Quotes about Intellect

This is the case with many learned persons; they have read themselves stupid.

reading is equivalent to thinking with someone else's head instead of with ones own

Moreover, she is intellectually short-sighted, for although her intuitive understanding quickly perceives what is near to her, on the other hand her circle of vision is limited and does not embrace anything that is remote; hence everything that is absent or past, or in the future, affects women in a less degree than men. This is why they have greater inclination for extravagance, which sometimes borders on madness.

Genius is an intellect that has become unfaithful to its destiny.

The greatest intellectual capacities are only found in connection with a vehement and passionate will.

One can never read too little of bad, or too much of good books: bad books are intellectual poison; they destroy the mind.

an intellect that positively excels even in one single direction is among the rarest of natural phenomena.

Bad books are intellectual poison; they destroy the mind. In order to read what is good one must make it a condition never to read what is bad; for life is short, and both time and strength limited.

Therefore, without doubt, the happiest destiny on earth is to have the rare gift of a rich individuality, and, more especially to be possessed of a good endowment of intellect; this is the happiest destiny, though it may not be, after all, a very brilliant one.

Nature is unfathomable because we seek after causes and consequences in a realm where this form is not to be found. We try to reach the inner being of nature, which looks out at us from every phenomenon, under the guidance of the principle of sufficient reason - whereas this is merely the form under which our intellect comprehends appearance, i.e. the surface of things, while we want to employ it beyond the bounds of appearance; for within these bounds it is serviceable and sufficient.

Men who reject the responsibility of thought and reason can only exist as parasites on the thinking of others.

She's a writer. The kind of writer who wouldn't be published outside. She believes that when one deals with words, one deals with the mind.