“I used to be coy about it, like me guitar playing. But if there's such a thing as genius — I am one.”

— John Lennon

John Lennon interview with Rolling Stone magazine (December 1970)
Context: When I was about twelve, I used to think I must be a genius, but nobody's noticed. Either I'm a genius or I'm mad, which is it? "No," I said, "I can't be mad because nobody's put me away; therefore I'm a genius." Genius is a form of madness and we're all that way. But I used to be coy about it, like me guitar playing. But if there's such a thing as genius — I am one. And if there isn't, I don't care.

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John Lennon 228

English singer and songwriter 1940–1980

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