--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Genius is present in every age, but the…" description: "\"Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it within them remain benumbed unless extraordinary events occur to heat up and melt the mass so t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/denis-diderot-1536_age_genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-m_2251167.png" --- # Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it… ![“Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it within them remain benumbed unless extraordinary events occur to heat up and melt the mass so that it flows forth.” quote by Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/denis-diderot-1536_age_genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-m_2251167.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/denis-diderot-1536_age_genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-m_2251167.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/denis-diderot-1536_age_genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-m_2251167.png) > “Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it within them remain benumbed unless extraordinary events occur to heat up and melt the mass so that it flows forth.” [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intellectual potential exists across eras, yet people stay inactive until crises spark action. **In simple terms:** Ideas need crises to become active. Key Takeaway Seek catalysts for change. Themes knowledge inertia crisis creativity Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - political reform - scientific breakthroughs - cultural renaissances Key Concepts Enlightenment human potential social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What events could ignite your dormant talents? - How do crises reshape societal progress? A Different Perspective Ideas may stagnate without external pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary/) [Flows Forth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flows-forth-942001/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Genius Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius-present-941998/) [Heat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heat/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Melt Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melt-mass-942000/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Carrying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-carrying-924448/) [Unless Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unless-extraordinary-941999/) ## Related quotes > [Genius is present in every age,but the men carrying it withinthem remain benumbed unless extraordinary events occur to heat up and melt the mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-men-carrying-it-withinthem/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jerry Orbach is just phenomenal. He is genius, so present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/jerry-orbach-is-just-phenomenal-he-is-genius-so-present/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [I never do research unless it's extraordinary circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-mcdowell/i-never-do-research-unless-it-s-extraordinary-circumstances/) [Malcolm McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-mcdowell/) > [Genres aren't closed boxes. 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In early June the heat was there but not the color--the green were still pale and tentative, the morning had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/summer-explodes-into-portland-in-early-june-the-heat-was-there-but/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Who among you today is doing the most for your Master's kingdom? I will tell you. Lend me a spiritual thermometer by which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/who-among-you-today-is-doing-the-most-for-your-master-s-kingdom-i/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“coats every surface. The heat builds up and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gruber/coats-every-surface-the-heat-builds-up-and/) [Michael Gruber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gruber/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) ## More by Denis Diderot > [But if you will recall the history of our civil troubles, you will see half the nation bathe itself, out of piety, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/but-if-you-will-recall-the-history-of-our-civil-troubles-you-will-see/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [One declaims endlessly against the passions; one imputes all of man's suffering to them. One forgets that they are also the source of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/one-declaims-endlessly-against-the-passions-one-imputes-all-of-man-s/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Time, matter, space - all, it may be, are no more than a point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/time-matter-space-all-it-may-be-are-no-more-than-a-point/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/we-are-far-more-liable-to-catch-the-vices-than-the-virtues-of-our/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [One composition is meagre, though it has many figures; another is rich, though it has few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/one-composition-is-meagre-though-it-has-many-figures-another-is-rich/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [I have only a small flickering light to guide me in the darkness of a thick forest. 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Putting things in order always means getting other people under your control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/watch-out-for-the-fellow-who-talks-about-putting-things-in-order/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [“Nie wiem, co to zasady, chyba że tak nazywamy prawidła, które przypisuje się innym, a nie sobie. Myślę tak, a nie umiałbym się powstrzymać…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/nie-wiem-co-to-zasady-chyba-e-tak-nazywamy-prawid-a-kt-re-przypisuje/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [There is no good father who would want to resemble our Heavenly Father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/there-is-no-good-father-who-would-want-to-resemble-our-heavenly-father/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Isn't it better to have men being ungrateful than to miss a chance to do good?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/isn-t-it-better-to-have-men-being-ungrateful-than-to-miss-a-chance-to/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [A nation which thinks that it is belief in God and not good law which makes people honest does not seem to me very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/a-nation-which-thinks-that-it-is-belief-in-god-and-not-good-law-which/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) [Explore all 210 Denis Diderot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it within them remain benumbed unless extraordinary events occur to heat up and melt the mass so that it flows forth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Denis Diderot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-men-carrying-it-within-them/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-men-carrying-it-within-them/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/denis-diderot-1536_age_genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-m_2251167.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/denis-diderot-1536_age_genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-m_2251167.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/denis-diderot-1536_age_genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-m_2251167.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it within them remain benumbed unless extraordinary…” — Denis Diderot", "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": "Denis Diderot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Genius is present in every age,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-men-carrying-it-within-them/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/genius-is-present-in-every-age-but-the-men-carrying-it-within-them/#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 } } ] } ```