--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Good sense travels on the well-worn…" description: "\"Good sense travels on the well-worn paths; genius, never. And that is why the crowd, not altogether without reason, is so ready to treat great men as l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/cesare-lombroso-47192_crowds_good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-path_1071932.png" --- # Good sense travels on the well-worn paths; genius, never… ![“Good sense travels on the well-worn paths; genius, never. And that is why the crowd, not altogether without reason, is so ready to treat great men as lunatics.” quote by Cesare Lombroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/cesare-lombroso-47192_crowds_good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-path_1071932.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/cesare-lombroso-47192_crowds_good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-path_1071932.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/cesare-lombroso-47192_crowds_good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-path_1071932.png) > “Good sense travels on the well-worn paths; genius, never. And that is why the crowd, not altogether without reason, is so ready to treat great men as lunatics.” [Cesare Lombroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People tend to follow familiar ideas; originality is rare, so societies often label innovators as mad. **In simple terms:** People follow the familiar, see geniuses as crazy. Key Takeaway Recognize and support unconventional thinkers. Themes conformity genius societal perception Mood skeptical reflective Type observational critical When to use this quote - business leadership - scientific research - artistic creation - policy making Key Concepts psychology innovation social norms Questions to Reflect On - How can we better identify true genius? - What mechanisms help protect innovators from dismissal? A Different Perspective Not all novel ideas are immediately accepted; resistance can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Good sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-sense/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Worn path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worn-path/) ## Related quotes > [“The Genius Of The Crowd there is enough treachery, hatred violence absurdity in the average human being to supply any given army on any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-genius-of-the-crowd-there-is-enough-treachery-hatred-violence/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [The main difference between men and women is that men are lunatics and women are idiots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-main-difference-between-men-and-women-is-that-men-are-lunatics/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“As an only child, Cassandra found the well-worn paths of sibling interaction fascinating and horrifying in equal parts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/as-an-only-child-cassandra-found-the-well-worn-paths-of-sibling/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future... The only way to do great work is to love what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/you-have-to-trust-that-the-dots-will-somehow-connect-in-your-future/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“My worries travel about my head on their well-worn path, and it is a relief to put them on paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/my-worries-travel-about-my-head-on-their-well-worn-path-and-it-is-a/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [I chose the shadows; they did not choose me. I stay here securely not just because I feel plain, but because disappearance is by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-mckuen/i-chose-the-shadows-they-did-not-choose-me-i-stay-here-securely-not/) [Rod McKuen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-mckuen/) > [My worries travel around in my head on their well worn path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/my-worries-travel-around-in-my-head-on-their-well-worn-path/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [A fixed habit is supported by old, well-worn pathways in the brain. When you make conscious choices to change a habit, you create new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/a-fixed-habit-is-supported-by-old-well-worn-pathways-in-the-brain/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/because-believing-that-the-dots-will-connect-down-the-road-will-give/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I suppose there wasn't a well-worn path into the British space programme because we didn't really have a space programme. Dad was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-hardy/i-suppose-there-wasn-t-a-well-worn-path-into-the-british-space/) [Jeremy Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-hardy/) > [“I want my life to be a celebration of slowness. Walking through the sage from our front door, I am gradually drawn into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-want-my-life-to-be-a-celebration-of-slowness-walking-through-the/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Believe that things will work out... follow your intuition and curiosity... trust your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path... You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/believe-that-things-will-work-out-follow-your-intuition-and-curiosity/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“We think we can escape down half-deserted streets but all the things we use to defend ourselves - overworking, over-drinking, over-eating, under-eating, smoking etc,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-raverat/we-think-we-can-escape-down-half-deserted-streets-but-all-the-things/) Anna Raverat > [Self-awareness moves us beyond the old, well-worn pathways in the brain that support fixed, unconscious habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/self-awareness-moves-us-beyond-the-old-well-worn-pathways-in-the/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) ## More by Cesare Lombroso > [The appearance of a single great genius is more than equivalent to the birth of a hundred mediocrities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/the-appearance-of-a-single-great-genius-is-more-than-equivalent-to/) [Cesare Lombroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/) > [The ignorant man always adores what he cannot understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/the-ignorant-man-always-adores-what-he-cannot-understand/) [Cesare Lombroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/) > [Klopstock was questioned regarding the meaning of a passage in his poem. He replied, 'God and I both knew what it meant once; now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/klopstock-was-questioned-regarding-the-meaning-of-a-passage-in-his/) [Cesare Lombroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/) > [Genius is one of the many forms of insanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/genius-is-one-of-the-many-forms-of-insanity/) [Cesare Lombroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/) > [God and I both knew what it meant once; now God alone knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/god-and-i-both-knew-what-it-meant-once-now-god-alone-knows/) [Cesare Lombroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/) > [Unfortunately, goodness and honor are rather the exception than the rule among exceptional men, not to speak of geniuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/unfortunately-goodness-and-honor-are-rather-the-exception-than-the/) [Cesare Lombroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/) > [It is a sad mission to cut through and destroy with the scissors of analysis the delicate and iridescent veils with which our proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/it-is-a-sad-mission-to-cut-through-and-destroy-with-the-scissors-of/) [Cesare Lombroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/) [Explore all 8 Cesare Lombroso quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/) ## 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 > [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 ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Good sense travels on the well-worn paths; genius, never. And that is why the crowd, not altogether without reason, is so ready to treat great men as lunatics.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cesare Lombroso" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-paths-genius-never-and-that-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crowds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-paths-genius-never-and-that-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/cesare-lombroso-47192_crowds_good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-path_1071932.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/cesare-lombroso-47192_crowds_good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-path_1071932.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/cesare-lombroso-47192_crowds_good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-path_1071932.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Good sense travels on the well-worn paths; genius, never. And that is why the crowd, not altogether without…” — Cesare Lombroso", "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": "Cesare Lombroso", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-lombroso/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Good sense travels on the well-worn...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-paths-genius-never-and-that-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-lombroso/good-sense-travels-on-the-well-worn-paths-genius-never-and-that-is/#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 } } ] } ```