---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's no good starting out by thinking one…"
description: "\"It's no good starting out by thinking one is a heaven-born genius- some people are, but very few. No, one is a tradesman - a tradesman in a good honest..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/agatha-christie-154_born_it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-on_269625.jpg"
---

#  It's no good starting out by thinking one is a heaven-born…

![“It's no good starting out by thinking one is a heaven-born genius- some people are, but very few. No, one is a tradesman - a tradesman in a good honest trade. You must learn the technical skills, and then, within that trade, you can apply your own creative ideas, but you must submit them to the…” quote by Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/agatha-christie-154_born_it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-on_269625.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/agatha-christie-154_born_it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-on_269625.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/agatha-christie-154_born_it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-on_269625.jpg)

> “It's no good starting out by thinking one is a heaven-born genius- some people are, but very few. No, one is a tradesman - a tradesman in a good honest trade. You must learn the technical skills, and then, within that trade, you can apply your own creative ideas, but you must submit them to the discipline of form.”

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Success comes from mastering a craft, then creatively applying ideas within disciplined form.

**In simple terms:** Skill first, then creativity within discipline.

Key Takeaway

Learn the trade, then innovate responsibly.

Themes

craftsmanship discipline creativity humility

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- apprenticeship
- career development
- artistic projects
- engineering design

Key Concepts

skill acquisition creative application form discipline

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance creativity with technical mastery?
- What discipline shapes your creative output?

A Different Perspective

Talent alone is insufficient without hard work and structure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-ideas/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Starting out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-out/) [Technical skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technical-skills/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/)

## Related quotes

> [“The dust the party raised was quickly dispersed and lost in the immensity of that landscape and there was no dust other for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-dust-the-party-raised-was-quickly-dispersed-and-lost-in-the/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [There is not a manufacturer or tradesman in existence, who would not employ a man who takes a reasonable degree of pride in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-is-not-a-manufacturer-or-tradesman-in-existence-who-would-not/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [To the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, nature is medicinal and restores their tone. The tradesman, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/to-the-body-and-mind-which-have-been-cramped-by-noxious-work-or-2/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Everything that is done in the world is done by hope. No merchant or tradesman would set himself to work if he did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/everything-that-is-done-in-the-world-is-done-by-hope-no-merchant-or/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

> [My father thought of himself as a tradesman. A craftsman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-steinbeck/my-father-thought-of-himself-as-a-tradesman-a-craftsman/)

[Thomas Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-steinbeck/)

> [Prayer is a trade to be learned. We must be apprentices and serve our time at it. Painstaking care, much thought, practice and labour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/prayer-is-a-trade-to-be-learned-we-must-be-apprentices-and-serve-our/)

[Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/)

> [What would people think of a tradesman, that was to give a ball in his shop, hire performers, and hand refreshments about, with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-say/what-would-people-think-of-a-tradesman-that-was-to-give-a-ball-in-his/)

[Jean-Baptiste Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-say/)

> [Air power alone does not guarantee America's security, but I believe it best exploits the nation's greatest asset - our technical skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoyt-vandenberg/air-power-alone-does-not-guarantee-america-s-security-but-i-believe/)

Hoyt Vandenberg

> [“The idea that the material is safe because it is encrypted is shockingly naïve: it is child's play for a sophisticated adversary to place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-idea-that-the-material-is-safe-because-it-is-encrypted-is/)

[Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/)

> [“He said that I had creative talent, but what I really needed to do if I wanted to be successful was to become technical.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rodriguez/he-said-that-i-had-creative-talent-but-what-i-really-needed-to-do-if/)

[Robert Rodríguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rodriguez/)

> [There are myths about kids spending time online - that it is dangerous or making them lazy. But we found that spending time online…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mizuko-ito/there-are-myths-about-kids-spending-time-online-that-it-is-dangerous/)

Mizuko Ito

> [Research shows that for jobs of all kinds, emotional intelligence is twice as important an ingredient of outstanding performance as cognitive ability and technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/research-shows-that-for-jobs-of-all-kinds-emotional-intelligence-is/)

[Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/)

> [After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved science and art tend to coalesce in aesthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/after-a-certain-high-level-of-technical-skill-is-achieved-science-and/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [They are both all over physical sports that require being focused, accurate and having good strength. They are both fast with big consequences if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-halliday/they-are-both-all-over-physical-sports-that-require-being-focused/)

[Liz Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-halliday/)

> [The 'human situation,' in all its guises, is what good films are all about, and technical skill counts for nothing if it is used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dmytryk/the-human-situation-in-all-its-guises-is-what-good-films-are-all/)

[Edward Dmytryk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dmytryk/)

## More by Agatha Christie

> [One must accept the fact that we have only one companion in this world, a companion who accompanies us from the cradle to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/one-must-accept-the-fact-that-we-have-only-one-companion-in-this/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“I like to see an angry Englishman," said Poirot. "They are very amusing. The more emotional they feel the less command they have of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-like-to-see-an-angry-englishman-said-poirot-they-are-very-amusing/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Now, as I expect you know, there is nothing more cruel than talk, and there is nothing more difficult to combat. When people say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/now-as-i-expect-you-know-there-is-nothing-more-cruel-than-talk-and/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“A child says ‘Thank God for my good dinner’. What can I say at seventy-five? ‘Thank God for my good life, and for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/a-child-says-thank-god-for-my-good-dinner-what-can-i-say-at-seventy/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“I'm afraid I always find Shakespeare terribly dreary. All those long scenes where everybody is drunk and it's supposed to be funny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-m-afraid-i-always-find-shakespeare-terribly-dreary-all-those-long/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Either her dream had taken a very odd turn or else - or else Mary had really rushed into the room and had said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/either-her-dream-had-taken-a-very-odd-turn-or-else-or-else-mary-had/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Every murderer is probably somebody’s old friend,” observed Poirot philosophically. “You cannot mix up sentiment and reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/every-murderer-is-probably-somebody-s-old-friend-observed-poirot/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Well, of course, it was not any of my business but you get very queer glimpses of life sometimes, and you can't help speculating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/well-of-course-it-was-not-any-of-my-business-but-you-get-very-queer/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Mr. Satterthwaite looked cheered. Suddenly an idea struck him. His jaw fell. "My goodness," he cried, "I've only just realized it! That rascal, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/mr-satterthwaite-looked-cheered-suddenly-an-idea-struck-him-his-jaw/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“The old gentleman refuses to have the telephone which he regards as a device of the devil, and on a par with radio, television,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/the-old-gentleman-refuses-to-have-the-telephone-which-he-regards-as-a/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“That’s how they do it, these girls! Othello charmed Desdemona by telling her stories, but, oh, didn’t Desdemona charm Othello by the way she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/that-s-how-they-do-it-these-girls-othello-charmed-desdemona-by/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-is-ridiculous-to-set-a-detective-story-in-new-york-city-new-york/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Poirot, watching him, felt suddenly a doubt--an uncomfortable twinge. Was there, here, something that he had missed? Some richness of the spirit? Sadness crept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/poirot-watching-him-felt-suddenly-a-doubt-an-uncomfortable-twinge-was/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [In the midst of life, we are in death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/in-the-midst-of-life-we-are-in-death/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [Then there are some minor points that strike me as suggestive - for instance, the position of Mrs. Hubbard's sponge bag, the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/then-there-are-some-minor-points-that-strike-me-as-suggestive-for/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

[Explore all 1,053 Agatha Christie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

## More Born quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/)

[Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/)

[Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/)

[Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/)

Browse all 11,606 Born quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's no good starting out by thinking one is a heaven-born genius- some people are, but very few. No, one is a tradesman - a tradesman in a good honest trade. You must learn the technical skills, and then, within that trade, you can apply your own creative ideas, but you must submit them to the discipline of form.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Agatha Christie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-one-is-a-heaven-born-genius/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Born"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-one-is-a-heaven-born-genius/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/agatha-christie-154_born_it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-on_269625.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/agatha-christie-154_born_it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-on_269625.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/agatha-christie-154_born_it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-on_269625.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's no good starting out by thinking one is a heaven-born genius- some people are, but very few. No, one is…” — Agatha Christie",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Agatha Christie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's no good starting out by...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-one-is-a-heaven-born-genius/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-s-no-good-starting-out-by-thinking-one-is-a-heaven-born-genius/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
