---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Intelligence is not creative; judgment is…"
description: "\"Intelligence is not creative; judgment is not creative. If a sculptor is nothing but skill and mind, his hands will be without genius.\" — Antoine de Sa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_creative_intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is_2011217.png"
---

#  Intelligence is not creative; judgment is not creative. If…

![“Intelligence is not creative; judgment is not creative. If a sculptor is nothing but skill and mind, his hands will be without genius.” quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_creative_intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is_2011217.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_creative_intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is_2011217.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_creative_intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is_2011217.png)

> “Intelligence is not creative; judgment is not creative. If a sculptor is nothing but skill and mind, his hands will be without genius.”

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

## About This Quote

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

Intelligence alone lacks imagination; judgment without creativity is limited. Skill without genius yields ordinary work.

**In simple terms:** Skill without imagination is ordinary.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate creative judgment.

Themes

creativity judgment skill genius

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- artistic creation
- problem solving
- leadership
- education

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you blend skill with imagination?
- What role does judgment play in creative work?

A Different Perspective

Pure intellect may produce technique but not originality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-judgment-3592873/) [Creative Sculptor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-sculptor-3592875/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Intelligent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Sculptor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculptor/) [Sculptor Skill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculptor-skill-3592874/) [Sculptors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculptors/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/)

## Related quotes

> [Carving is a source of joy to the artist. . . . To attack the raw material, gradually to extract a shape out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristide-maillol/carving-is-a-source-of-joy-to-the-artist-to-attack-the-raw-material/)

[Aristide Maillol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristide-maillol/)

> [When I'm sculpting, I work with wood and clay, and though some say that an image is already in the material and the sculptor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-taymor/when-i-m-sculpting-i-work-with-wood-and-clay-and-though-some-say-that/)

[Julie Taymor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-taymor/)

> [A sculptor is a person obsessed with the form and the shape of things, and it's not just Ihe shape of any one thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-moore/a-sculptor-is-a-person-obsessed-with-the-form-and-the-shape-of-things/)

[Henry Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-moore/)

> [If I had been born one or two hundred years ago, I might have been a sculptor, but photography is a very quick way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mapplethorpe/if-i-had-been-born-one-or-two-hundred-years-ago-i-might-have-been-a/)

[Robert Mapplethorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mapplethorpe/)

> [I'm not a sculptor; I'm a hard-edged model maker. You give me a drawing, you give me a prop to replicate, you give me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-savage/i-m-not-a-sculptor-i-m-a-hard-edged-model-maker-you-give-me-a-drawing/)

[Adam Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-savage/)

> [I would have loved to have been a painter or a sculptor. I'm still fascinated by those things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-whishaw/i-would-have-loved-to-have-been-a-painter-or-a-sculptor-i-m-still/)

[Ben Whishaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-whishaw/)

> [Before I start carving the idea must be almost complete. I say 'almost' because the really important thing seems to be the sculptor's ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hepworth/before-i-start-carving-the-idea-must-be-almost-complete-i-say-almost/)

[Barbara Hepworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hepworth/)

> [You can't understand how strange it was to be a sculptor who exhibited photographs. (On exhibitions of his earthworks and land art pieces.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-oppenheim/you-can-t-understand-how-strange-it-was-to-be-a-sculptor-who/)

[Dennis Oppenheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-oppenheim/)

> [What can a sculptor do without the chisel and the hammer? And what can an impostor politician do without the ignorants and the uneducated?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/what-can-a-sculptor-do-without-the-chisel-and-the-hammer-and-what-can/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [In my view, the composer, just as the poet, the sculptor or the painter, is in duty bound to serve Man, the people. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-prokofiev/in-my-view-the-composer-just-as-the-poet-the-sculptor-or-the-painter/)

[Sergei Prokofiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-prokofiev/)

> [The sculptor represents the transition from one pose to another he indicates how insensibly the first glides into the second. In his work we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-rodin/the-sculptor-represents-the-transition-from-one-pose-to-another-he/)

[Auguste Rodin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-rodin/)

> [It's very inconvenient being a sculptor. It's like playing the double-bass; one's so handicapped by one's baggage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/it-s-very-inconvenient-being-a-sculptor-it-s-like-playing-the-double/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [Every young sculptor seems to think that he must give the world some specimen of indecorous womanhood, and call it Eve, Venus, a Nymph,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/every-young-sculptor-seems-to-think-that-he-must-give-the-world-some/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [I'm an ice sculptor. Last night I made a cube.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-m-an-ice-sculptor-last-night-i-made-a-cube/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [Every man is the painter and the sculptor of his own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/every-man-is-the-painter-and-the-sculptor-of-his-own-life/)

[Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/)

## More by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

> [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Treason implies responsibility for something, control over something, influence upon something, knowledge of something. Treason in our time is a proof of genius. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/treason-implies-responsibility-for-something-control-over-something/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/perfection-is-finally-attained-not-when-there-is-no-longer-anything/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“But for fear of disheartening them, we also spoke to them of disappointments and the bitter taste that rest has after a useless action.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/but-for-fear-of-disheartening-them-we-also-spoke-to-them-of/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. Experience teaches us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/once-we-are-bound-together-to-our-brothers-by-a-common-good-that-is/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“The stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/the-stars-are-beautiful-because-of-a-flower-that-cannot-be-seen/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“You are beautiful but you are empty. One could not die for you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-beautiful-but-you-are-empty-one-could-not-die-for-you/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“And the fox said to the little prince: men have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-the-fox-said-to-the-little-prince-men-have-forgotten-this-truth/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-now-here-is-my-secret-a-very-simple-secret-it-is-only-with-the/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Flying is a man's job and its worries are a man's worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/flying-is-a-man-s-job-and-its-worries-are-a-man-s-worries/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-not-at-all-like-my-rose-he-said-as-yet-you-are-nothing-no-one/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Loneliness is bred of a mind that has grown earth-bound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/loneliness-is-bred-of-a-mind-that-has-grown-earth-bound/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“Stretched out before the fire I looked at the glowing fruit and said to myself that men did not know what an orange was.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/stretched-out-before-the-fire-i-looked-at-the-glowing-fruit-and-said/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

[Explore all 719 Antoine de Saint-Exupery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

## 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": "Intelligence is not creative; judgment is not creative. If a sculptor is nothing but skill and mind, his hands will be without genius.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Antoine de Saint-Exupery"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is-not-creative-if-a-sculptor/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Creative"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is-not-creative-if-a-sculptor/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_creative_intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is_2011217.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_creative_intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is_2011217.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_creative_intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is_2011217.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Intelligence is not creative; judgment is not creative. If a sculptor is nothing but skill and mind, his…” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery",
                "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": "Antoine de Saint-Exupery",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Intelligence is not creative; judgment is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is-not-creative-if-a-sculptor/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/intelligence-is-not-creative-judgment-is-not-creative-if-a-sculptor/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
