---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A people do not throw their geniuses…"
description: "\"A people do not throw their geniuses away. And if they are thrown away, it is our duty as artists and as witnesses for the future to collect them again..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/alice-walker-347_again_a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-awa_838775.jpg"
---

#  A people do not throw their geniuses away. And if they are…

![“A people do not throw their geniuses away. And if they are thrown away, it is our duty as artists and as witnesses for the future to collect them again for the sake of our children and, if necessary, bone by bone.” quote by Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/alice-walker-347_again_a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-awa_838775.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/alice-walker-347_again_a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-awa_838775.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/alice-walker-347_again_a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-awa_838775.jpg)

> “A people do not throw their geniuses away. And if they are thrown away, it is our duty as artists and as witnesses for the future to collect them again for the sake of our children and, if necessary, bone by bone.”

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

## About This Quote

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

Society often discards talented individuals; artists must preserve and revive them for future generations.

**In simple terms:** Artists should rescue and honor lost talent for children.

Key Takeaway

Preserve and honor overlooked talent.

Themes

art society legacy responsibility future

Mood

reflective hopeful determined

Type

inspirational call-to-action

When to use this quote

- education reform
- community arts programs
- archival projects
- family storytelling

Key Concepts

cultural stewardship intergenerational duty creative rescue

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we identify hidden geniuses?
- What responsibilities do artists have to society?

A Different Perspective

Not all talent is recognized; some may be suppressed by systemic bias.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Geniuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geniuses/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Witnesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witnesses/)

## Related quotes

> [We are a people. A people do not throw their geniuses away. If they do, it is our duty as witnesses for the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/we-are-a-people-a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-away-if-they-do/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“We are a people. A people do not throw their geniuses away. And if they are thrown away, it is our duty as artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/we-are-a-people-a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-away-and-if-they/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [We the Christians may not save the souls of unbelievers because only Jesus Christ does that but we are the bridge by which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kang/we-the-christians-may-not-save-the-souls-of-unbelievers-because-only/)

[Albert Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kang/)

> [The great number of the Jews furnishes us with a sufficient cloud of witnesses that attest the truth of the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-great-number-of-the-jews-furnishes-us-with-a-sufficient-cloud-of/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [“It's going down, and it's going down right the fuck now. I don’t care if there is a room full of witnesses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-sivec/it-s-going-down-and-it-s-going-down-right-the-fuck-now-i-don-t-care/)

[Tara Sivec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-sivec/)

> [I cannot but be astonished that Sarsi should persist in trying to prove by means of witnesses something that I may see for myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/i-cannot-but-be-astonished-that-sarsi-should-persist-in-trying-to/)

[Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/)

> [The New Testament witnesses were fully aware of the background against which the resurrection took place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/the-new-testament-witnesses-were-fully-aware-of-the-background/)

[Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/)

> [“It is often much harder to get rid of books than to acquire them. They stick to us in that pact of need and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mar-a-dom-nguez/it-is-often-much-harder-to-get-rid-of-books-than-to-acquire-them-they/)

[Carlos María Domínguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mar-a-dom-nguez/)

> [We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-were-called-to-be-witnesses-not-lawyers-or-judges/)

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

> [“...the Lord is eager to communicate with us through the manifestations and promptings of the Holy Ghost. And the cumulative effect of repeated witnesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-dew/the-lord-is-eager-to-communicate-with-us-through-the-manifestations/)

[Sheri Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-dew/)

> [“We therefore need to be patient with ourselves, and look upon our sense of guilt as Witnesses!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-m-wanderer/we-therefore-need-to-be-patient-with-ourselves-and-look-upon-our/)

[Frank M. Wanderer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-m-wanderer/)

> [Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses like Halloween? Because they cant handle the competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-don-t-jehovah-s-witnesses-like-halloween-because-they-cant-handle/)

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

> [There's this great fear, and I find, lack of knowledge of Catholicism, just like I'm ignorant of other things. I think we should all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-hicks/there-s-this-great-fear-and-i-find-lack-of-knowledge-of-catholicism/)

[Catherine Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-hicks/)

> [“The black officer checks Daddy while his partner glances around at all of the onlookers. There's quite a few of us now. Ms. Yvette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/the-black-officer-checks-daddy-while-his-partner-glances-around-at/)

[Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/)

> [Discovering witnesses is just as important as catching criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/discovering-witnesses-is-just-as-important-as-catching-criminals/)

[Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/)

## More by Alice Walker

> [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Just be what it is that you are, and that is just fine. You don't have to be what you're not in any way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/just-be-what-it-is-that-you-are-and-that-is-just-fine-you-don-t-have/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“Remember this-- say it &amp; know it is true: Alice loves me Alice loves me and I am not blamed for this. ... she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/remember-this-say-it-know-it-is-true-alice-loves-me-alice-loves-me/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“Only the sky above us do we hold in common.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/only-the-sky-above-us-do-we-hold-in-common/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“Why aren't you happy in America, if everyone there drives motorcars?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/why-aren-t-you-happy-in-america-if-everyone-there-drives-motorcars/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“She saw poetry where other writers merely saw failure to cope with English.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/she-saw-poetry-where-other-writers-merely-saw-failure-to-cope-with/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [My mother had handed down respect for the possibilities...and the will to grasp them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/my-mother-had-handed-down-respect-for-the-possibilities-and-the-will/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Helped are those who are content to be themselves; they will never lack mystery in their lives and the joys of self-discovery will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/helped-are-those-who-are-content-to-be-themselves-they-will-never/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“As others might prepare for an exam whose subject matter is unknown to them, so I must study, cram, for every conversation with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/as-others-might-prepare-for-an-exam-whose-subject-matter-is-unknown/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [The original crime of niggers and lesbians is that they prefer themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-original-crime-of-niggers-and-lesbians-is-that-they-prefer/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [My mother was very strong. Once, she picked up a coconut and smashed it against my father's head. It taught me about women defending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/my-mother-was-very-strong-once-she-picked-up-a-coconut-and-smashed-it/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Many readers fail to realize this, but 'The Color Purple' is a theological text. It is about the reclamation of one's original God: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/many-readers-fail-to-realize-this-but-the-color-purple-is-a/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [The good news may be that Nature is phasing out the white man, but the bad news is that's who She thinks we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-good-news-may-be-that-nature-is-phasing-out-the-white-man-but-the/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Humans - whatever billions we are - we don't have the control. We are considered expendable, basically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/humans-whatever-billions-we-are-we-don-t-have-the-control-we-are/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/all-my-life-i-had-to-fight-i-had-to-fight-my-daddy-i-had-to-fight-my/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

[Explore all 654 Alice Walker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

## More Again quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/)

[W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/)

> [I say this about everything: when I was on 'Neighbours,' I said, 'These are the best years of my life!' When I was filming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-say-this-about-everything-when-i-was-on-neighbours-i-said-these-are/)

[Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/)

> [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/)

[Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/)

> [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/)

[Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/)

> [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/)

[Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/)

> [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/)

[Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/)

> [In theater, one of the biggest problems when you're rehearsing comedy over and over again is that you stop laughing at each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ashley-carter/in-theater-one-of-the-biggest-problems-when-you-re-rehearsing-comedy/)

[Lauren Ashley Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ashley-carter/)

> [I'd like to do some female roles again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-d-like-to-do-some-female-roles-again/)

[John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/)

> [Death is a sniper. It strikes people you love, people you like, people you know - it's everywhere. You could be next. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/death-is-a-sniper-it-strikes-people-you-love-people-you-like-people/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [Well, a lot of our concerts do okay, and I know we still get royalty checks which still isn't that important, but again, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/well-a-lot-of-our-concerts-do-okay-and-i-know-we-still-get-royalty/)

[Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/)

> [Oh wow, you know what's wrong with all these families on TV? All these kids say stuff no kid would say. Stuff grown-ups want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/oh-wow-you-know-what-s-wrong-with-all-these-families-on-tv-all-these/)

[Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/)

> [We must resist the temptation of once again turning America into the traditional bogeyman of the left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-napolitano/we-must-resist-the-temptation-of-once-again-turning-america-into-the/)

[Giorgio Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-napolitano/)

> [We won the Europa League in 2013 and it was an amazing night, an amazing feeling. I take those memories and think to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cahill/we-won-the-europa-league-in-2013-and-it-was-an-amazing-night-an/)

[Gary Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cahill/)

> [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/)

[Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/)

Browse all 2,975 Again quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A people do not throw their geniuses away. And if they are thrown away, it is our duty as artists and as witnesses for the future to collect them again for the sake of our children and, if necessary, bone by bone.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alice Walker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-away-and-if-they-are-thrown-away/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Again"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-away-and-if-they-are-thrown-away/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/alice-walker-347_again_a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-awa_838775.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/alice-walker-347_again_a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-awa_838775.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/alice-walker-347_again_a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-awa_838775.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A people do not throw their geniuses away. And if they are thrown away, it is our duty as artists and as…” — Alice Walker",
                "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": "Alice Walker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A people do not throw their...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-away-and-if-they-are-thrown-away/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/a-people-do-not-throw-their-geniuses-away-and-if-they-are-thrown-away/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
