--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The really valuable thing in the pageant…" description: "\"The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the political state, but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/albert-einstein-33_creative_the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant_1358472.jpg" --- # The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life… ![“The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the political state, but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.” quote by Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/albert-einstein-33_creative_the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant_1358472.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/albert-einstein-33_creative_the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant_1358472.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/albert-einstein-33_creative_the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant_1358472.jpg) > “The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the political state, but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.” [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True value lies in the creative, conscious individual, not in political structures; individuality fuels nobility and sublimity, whereas the masses remain dull. **In simple terms:** Individual creativity matters more than politics. Key Takeaway Cultivate personal creativity. Themes individuality creativity humanism politics philosophy Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - education - artistic pursuits - leadership - community building Key Concepts existentialism ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can societies nurture both individuality and collective good? - What practices enhance personal creativity? A Different Perspective Collective action can also achieve greatness; focus on balance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuality/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Pageant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pageant/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublime/) [Valuable things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable-things/) ## Related quotes > [Happiness is often presented as being very dull but, he thought, lying awake, that is because dull people are sometimes very happy and intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/happiness-is-often-presented-as-being-very-dull-but-he-thought-lying/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Yet whenever he thought of himself as a dull, deluded opportunist, compared with other people, he always remembered the intensity of his own feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-marquand/yet-whenever-he-thought-of-himself-as-a-dull-deluded-opportunist/) [John P. Marquand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-p-marquand/) > [When people know you as one person, when in reality inside you are diffrent. its not that that your fake, its a security thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-shaylitsa/when-people-know-you-as-one-person-when-in-reality-inside-you-are/) [Edward Shaylitsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-shaylitsa/) > [In most good stories, it is the character's personality that creates the action of the story. If you start with real personality, a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/in-most-good-stories-it-is-the-character-s-personality-that-creates/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [The only real valuable thing is intuition. The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-only-real-valuable-thing-is-intuition-the-intellect-has-little-to/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Striving for social justice is the most valuable thing to do in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/striving-for-social-justice-is-the-most-valuable-thing-to-do-in-life/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The most valuable thing a teacher can impart to children is not knowledge and understanding per se but a longing for knowledge and understanding,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-valuable-thing-a-teacher-can-impart-to-children-is-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Time is the most valuable thing on earth: time to think, time to act, time to extend our fraternal relations, time to become better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/time-is-the-most-valuable-thing-on-earth-time-to-think-time-to-act/) [Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/) > [“Once you realized just how valuable some things—some people—were, you’d fight even the devil to get them back. For her, he’d fight anyone. Everyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-eden/once-you-realized-just-how-valuable-some-things-some-people-were-you/) [Cynthia Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-eden/) > [ There are ecosystems like coral reefs \[at risk\] through ocean acidification. Those are valuable things that we should protect. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/there-are-ecosystems-like-coral-reefs-at-risk-through-ocean/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Love is our essential nutrient. Without it, life has little meaning. It's the best thing we have to give and the most valuable thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/love-is-our-essential-nutrient-without-it-life-has-little-meaning-it/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Among all the valuable things of this world, the word is the most precious. For in the word one can find a light which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/among-all-the-valuable-things-of-this-world-the-word-is-the-most/) [Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/) > [“...This is the arena in which a spiritualized disobedience means most. It doesn't mean a second New Deal, another massive bureaucratic attack on our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-white/this-is-the-arena-in-which-a-spiritualized-disobedience-means-most-it/) [Curtis White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-white/) > [In fact, I thought that Christianity was very a good and a very valuable thing for us. But after a while, I began to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-fact-i-thought-that-christianity-was-very-a-good-and-a-very/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Lots of items that survive from the past are high-status, valuable things that people have treasured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-worsley/lots-of-items-that-survive-from-the-past-are-high-status-valuable/) [Lucy Worsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-worsley/) ## More by Albert Einstein > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The faster you go, the shorter you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-faster-you-go-the-shorter-you-are/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You imagine that I look back on my life's work with calm satisfaction. But from nearby it looks quite different. There is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/you-imagine-that-i-look-back-on-my-life-s-work-with-calm-satisfaction/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The strongest force in the universe is Compound Interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-strongest-force-in-the-universe-is-compound-interest/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The right to search for the truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-right-to-search-for-the-truth-implies-also-a-duty-one-must-not/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/everything-that-is-really-great-and-inspiring-is-created-by-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The world we have made is a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-world-we-have-made-is-a-result-of-the-level-of-thinking-we-have/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Life isn't worth living, unless it is lived for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/life-isn-t-worth-living-unless-it-is-lived-for-someone-else/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it isn't true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/just-because-you-don-t-believe-in-something-doesn-t-mean-it-isn-t-true/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [But there is another reason for the high repute of mathematics: it is mathematics that offers the exact natural sciences a certain measure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/but-there-is-another-reason-for-the-high-repute-of-mathematics-it-is/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nothing-will-benefit-human-health-and-increase-the-chances-for/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) [Explore all 2,339 Albert Einstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More Creative quotes > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/when-you-re-being-truly-creative-time-stands-still-and-you-enter-a/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [The creative strength is good enough and deep enough to bring itself to flower and to grow in spite of this sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-greenberg/the-creative-strength-is-good-enough-and-deep-enough-to-bring-itself/) [Joanne Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-greenberg/) > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [What Sri Chinmoy does is God-given! He has a tremendous, a fantastic creative urge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/what-sri-chinmoy-does-is-god-given-he-has-a-tremendous-a-fantastic/) [Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/) > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [when times are tough, the weak bail and the tough get creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-times-are-tough-the-weak-bail-and-the-tough-get-creative/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/teasing-out-the-way-the-world-might-look-through-another-s-eyes-is/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) [Browse all 7,284 Creative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the political state, but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Albert Einstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant-of-human-life-seems-to-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creative" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant-of-human-life-seems-to-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/albert-einstein-33_creative_the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant_1358472.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/albert-einstein-33_creative_the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant_1358472.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d7/albert-einstein-33_creative_the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant_1358472.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The really valuable thing in the pageant of human life seems to me not the political state, but the…” — Albert Einstein", "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": "Albert Einstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The really valuable thing in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant-of-human-life-seems-to-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-really-valuable-thing-in-the-pageant-of-human-life-seems-to-me/#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 } } ] } ```