--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is one of those instances in which…" description: "\"This is one of those instances in which the individual genius is found to consent, as indeed it always does, at last, with the universal.\" — Henry Davi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/henry-david-thoreau-20_consent_this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which_1580607.jpg" --- # This is one of those instances in which the individual… ![“This is one of those instances in which the individual genius is found to consent, as indeed it always does, at last, with the universal.” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/henry-david-thoreau-20_consent_this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which_1580607.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/henry-david-thoreau-20_consent_this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which_1580607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/henry-david-thoreau-20_consent_this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which_1580607.jpg) > “This is one of those instances in which the individual genius is found to consent, as indeed it always does, at last, with the universal.” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Individual genius aligns with universal truth when consent is given. **In simple terms:** Personal insight matches broader truth when accepted. Key Takeaway Seek harmony between personal insight and collective wisdom. Themes individuality universal genius consent philosophy Mood thoughtful contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative work - leadership - education - spiritual practice - community building Key Concepts existentialism nature self-realization Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt your ideas echo larger truths? - How do you balance personal vision with societal norms? A Different Perspective Universal truth may be contested by differing perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) ## Related quotes > [Advice and consent does not mean rubber stamp in the Senate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-ireland/advice-and-consent-does-not-mean-rubber-stamp-in-the-senate/) [Patricia Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-ireland/) > [A people so individual in its genius, so tenacious in love or hate, so captivating in its nobler moods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-e-smith-1st-earl-of-birkenhead/a-people-so-individual-in-its-genius-so-tenacious-in-love-or-hate-so/) F. E. Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead > [The real genius to make a marketplace flourish doesn't come from the government. It comes from the individual genius of its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-real-genius-to-make-a-marketplace-flourish-doesn-t-come-from-the/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [Man as an individual is a genius. But men in the mass form the headless monster, a great, brutish idiot that goes where prodded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/man-as-an-individual-is-a-genius-but-men-in-the-mass-form-the/) [Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/) > [If we look to the answer as to why for so many years we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on earth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-we-look-to-the-answer-as-to-why-for-so-many-years-we-achieved-so/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I never bought the idea of individual genius from which the novel spews forth. It's always an act of curation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-never-bought-the-idea-of-individual-genius-from-which-the-novel/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [Our system freed the individual genius of man. Released him to fly as high & as far as his own talent & energy would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/our-system-freed-the-individual-genius-of-man-released-him-to-fly-as/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Dissent without action is consent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/dissent-without-action-is-consent/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Any man knows when he is justified, and all the wits in the world cannot enlighten him on that point. The murderer always knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/any-man-knows-when-he-is-justified-and-all-the-wits-in-the-world/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It is interesting to observe with what singular unanimity the farthest sundered nations and generations consent to give completeness and roundness to an ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-interesting-to-observe-with-what-singular-unanimity-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It is but too easy to establish another durable and harmonious routine. Immediately all parts of nature consent to it. Only make something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-but-too-easy-to-establish-another-durable-and-harmonious/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [And I am sure that I never read any memorable news in a newspaper. If we read of one man robbed, or murdered, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/and-i-am-sure-that-i-never-read-any-memorable-news-in-a-newspaper-if/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/there-are-certain-pursuits-which-if-not-wholly-poetic-and-true-do-at/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It's hard to predict what will happen as reading on screen becomes more of a universal norm, and when the formats dictated by social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/it-s-hard-to-predict-what-will-happen-as-reading-on-screen-becomes/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [Men must speak English who can write Sanskrit; they must speak a modern language who write, perchance, an ancient and universal one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-must-speak-english-who-can-write-sanskrit-they-must-speak-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More by Henry David Thoreau > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Men say they know many things; But lo! they have taken wings, — The arts and sciences, And a thousand appliances; The wind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-say-they-know-many-things-but-lo-they-have-taken-wings-the-arts/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-traveler-who-looks-at-things-with-an-impartial-eye-may-see-what-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Concord's little arch does not span all our fate, nor is what transpires under it law for the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-s-little-arch-does-not-span-all-our-fate-nor-is-what/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The lumberers rarely trouble themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the primitive forest; and this is one cause, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-lumberers-rarely-trouble-themselves-to-put-out-their-fires-such/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More Consent quotes > [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [“When a lady does consent to listen to an argument against her own opinions, she is always predetermined to withstand it - to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/when-a-lady-does-consent-to-listen-to-an-argument-against-her-own/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [But a most pernicious error widely prevails that Scripture has only so much weight as is conceded to it by the consent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/but-a-most-pernicious-error-widely-prevails-that-scripture-has-only/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Well I think that what we're seeing now is that the people feel like they, the people in Congress don't have their consent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/well-i-think-that-what-we-re-seeing-now-is-that-the-people-feel-like/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [Even if a civil society were to be dissolved by the consent of all its members (e.g., if a people inhabiting an island decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/even-if-a-civil-society-were-to-be-dissolved-by-the-consent-of-all/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [We live in an age rather skeptical of truth, of its existence." There is a "tendency to believe that nothing is definitive, and think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/we-live-in-an-age-rather-skeptical-of-truth-of-its-existence-there-is/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Silence does not mean yes. No can be thought and felt but never said. It can be screamed silently on the inside. It can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-reed/silence-does-not-mean-yes-no-can-be-thought-and-felt-but-never-said/) [Amy Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-reed/) > [I can never consent to being dictated to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tyler/i-can-never-consent-to-being-dictated-to/) [John Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tyler/) > [When all moves equally (says Pascal), nothing seems to move as in a vessel under sail; and when all run by common consent into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/when-all-moves-equally-says-pascal-nothing-seems-to-move-as-in-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [“There are some wounds unreachable by words, some sins immune to apology.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hatvany/there-are-some-wounds-unreachable-by-words-some-sins-immune-to-apology/) [Amy Hatvany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hatvany/) > [Many people do not realize that where unions have bargaining rights employers cannot raise wages or improve benefit plans any more than they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-e-wilson/many-people-do-not-realize-that-where-unions-have-bargaining-rights/) [Charles E. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-e-wilson/) > [Fate does not seek our consent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/fate-does-not-seek-our-consent/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [That is a list of the Territories that yielded to Ebon Askavi. They now stand within the shadow of the Keep. They are mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bishop/that-is-a-list-of-the-territories-that-yielded-to-ebon-askavi-they/) [Anne Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bishop/) [Browse all 676 Consent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is one of those instances in which the individual genius is found to consent, as indeed it always does, at last, with the universal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which-the-individual-genius-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Consent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which-the-individual-genius-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/henry-david-thoreau-20_consent_this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which_1580607.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/henry-david-thoreau-20_consent_this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which_1580607.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/henry-david-thoreau-20_consent_this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which_1580607.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is one of those instances in which the individual genius is found to consent, as indeed it always does…” — Henry David Thoreau", "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": "Henry David Thoreau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This is one of those instances...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which-the-individual-genius-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-is-one-of-those-instances-in-which-the-individual-genius-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 } } ] } ```