--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am very sure that any man of common…" description: "\"I am very sure that any man of common understanding may, by culture, care, attention, and labor, make himself what- ever he pleases, except a great poe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/anonymous-1_attention_i-am-very-sure-that-any-man-of-common-un_1251040.jpg" --- # I am very sure that any man of common understanding may… ![“I am very sure that any man of common understanding may, by culture, care, attention, and labor, make himself what- ever he pleases, except a great poet.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/anonymous-1_attention_i-am-very-sure-that-any-man-of-common-un_1251040.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/anonymous-1_attention_i-am-very-sure-that-any-man-of-common-un_1251040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/anonymous-1_attention_i-am-very-sure-that-any-man-of-common-un_1251040.jpg) > “I am very sure that any man of common understanding may, by culture, care, attention, and labor, make himself what- ever he pleases, except a great poet.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People can shape their destiny through effort, except in the rare, innate talent of poetry which resists deliberate creation. **In simple terms:** Hard work can achieve much, but true poetic genius is innate. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of effort in artistic mastery. Themes determination creativity limitations human potential Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Career planning - creative writing workshops - personal development - educational curricula Key Concepts Self‑improvement skill acquisition artistic talent Questions to Reflect On - What areas of your life feel limited by innate ability? - Can disciplined practice expand perceived innate talents? A Different Perspective Poetry may be cultivated through study, challenging the claim. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Great poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-poet/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [It is the dull man who is always sure, and the sure man who is always dull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-dull-man-who-is-always-sure-and-the-sure-man-who-is-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-nothing-special-of-this-i-am-sure-i-am-a-common-man-with-common/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is to be presumed, that a man of common sense, who does not desire to please, desires nothing at all; since hemust know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-to-be-presumed-that-a-man-of-common-sense-who-does-not-desire/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It will be hard James but you come from sturdy peasant stock men who picked cotton and dammed rivers and built railroads and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-will-be-hard-james-but-you-come-from-sturdy-peasant-stock-men-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“No man was ever yet a great poet, without at the same time being a profound philosopher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-man-was-ever-yet-a-great-poet-without-at-the-same-time-being-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I am not quite sure of being a man: I never found it very difficult. 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Whether it's true, I'm no more sure than any man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-always-tell-what-i-believe-whether-it-s-true-i-m-no-more-sure-than/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [When I say be creative I don't mean that you should all go and become great painters and great poets. I simply mean let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-say-be-creative-i-don-t-mean-that-you-should-all-go-and-become/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like to borrow a metaphor from the great poet and mystic Rumi who talks about living like a drawing compass. 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That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. 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