“There was never a great genius without a touch of madness.”

— Ben Jonson

Last update Oct. 29, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "There was never a great genius without a touch of madness." by Ben Jonson?

Ben Jonson 93

English writer 1572–1637

Related quotes

“There is no great genius without some touch of madness.”

Seneca the Younger (-4–65 BC) Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist

“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.”

Aristotle (-384–-321 BC) Classical Greek philosopher, student of Plato and founder of Western philosophy

“Great minds that are healthy are never considered geniuses, while this sublime qualification is lavished on brains that are often inferior but are slightly touched by madness.”

Guy De Maupassant (1850–1893) French writer

"The Englishman of Etretat"

“If he waits for the ideal moment, he will never set off; he requires a touch of madness to take the next step. The warrior uses that touch of madness. For - in both love and war - it is impossible to foresee everything.”

Paulo Coelho (1947) Brazilian lyricist and novelist

Source: Warrior of the Light

“Genius does not seem to derive any great support from syllogisms. Its carriage is free; its manner has a touch of inspiration. We see it come, but we never see it walk.”

Joseph De Maistre (1753–1821) Savoyard philosopher, writer, lawyer, and diplomat

"Tenth Dialogue"
St. Petersburg Dialogues (1821)

“It is the privilege of true genius, and certainly of the genius that opens a new road, to make without punishment great mistakes.”

Voltaire Le Siècle de Louis XIV

"Siècle de Louis XIV," ch. 32 (1751), qtd. in Arthur Schopenhauer, "The World as Will and Representation," Criticism of the Kantian philosophy (1818)
Citas
Original: (fr) C'est le privilège du vrai génie, et surtout du génie qui ouvre une carrière, de faire impunément de grandes fautes.