Thursday, September 26, 2013

Epstein on Genius


A distinction needs to be made between genius and talent. “Talent is like the marksman who hits a target, which others cannot reach,” wrote Schopenhauer. “Genius is like the marksman who hits a target, which others cannot see.” Mere talent cannot hope to rival genius, but neither can genius dispense with talent. “Talent without genius isn’t much,” wrote Paul ValĂ©ry, “but genius without talent is nothing.” On good days, I am talented. Shakespeare was a genius every day.

Read the rest of Joseph Epstein's essay here.

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