--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Intelligence is one of the greatest human…" description: "\"Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the search for love. This is something else I've d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/daniel-keyes-3679_ability_intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-huma_404371.png" --- # Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all… ![“Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the search for love. This is something else I've discovered for myself very recently. I present it to you as a hypothesis: Intelligence without the ability to give and receive affection leads to…” quote by Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/daniel-keyes-3679_ability_intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-huma_404371.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/daniel-keyes-3679_ability_intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-huma_404371.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/daniel-keyes-3679_ability_intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-huma_404371.png) > “Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the search for love. This is something else I've discovered for myself very recently. I present it to you as a hypothesis: Intelligence without the ability to give and receive affection leads to mental and moral breakdown, to neurosis, and possibly even psychosis. And I say that the mind absorbed in and involved in itself as a self-centered end, to the exclusion of human relationships, can only lead to violence and pain.” [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intelligence without love leads to emotional and moral decay, possibly resulting in violence. **In simple terms:** Intelligence needs love to stay healthy. Key Takeaway Cultivate affection alongside intellect. Themes psychology morality relationships Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - education - therapy - family life - leadership Key Concepts emotional intelligence mental health Questions to Reflect On - Can intellect thrive without emotional connection? - What balance of love and knowledge is healthy? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Breakdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakdown/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving and receiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-and-receiving/) [Human relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationship/) [Human relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationships/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Neurosis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neurosis/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Psychosis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychosis/) [Search for knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/search-for-knowledge/) [Searching for love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/searching-for-love/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self centered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-centered/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [“But I've learned that intelligence alone doesn't mean a damned thing. Here in your university, intelligence, education, knowledge, have all become great idols. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/but-i-ve-learned-that-intelligence-alone-doesn-t-mean-a-damned-thing/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the search for love... Intelligence without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-human-gifts-but-all-too-often-a-2/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Affection leads to Weakness ,Kindness never satisfies a Person..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustapha-falalu-bello/affection-leads-to-weakness-kindness-never-satisfies-a-person/) [Mustapha Falalu Bello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustapha-falalu-bello/) > [“Intelligence without the ability to give and receive affection leads to mental and moral breakdown, to neurosis, and possibly even psychosis. And I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/intelligence-without-the-ability-to-give-and-receive-affection-leads/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“The great mistake of contemporary life is that we have made such a virtue of intellectual growth while almost totally ignoring the necessity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-loth-liebman/the-great-mistake-of-contemporary-life-is-that-we-have-made-such-a/) [Joshua Loth Liebman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-loth-liebman/) > [We each have all the time there is; our mental and moral status is determined by what we do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-mcgrath-blake/we-each-have-all-the-time-there-is-our-mental-and-moral-status-is/) Mary Elizabeth McGrath Blake > [“He never once repeated himself and he never used either profanity or obscenity. (I learned later that he saved those for very special occasions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/he-never-once-repeated-himself-and-he-never-used-either-profanity-or/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results … We understand this law in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/good-thoughts-and-actions-can-never-produce-bad-results-bad-thoughts-2/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [Ability may get you to the top, nut it takes chracter to keep you there - mental, moral, and physical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/ability-may-get-you-to-the-top-nut-it-takes-chracter-to-keep-you/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [“To what a degree this loose mode of classing and denominating objects has rendered the vocabulary of mental and moral philosophy unfit for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/to-what-a-degree-this-loose-mode-of-classing-and-denominating-objects/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“A human being without the proper empathy or feeling is the same as an android built so as to lack it, either by design…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/a-human-being-without-the-proper-empathy-or-feeling-is-the-same-as-an/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [The individual can maintain himself in a society definitely organized only through possessing an equally definite mental and moral constitution. This is what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-durkheim/the-individual-can-maintain-himself-in-a-society-definitely-organized/) [Emile Durkheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-durkheim/) > [We never reach our ideals, whether of mental or moral improvement, but the thought of them shows us our deficiencies, and spurs us on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/we-never-reach-our-ideals-whether-of-mental-or-moral-improvement-but/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [I have often thought the best way to define a man's character would be to seek out the particular mental or moral attitude in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/i-have-often-thought-the-best-way-to-define-a-man-s-character-would/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Reason can never be the absolute dictator of man's mental or moral economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-daniels/reason-can-never-be-the-absolute-dictator-of-man-s-mental-or-moral/) [Anthony Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-daniels/) ## More by Daniel Keyes > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“I see now that when Norma flowered in our garden I became a weed, allowed to exist only where I would not be seen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-see-now-that-when-norma-flowered-in-our-garden-i-became-a-weed/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“The most important thing had always been what other people thought-appearances before herself or her family. And righteous about it. Time and again Matt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-most-important-thing-had-always-been-what-other-people-thought/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“April 6—Today, I learned, the comma, this is, a, comma (,) a period, with, a tail, Miss Kinnian, says its, importent, because, it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/april-6-today-i-learned-the-comma-this-is-a-comma-a-period-with-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“Am I a genius? I don't think so. Not yet anyway. As Burt would put it, mocking the euphemisms of educational jargon, I'm exceptional-a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/am-i-a-genius-i-don-t-think-so-not-yet-anyway-as-burt-would-put-it/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“But I've learned that intelligence alone doesn't mean a damned thing. Here in your university, intelligence, education, knowledge, have all become great idols. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/but-i-ve-learned-that-intelligence-alone-doesn-t-mean-a-damned-thing/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Who's to say that my light is better than your darkness? Who's to say death is better than your darkness? Who am I to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/who-s-to-say-that-my-light-is-better-than-your-darkness-who-s-to-say/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“You want these back, don't you? You want me out of here so you can come back and take over where you left off.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/you-want-these-back-don-t-you-you-want-me-out-of-here-so-you-can-come/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“I see now that the path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-see-now-that-the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [I put Algernon's body in a cheese box and buried him in the backyard. I cried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-put-algernon-s-body-in-a-cheese-box-and-buried-him-in-the-backyard/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [I’m “exceptional”- a democratic term used to avoid the damning labels of “gifted” and “deprived” (which used to mean “bright” and “retarded”) and as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-m-exceptional-a-democratic-term-used-to-avoid-the-damning-labels-of/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“Even a feeble-minded man wants to be like other men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/even-a-feeble-minded-man-wants-to-be-like-other-men/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“Downhill. Thoughts of suicide to stop it all now while I am still in control and aware of the world around me. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/downhill-thoughts-of-suicide-to-stop-it-all-now-while-i-am-still-in/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“I hated her as I had never hated anyone before—with her easy answers and maternal fussing. I wanted to slap her face, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-hated-her-as-i-had-never-hated-anyone-before-with-her-easy-answers/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“My studies are going well. The university library is my second home now. They've had to get me a private room because it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/my-studies-are-going-well-the-university-library-is-my-second-home/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) [Explore all 122 Daniel Keyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the search for love. This is something else I've discovered for myself very recently. I present it to you as a hypothesis: Intelligence without the ability to give and receive affection leads to mental and moral breakdown, to neurosis, and possibly even psychosis. And I say that the mind absorbed in and involved in itself as a self-centered end, to the exclusion of human relationships, can only lead to violence and pain.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Keyes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-human-gifts-but-all-too-often-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ability" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-human-gifts-but-all-too-often-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/daniel-keyes-3679_ability_intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-huma_404371.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/daniel-keyes-3679_ability_intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-huma_404371.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/daniel-keyes-3679_ability_intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-huma_404371.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the…” — Daniel Keyes", "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": "Daniel Keyes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Intelligence is one of the greatest...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-human-gifts-but-all-too-often-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-human-gifts-but-all-too-often-a/#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 } } ] } ```