--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One might expect, perhaps, that a man…" description: "\"One might expect, perhaps, that a man full of genius could pasture in the greatness of his own thoughts, and renounce the cheap approbation of the crow..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/carl-jung-274_crowds_one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full_2705957.jpg" --- # One might expect, perhaps, that a man full of genius could… ![“One might expect, perhaps, that a man full of genius could pasture in the greatness of his own thoughts, and renounce the cheap approbation of the crowd which he despises; yet he succumbs to the more powerful impulse of the herd instinct. His searching and his finding, his call, belong to the herd.” quote by Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/carl-jung-274_crowds_one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full_2705957.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/carl-jung-274_crowds_one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full_2705957.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/carl-jung-274_crowds_one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full_2705957.jpg) > “One might expect, perhaps, that a man full of genius could pasture in the greatness of his own thoughts, and renounce the cheap approbation of the crowd which he despises; yet he succumbs to the more powerful impulse of the herd instinct. His searching and his finding, his call, belong to the herd.” [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A genius may resist popular opinion, yet the instinct to belong to the crowd can dominate, overriding individual insight. **In simple terms:** Even geniuses can succumb to herd instinct. Key Takeaway Balance individuality with social belonging. Themes individuality conformity genius instinct Mood analytical reflective Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - leadership decisions - creative work - social movements - personal growth Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - When have you followed the crowd? - How do you maintain personal insight? A Different Perspective Total isolation can hinder collaborative progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belong Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belong-herd-2770173/) [Crowds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crowds/) [Despise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despise/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/herd/) [Herd Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/herd-instinct-438548/) [Herds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/herds/) [Impulse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impulse/) [Impulse Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impulse-herd-2770172/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Man Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-genius/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Pastures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pastures/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Renounce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renounce/) ## Related quotes > [“He who seeks may easily get lost himself. All solitude is wrong": so say the herd. And long did you belong to the herd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-who-seeks-may-easily-get-lost-himself-all-solitude-is-wrong-so-say/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [All isolation is wrong so say the herd. And long didst thou belong to the herd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/all-isolation-is-wrong-so-say-the-herd-and-long-didst-thou-belong-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The herd instinct is the new chic! It's like belonging to a club!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenia-sheppard/the-herd-instinct-is-the-new-chic-it-s-like-belonging-to-a-club/) [Eugenia Sheppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenia-sheppard/) > [New York is the biggest mouth in the world. It appears to be prime example of the herd instinct, leading the universal urban conspiracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/new-york-is-the-biggest-mouth-in-the-world-it-appears-to-be-prime/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [We are all born with a powerful herd instinct and it can force otherwise rational people to act in inexplicable ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rusesabagina/we-are-all-born-with-a-powerful-herd-instinct-and-it-can-force/) [Paul Rusesabagina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rusesabagina/) > [Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/collective-fear-stimulates-herd-instinct-and-tends-to-produce/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Those entrapped by the herd instinct are drowned in the deluges of history. But there are always the few who observe, reason, and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-c-sutton/those-entrapped-by-the-herd-instinct-are-drowned-in-the-deluges-of/) [Antony C. Sutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-c-sutton/) > [“The herd instinct of the mob was not yet as offensively powerful in public life as it is today; freedom in what you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/the-herd-instinct-of-the-mob-was-not-yet-as-offensively-powerful-in/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [“Most people instinctively follow a dominant trend in an organization or community, without critical evaluation of its merits. The herd instinct is strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-a-heifetz/most-people-instinctively-follow-a-dominant-trend-in-an-organization/) [Ronald A. Heifetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-a-heifetz/) > [The herd instinct seems to be the strongest human emotion, one that the race is constantly breeding off as the mavericks are liquidated. Happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-train/the-herd-instinct-seems-to-be-the-strongest-human-emotion-one-that/) [John Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-train/) > [Morality is the herd-instinct in the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/morality-is-the-herd-instinct-in-the-individual/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Why should everybody embrace the herd instinct, which required one to regard one set of politicians as being always in the right while demonizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/why-should-everybody-embrace-the-herd-instinct-which-required-one-to/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [The herd instinct among forecasters makes sheep look like independent thinkers..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-fiedler/the-herd-instinct-among-forecasters-makes-sheep-look-like-independent/) [Edgar Fiedler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-fiedler/) > [“A wonderful privilege it was to be thus admitted into the soul of a man of genius, to be allowed to share the ecstasies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/a-wonderful-privilege-it-was-to-be-thus-admitted-into-the-soul-of-a/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [“Napoleon, the man of genius, did this! But to say that he destroyed his army because he wished to, or because he was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/napoleon-the-man-of-genius-did-this-but-to-say-that-he-destroyed-his/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## More by Carl Jung > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [ The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Metaphysical assertions, however, are statements of the psyche, and are therefore psychological. Whenever the Westerner hears the word “psychological,” it always sounds to him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/metaphysical-assertions-however-are-statements-of-the-psyche-and-are/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Like the sea itself, the unconscious yields an endless and self-replenishing abundance of creatures, a wealth beyond our fathoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/like-the-sea-itself-the-unconscious-yields-an-endless-and-self/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Synchronicity reveals the meaningful connections between the subjective and objective world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/synchronicity-reveals-the-meaningful-connections-between-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Instinct is like Nature herself - prodigiously conservative, and yet transcending her own historical conditions in her acts of creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/instinct-is-like-nature-herself-prodigiously-conservative-and-yet/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Paul hardly ever allows the real Jesus of Nazareth to get a word in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/paul-hardly-ever-allows-the-real-jesus-of-nazareth-to-get-a-word-in/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“He would have lived countless times over the life of the individual, of the family, tribe and people, and he would possess the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/he-would-have-lived-countless-times-over-the-life-of-the-individual/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [People learn from who we are, rather than what we say, and to believe otherwise is a disease of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/people-learn-from-who-we-are-rather-than-what-we-say-and-to-believe/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Neurosis is an inner cleavage-the state of being at war with oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/neurosis-is-an-inner-cleavage-the-state-of-being-at-war-with-oneself/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [It is sad but unfortunately true that man learns nothing from history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/it-is-sad-but-unfortunately-true-that-man-learns-nothing-from-history/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Life is a luminous pause between two mysteries that are yet one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/life-is-a-luminous-pause-between-two-mysteries-that-are-yet-one/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Explore all 775 Carl Jung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) ## More Crowds quotes > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [It's been really fun to see with each album when I change to see the fans of the show emulate my style and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avril-lavigne/it-s-been-really-fun-to-see-with-each-album-when-i-change-to-see-the/) [Avril Lavigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avril-lavigne/) > [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [I'm neurotic in the sense that I can have a crowd of 300 people cheering you, applauding you, standing O, but one guy come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-white/i-m-neurotic-in-the-sense-that-i-can-have-a-crowd-of-300-people/) [Wayne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-white/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) [Nicholas Roerich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-roerich/) > [I want people to just be paying attention even if they're not necessarily laughing at something, or if it takes them a while to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-want-people-to-just-be-paying-attention-even-if-they-re-not/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [I am rarely bored alone; I am often bored in groups and crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/i-am-rarely-bored-alone-i-am-often-bored-in-groups-and-crowds/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness - I’m so accustomed to my Fate - Perhaps the Other - Peace - Would interrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/it-might-be-lonelier-without-the-loneliness-i-m-so-accustomed-to-my/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [I've always said about 50% of what happens at a concert has to do with the audience. If you play for a dead audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-ve-always-said-about-50-of-what-happens-at-a-concert-has-to-do-with/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) [Browse all 2,078 Crowds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crowds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One might expect, perhaps, that a man full of genius could pasture in the greatness of his own thoughts, and renounce the cheap approbation of the crowd which he despises; yet he succumbs to the more powerful impulse of the herd instinct. His searching and his finding, his call, belong to the herd.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Jung" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full-of-genius-could-pasture-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crowds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full-of-genius-could-pasture-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/carl-jung-274_crowds_one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full_2705957.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/carl-jung-274_crowds_one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full_2705957.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c32/carl-jung-274_crowds_one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full_2705957.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One might expect, perhaps, that a man full of genius could pasture in the greatness of his own thoughts, and…” — Carl Jung", "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": "Carl Jung", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One might expect, perhaps, that a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full-of-genius-could-pasture-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/one-might-expect-perhaps-that-a-man-full-of-genius-could-pasture-in/#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 } } ] } ```