--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Intellectual achievement. The exercise of…" description: "\"Intellectual achievement. The exercise of skill. Human feeling.\" — Iain Banks" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/233/iain-banks-3752_achievement_intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of_2535612.png" --- # Intellectual achievement. The exercise of skill. Human… ![“Intellectual achievement. The exercise of skill. Human feeling.” quote by Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/233/iain-banks-3752_achievement_intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of_2535612.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/233/iain-banks-3752_achievement_intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of_2535612.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/233/iain-banks-3752_achievement_intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of_2535612.png) > “Intellectual achievement. The exercise of skill. Human feeling.” [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intellectual achievement, skill practice, and human emotion are intertwined aspects of humanity. **In simple terms:** Skill, intellect, and feeling define us. Key Takeaway Balance mind, craft, and heart. Themes human nature creativity skill emotion achievement Mood reflective balanced Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - artistic creation - team sports - psychotherapy Key Concepts cognitive development emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How do you integrate intellect and emotion? - What practices nurture both skill and feeling? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on one aspect can unbalance life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Achievement Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement-exercise-1385896/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Human Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-feeling-355305/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-achievement-1001861/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Yale is a crucible in American life for the accommodation of intellectual achievement, of wisdom, of refinement, with the democratic ideals of openness, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benno-c-schmidt-jr/yale-is-a-crucible-in-american-life-for-the-accommodation-of/) [Benno C. Schmidt, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benno-c-schmidt-jr/) > [The failure of women to produce genius of the first rank in most of the supreme forms of human effort has been used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-garlin-spencer/the-failure-of-women-to-produce-genius-of-the-first-rank-in-most-of/) [Anna Garlin Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-garlin-spencer/) > [“Even the best institutions at the university are apt to deteriorate and to become distorted. Thus the very translation of thought into teachable form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/even-the-best-institutions-at-the-university-are-apt-to-deteriorate/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [My intellectual achievement was retarded when I went to high school. I sort of sank into a black hole because I had to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/my-intellectual-achievement-was-retarded-when-i-went-to-high-school-i/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“If young people are exposed to images of African American academic achievement in their early years, they won’t have to define school achievement as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-daniel-tatum/if-young-people-are-exposed-to-images-of-african-american-academic/) [Beverly Daniel Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-daniel-tatum/) > [“Simplicity is an intellectual achievement, one of the greatest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/simplicity-is-an-intellectual-achievement-one-of-the-greatest/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Every human actions becomes dangerous when it is deprived of human feeling. When they are performed with feeling and respect for human values, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-human-actions-becomes-dangerous-when-it-is-deprived-of-human/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The helplessness of being alive, the dark bright pity of being human-- feeling as you went-- groping in corners and opening your arms to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/the-helplessness-of-being-alive-the-dark-bright-pity-of-being-human/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“In an almost totally insentient cosmos only human feeling is interesting or relevant to what the soul searches for...suffering is the most expensive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-chappell/in-an-almost-totally-insentient-cosmos-only-human-feeling-is/) [Fred Chappell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-chappell/) > [When we feel an obligation to test the things we say and to find the boundaries within which what we say has validity, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-steiner/when-we-feel-an-obligation-to-test-the-things-we-say-and-to-find-the/) [Rudolf Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-steiner/) > [Having buildings, growth models, having great progress, flyovers, and no human being is feeling for human being is a nightmare scenario.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahesh-bhatt/having-buildings-growth-models-having-great-progress-flyovers-and-no/) [Mahesh Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahesh-bhatt/) > [“Guilt kept me going. It was impossible not to blame myself for what had happened, but even guilt was a comfort. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/guilt-kept-me-going-it-was-impossible-not-to-blame-myself-for-what/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The normal objective of my thought affords no insight into the dark places of human will and feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-normal-objective-of-my-thought-affords-no-insight-into-the-dark/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A man with no human feeling is like a flower without fragrance or a tree without leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-man-with-no-human-feeling-is-like-a-flower-without-fragrance-or-a/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I believe in art that is connected to real human feeling, that extends itself beyond the limits of the art world to embrace all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-chicago/i-believe-in-art-that-is-connected-to-real-human-feeling-that-extends/) [Judy Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-chicago/) ## More by Iain Banks > [I'm not a great believer in awards-of course the fact that I've never won one has nothing to do with it at all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/i-m-not-a-great-believer-in-awards-of-course-the-fact-that-i-ve-never/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“Looking at me, you'd never guess I'd killed three people. It isn't fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/looking-at-me-you-d-never-guess-i-d-killed-three-people-it-isn-t-fair/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [One should never mistake pattern for meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/one-should-never-mistake-pattern-for-meaning/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [I'm a devoted husband. That must strike you as totally deviant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/i-m-a-devoted-husband-that-must-strike-you-as-totally-deviant/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“The flames had passed over those flattened blades and consumed their heather neighbours on either side while they themselves had remained, made proof against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/the-flames-had-passed-over-those-flattened-blades-and-consumed-their/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [All you ever were was a little bit of the universe, thinking to itself. Very specific; this bit, here, right now. All the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/all-you-ever-were-was-a-little-bit-of-the-universe-thinking-to-itself/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“We're not in prison, we're not junkies and we're not Young Tories...it's no small achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/we-re-not-in-prison-we-re-not-junkies-and-we-re-not-young-tories-it-s/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [Torture is such a slippery slope; as soon as you allow a society or any legal system to do that, almost instantly you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/torture-is-such-a-slippery-slope-as-soon-as-you-allow-a-society-or/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different reasons than I'd disposed of Blyth, and then a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/two-years-after-i-killed-blyth-i-murdered-my-young-brother-paul-for/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [If you have any helpful suggestions I'd be pleased to hear them. If all you can do is make snide insinuations then it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/if-you-have-any-helpful-suggestions-i-d-be-pleased-to-hear-them-if/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“He hit and fatally injured my innocent and unfortunate uncle whose muttered last words in hospital, before his coma became a full stop, were:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/he-hit-and-fatally-injured-my-innocent-and-unfortunate-uncle-whose/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [A guilty system recognizes no innocents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/a-guilty-system-recognizes-no-innocents/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“All reality is a game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/all-reality-is-a-game/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [There has seldom if ever a shortage of eager young males prepared to kill and die to preserve the security, comfort and prejudices of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/there-has-seldom-if-ever-a-shortage-of-eager-young-males-prepared-to/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [Escape is a consumer goods like another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/escape-is-a-consumer-goods-like-another/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) [Explore all 123 Iain Banks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) ## More Achievement quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) [Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [The main substantive achievement of neoliberalism has been to redistribute rather than to generate wealth and income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-main-substantive-achievement-of-neoliberalism-has-been-to/) [David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/) > [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“If you find a way where there seems to be no way, that’s what we call miracle, not personal achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/if-you-find-a-way-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way-that-s-what-we-call/) [Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) [Nicholas Roerich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-roerich/) > [Every scene is a challenge. There are technical challenges, but often it's the simplest challenge where you feel a sense of achievement when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/every-scene-is-a-challenge-there-are-technical-challenges-but-often/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) [Browse all 3,867 Achievement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Intellectual achievement. The exercise of skill. Human feeling.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Iain Banks" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of-skill-human-feeling/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Achievement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of-skill-human-feeling/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/233/iain-banks-3752_achievement_intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of_2535612.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/233/iain-banks-3752_achievement_intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of_2535612.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/233/iain-banks-3752_achievement_intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of_2535612.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Intellectual achievement. The exercise of skill. Human feeling.” — Iain Banks", "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": "Iain Banks", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Intellectual achievement. The exercise of skill....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of-skill-human-feeling/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/intellectual-achievement-the-exercise-of-skill-human-feeling/#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 } } ] } ```