--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have no need for genius - genius is…" description: "\"“We have no need for genius - genius is dead. We have need for strong hands, for spirits who are willing to give up the ghost and put on flesh...”\" — H..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/henry-miller-179_genius_we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dea_1397131.jpg" --- # We have no need for genius - genius is dead. We have need… ![“We have no need for genius - genius is dead. We have need for strong hands, for spirits who are willing to give up the ghost and put on flesh...” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/henry-miller-179_genius_we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dea_1397131.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/henry-miller-179_genius_we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dea_1397131.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/henry-miller-179_genius_we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dea_1397131.jpg) > ““We have no need for genius - genius is dead. We have need for strong hands, for spirits who are willing to give up the ghost and put on flesh...”” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Genius is obsolete; what’s needed are determined, resilient individuals willing to act physically and spiritually. **In simple terms:** Strong hands and spirits replace genius. Key Takeaway Cultivate resilience and action. Themes resilience action human potential Mood determined energetic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - physical fitness - volunteer work - creative projects - leadership training Key Concepts existentialism pragmatism Questions to Reflect On - What does “give up the ghost” mean to you? - How can you balance thought and action? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on action may neglect reflection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dead Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-need-1402845/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Genius Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius-dead-4886587/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Need Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-genius-2406431/) [Spirits Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirits-willing-4886590/) [Strong hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-hands/) [Willing Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing-ghost-4886592/) ## Related quotes > [Philosopher: A masochistic fool who will be considered a genius once dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/philosopher-a-masochistic-fool-who-will-be-considered-a-genius-once/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [The frenetic pace of modern life can lead to an obscuring or even a loss of what is truly human... Perhaps more than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-frenetic-pace-of-modern-life-can-lead-to-an-obscuring-or-even-a/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [An enamored amateur need not be a genius to stay out of the ruts he has never been trained in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/an-enamored-amateur-need-not-be-a-genius-to-stay-out-of-the-ruts-he/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) > [“We need more than just geniuses at the top of our organizations; we need genius makers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/we-need-more-than-just-geniuses-at-the-top-of-our-organizations-we/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [The real accomplishment of modern science and technology consists in taking ordinary men, informing them narrowly and deeply and then, through appropriate organization, arranging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/the-real-accomplishment-of-modern-science-and-technology-consists-in/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“He wonders again if the dead need translators; perhaps in a moment, in a simple twist of unbecoming, they know everything they need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-wonders-again-if-the-dead-need-translators-perhaps-in-a-moment-in/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [A good funeral gets the dead where they need to go and the living where they need to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lynch/a-good-funeral-gets-the-dead-where-they-need-to-go-and-the-living/) [Thomas Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lynch/) > [“Even the dead need caring for”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-p-jones/even-the-dead-need-caring-for/) [Gareth P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-p-jones/) > [“The dead do not need aspirin or sorrow, I suppose. but they might need rain. not shoes but a place to walk. not cigarettes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-dead-do-not-need-aspirin-or-sorrow-i-suppose-but-they-might-need/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [The dead have need of fairy tales too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-herbert/the-dead-have-need-of-fairy-tales-too/) [Zbigniew Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-herbert/) > [“You dead, or I need to hit you again? You know what, fuck it. I’m just going to hit you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/you-dead-or-i-need-to-hit-you-again-you-know-what-fuck-it-i-m-just/) [Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/) > [I've got very strong hands from playing for many years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-trower/i-ve-got-very-strong-hands-from-playing-for-many-years/) [Robin Trower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-trower/) > [“Aelin let him pivot her in the surf and sand to face him fully, let him slide his mouth along her jaw, the curve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/aelin-let-him-pivot-her-in-the-surf-and-sand-to-face-him-fully-let/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“There was no way that these guys were going to let a bleeding, barefoot woman simply wander off alone into the streets. Two of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/there-was-no-way-that-these-guys-were-going-to-let-a-bleeding/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [Life takes hold of us with strong hands and makes us greater than we thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-canfield-fisher/life-takes-hold-of-us-with-strong-hands-and-makes-us-greater-than-we/) [Dorothy Canfield Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-canfield-fisher/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-myself-to-and-i-found-nothing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-monstrous-thing-is-not-that-men-have-created-roses-out-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [They never opened the door which leads to the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/they-never-opened-the-door-which-leads-to-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. And the source is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/if-it-be-knowledge-or-wisdom-one-is-seeking-then-one-had-better-go/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“In the egocentric prism the helpless victim is walled in by the very light which he refracts. The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“When one spends what he has on himself, when one has a thoroughly good time with his own money, people are apt to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/when-one-spends-what-he-has-on-himself-when-one-has-a-thoroughly-good/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“And no one sets about saving the world unless he has first experienced the miracle of personal salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/and-no-one-sets-about-saving-the-world-unless-he-has-first/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“He looks about the room at the few sticks of furniture, at the dirty bed sheets and the wash basin with the dirty water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-looks-about-the-room-at-the-few-sticks-of-furniture-at-the-dirty/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Since then, of course, I have discovered what every madman in Paris discovers sooner of later; that there are no ready made infernos for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/since-then-of-course-i-have-discovered-what-every-madman-in-paris/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Genius quotes > [“If people fully understand you, they will think of you as a normal, if they half understand you, will think of you as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-people-fully-understand-you-they-will-think-of-you-as-a-normal-if/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [The truth is I've just never had any kind of plan at all for my career, which is probably not a very flattering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/the-truth-is-i-ve-just-never-had-any-kind-of-plan-at-all-for-my/) [Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I have known many chess players, but among them there has been only one genius - Capablanca!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/i-have-known-many-chess-players-but-among-them-there-has-been-only/) [Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The beginning of genius is being scared shitless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/the-beginning-of-genius-is-being-scared-shitless/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [Treason implies responsibility for something, control over something, influence upon something, knowledge of something. Treason in our time is a proof of genius. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/treason-implies-responsibility-for-something-control-over-something/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [With the proper training, I could've been an evil genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/with-the-proper-training-i-could-ve-been-an-evil-genius/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Never try to judge any one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajat-dogra/never-try-to-judge-any-one/) [Rajat Dogra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajat-dogra/) > [“genius is a path that we can all take and derive much benefit, happiness, fulfillment, and success from...not a genetic windfall or divine gift.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/genius-is-a-path-that-we-can-all-take-and-derive-much-benefit/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) [Browse all 5,125 Genius quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We have no need for genius - genius is dead. We have need for strong hands, for spirits who are willing to give up the ghost and put on flesh...”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Miller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dead-we-have-need-for-strong/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Genius" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dead-we-have-need-for-strong/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/henry-miller-179_genius_we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dea_1397131.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/henry-miller-179_genius_we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dea_1397131.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf3/henry-miller-179_genius_we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dea_1397131.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have no need for genius - genius is dead. We have need for strong hands, for spirits who are willing to…” — Henry Miller", "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 Miller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We have no need for genius...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dead-we-have-need-for-strong/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/we-have-no-need-for-genius-genius-is-dead-we-have-need-for-strong/#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 } } ] } ```