and talents available in our world, much of it remains untapped or is applied incorrectly. This suggests a need for greater awareness and application of what we know, indicating that potential is often wasted rather than utilized for progress and improvement.
Themes
KnowledgeSkillsUnusedMisappliedPotential
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about innovation, one could mention this quote to discuss how society often fails to leverage its talents effectively.
More from H. G. Wells
All quotes →He spares no resource in telling of his dead inventions... Bare verbs he rarely tolerates. He splits infinitives and fills them up with adverbial stuffing. He presses the passing colloquialism into his service. His vast paragraphis sweat and struggle; the
H. G. WellsRead
It [a new world order] needs only that the governments of Britain, the United States, France, Germany, and Russia should get together in order to set up an effective control of currency, credit, production, and distribution – that is to say, an effective ‘dictatorship of prosperity,’ for the whole world. The other sixty odd States would have to join in or accommodate themselves to the over-ruling decisions of these major Powers.
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Things that would have made fame of a less clever man seemed tricks in his hands. It is a mistake to do things too easily.
H. G. WellsRead
But I was too restless to watch long; I'm too Occidental for a long vigil. I could work at a problem for years, but to wait inactive for twenty-four hours - that's another matter.
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The greatest task of democracy, its ritual and feast - is choice.
H. G. WellsRead
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