--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are productive spirits who require…" description: "\"“There are productive spirits who require many and great destinies or experience in order to produce a small work. There is a kind of poet who, from a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/georg-brandes-10610_day-life_there-are-productive-spirits-who-require_3085175.jpg" --- # There are productive spirits who require many and great… ![“There are productive spirits who require many and great destinies or experience in order to produce a small work. There is a kind of poet who, from a hundred pounds of rose leaves, produces one drop of attar of roses. And on the other hand, there are talents whose nature is so fruitful, whose…” quote by Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/georg-brandes-10610_day-life_there-are-productive-spirits-who-require_3085175.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/georg-brandes-10610_day-life_there-are-productive-spirits-who-require_3085175.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/georg-brandes-10610_day-life_there-are-productive-spirits-who-require_3085175.jpg) > ““There are productive spirits who require many and great destinies or experience in order to produce a small work. There is a kind of poet who, from a hundred pounds of rose leaves, produces one drop of attar of roses. And on the other hand, there are talents whose nature is so fruitful, whose inner climate is so tropical, that from a quite plain everyday life situation, which they experience with the highest energy, they extract whole series of important works. They are like those treeless islands in the Pacific on which passengers from a passing ship leave some fruit-kernels, and which many years later are covered with mighty forests. Kierkegaard belonged to the latter kind.”” [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Talent varies: some need grand experiences, others create greatness from ordinary life, like islands that grow forests over time. **In simple terms:** Great work can arise from everyday life. Key Takeaway Seek depth in daily experiences. Themes talent creativity ordinary life growth Mood inspirational thoughtful Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - writing - visual arts - scientific research - personal development Key Concepts philosophy artistic theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate a fertile inner climate? - What ordinary moments inspire you most? A Different Perspective Not all ordinary experiences yield profound work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-life/) [Everyday life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday-life/) [Forests Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests-kierkegaard-5280354/) [Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kierkegaard/) [Kierkegaard Belonged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kierkegaard-belonged-5280355/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Productive Spirits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productive-spirits-5280356/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Talents Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talents-nature-1534636/) ## Related quotes > [ By... \[selecting\] the youths of genius from among the classes of the poor, we hope to avail the State of those talents which nature… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/by-selecting-the-youths-of-genius-from-among-the-classes-of-the-poor/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [But my doubt would not be overcome. Kierkegaard had declared that it was only to the consciousness of sin that Christianity was not horror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/but-my-doubt-would-not-be-overcome-kierkegaard-had-declared-that-it/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [ But, inevitably, as he \[Kierkegaard\] approaches what we might call his Christocentric climax many readers drop off. Many scholars just leave that part of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/but-inevitably-as-he-kierkegaard-approaches-what-we-might-call-his/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [“I never really saw the celerity of your heart When steadily fighting off the Kierkegaardian part I listened to Plutarch While you threw out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/i-never-really-saw-the-celerity-of-your-heart-when-steadily-fighting/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [What Kierkegaard said about love is also true of creativity: every person must start at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/what-kierkegaard-said-about-love-is-also-true-of-creativity-every/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [I ... had what Kierkegaard called 'the sickness of infinitude,' wandering from one path to another with no real recognition that I was embarked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/i-had-what-kierkegaard-called-the-sickness-of-infinitude-wandering/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“I venture to say Kierkegaard meant that truth has lost its force with us and horrible pain and evil must teach it to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-venture-to-say-kierkegaard-meant-that-truth-has-lost-its-force-with/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“It was not surprising that after the war Dostoevsky was linked to Kierkegaard as a prophet of social resignation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jay/it-was-not-surprising-that-after-the-war-dostoevsky-was-linked-to/) [Martin Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jay/) > [Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's a paradox here! Kierkegaard's own indirect communication proposes that we start with the experience of those who don't believe and meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/perhaps-unsurprisingly-there-s-a-paradox-here-kierkegaard-s-own/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [“What is particularly striking about his reconstruction and criticisms of the traditional account of friendship is that he finds it deficient not only by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-smith/what-is-particularly-striking-about-his-reconstruction-and-criticisms/) [Graham Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-smith/) > [“And therefore, all of those for whom authentic transformation has deeply unseated their souls must, I believe, wrestle with the profound moral obligation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/and-therefore-all-of-those-for-whom-authentic-transformation-has/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“I would have liked to say, "I'm a doctor," to those who asked me what I did, doctors being the current purveyors of magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-would-have-liked-to-say-i-m-a-doctor-to-those-who-asked-me-what-i/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“as in Heinrich Heine’s (a contemporary of Kierkegaard’s) well-known saying that one should value above everything else ‘freedom, equality and crab soup’. ‘Crab soup’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/as-in-heinrich-heine-s-a-contemporary-of-kierkegaard-s-well-known/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [“As Kierkegaard said, “To venture causes anxiety; not to venture is to lose oneself.” I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-krech/as-kierkegaard-said-to-venture-causes-anxiety-not-to-venture-is-to/) [Gregg Krech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-krech/) > [“I am poor—you are my riches; dark—you are my light; I own nothing, need nothing. And how could I own anything? After all, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/i-am-poor-you-are-my-riches-dark-you-are-my-light-i-own-nothing-need/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) ## More by Georg Brandes > [We need only think of the number of talented men who sooner or later make their apologies and concessions to philistinism, so as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/we-need-only-think-of-the-number-of-talented-men-who-sooner-or-later/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [But when I was twelve years old I caught my first strong glimpse of one of the fundamental forces of existence, whose votary I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/but-when-i-was-twelve-years-old-i-caught-my-first-strong-glimpse-of/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [The society of the Culture-Philistines makes life a burden to exceptional men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/the-society-of-the-culture-philistines-makes-life-a-burden-to/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [My father, though, could run very much faster. It was impossible to compete with him on the grass. But it was astonishing how slow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/my-father-though-could-run-very-much-faster-it-was-impossible-to/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [School is a foretaste of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/school-is-a-foretaste-of-life/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [It gradually dawned upon me that there was no one more difficult to please than my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/it-gradually-dawned-upon-me-that-there-was-no-one-more-difficult-to/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [When I was a little boy I did not, of course, trouble much about my appearance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/when-i-was-a-little-boy-i-did-not-of-course-trouble-much-about-my/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [The historian is looked upon as objective when he measures the past by the popular opinions of his own time, as subjective when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/the-historian-is-looked-upon-as-objective-when-he-measures-the-past/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [I became an ardent, but never a specially good, dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/i-became-an-ardent-but-never-a-specially-good-dancer/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [It appears to Nietzsche that the modern age has produced for imitation three types of man ... First, Rousseau's man, the Titan who raises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/it-appears-to-nietzsche-that-the-modern-age-has-produced-for/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [Dostoevsky preaches the morality of the pariah, the morality of the slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/dostoevsky-preaches-the-morality-of-the-pariah-the-morality-of-the/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [Among the delights of Summer were picnics to the woods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/among-the-delights-of-summer-were-picnics-to-the-woods/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [What has here happened is that the instinct of cruelty, which has turned inwards, has become self-torture, and all man's animal instincts have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/what-has-here-happened-is-that-the-instinct-of-cruelty-which-has/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [I was not given to looking at life in a rosy light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/i-was-not-given-to-looking-at-life-in-a-rosy-light/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [Being gifted needs courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/being-gifted-needs-courage/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) [Explore all 64 Georg Brandes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) ## More Day life quotes > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [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/) > [“Let’s say you have an ax. Just a cheap one, from Home Depot. On one bitter winter day, you use said ax to behead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/let-s-say-you-have-an-ax-just-a-cheap-one-from-home-depot-on-one/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [On my podcast, I got to interview Will Ferrell, Sam Hunt, Colin Cowherd - all these different names - and it was just really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-darnold/on-my-podcast-i-got-to-interview-will-ferrell-sam-hunt-colin-cowherd/) [Sam Darnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-darnold/) > [In daily or everyday life, I am so impressed with tiny details, like when I look up at a street lamp falling on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/makoto-shinkai/in-daily-or-everyday-life-i-am-so-impressed-with-tiny-details-like/) [Makoto Shinkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/makoto-shinkai/) > [My first bill to become law repeals regulations to make everyday life easier and more affordable for Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/my-first-bill-to-become-law-repeals-regulations-to-make-everyday-life/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [“There is a powerful difference between picturing an image that does not relate to you, and recalling something specific that you are connected with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-houge/there-is-a-powerful-difference-between-picturing-an-image-that-does/) [Adam Houge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-houge/) > [Ultimately, we want to provide people with a unique experience, and an unexpected one as well. We'd like people to leave the theater having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rania-attieh/ultimately-we-want-to-provide-people-with-a-unique-experience-and-an/) [Rania Attieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rania-attieh/) > [Families are like friends at school, at first you have no idea about them, but right after you talk talking and getting attach to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asiya-sasika-khan/families-are-like-friends-at-school-at-first-you-have-no-idea-about/) [Asiya Sasika Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asiya-sasika-khan/) > [Design should do the same thing in everyday life that art does when encountered: amaze us, scare us or delight us, but certainly open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-betsky/design-should-do-the-same-thing-in-everyday-life-that-art-does-when/) [Aaron Betsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-betsky/) > [ This is the industry that wants \[music\], the rap industry. You have to be on deck all the time, but you do not have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-thug/this-is-the-industry-that-wants-music-the-rap-industry-you-have-to-be/) [Young Thug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-thug/) > [As your awareness of the riches available to you in your everyday life grows, you are on the way to becoming the laughing Buddha.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/as-your-awareness-of-the-riches-available-to-you-in-your-everyday/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Security is a component of everyday life that one spending time in Washington, D.C., gets accustomed to. Metal detectors, police vehicle barriers and heavily-armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-crapo/security-is-a-component-of-everyday-life-that-one-spending-time-in/) [Mike Crapo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-crapo/) > [“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/during-the-whole-of-a-dull-dark-and-soundless-day-in-the-autumn-of/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) [Browse all 1,479 Day life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There are productive spirits who require many and great destinies or experience in order to produce a small work. There is a kind of poet who, from a hundred pounds of rose leaves, produces one drop of attar of roses. 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