--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ive concluded that genius is as common as…" description: "\"Ive concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we havent yet figured out how to manage a population of educated me..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/john-taylor-gatto-4736_anarchy_ive-concluded-that-genius-is-as-common-a_756604.png" --- # Ive concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We… ![“Ive concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we havent yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. The solution, I think, is simple and glorious. Let them manage themselves.” quote by John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/john-taylor-gatto-4736_anarchy_ive-concluded-that-genius-is-as-common-a_756604.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/john-taylor-gatto-4736_anarchy_ive-concluded-that-genius-is-as-common-a_756604.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/john-taylor-gatto-4736_anarchy_ive-concluded-that-genius-is-as-common-a_756604.png) > “Ive concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we havent yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. The solution, I think, is simple and glorious. Let them manage themselves.” [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that talent is widespread, but societal structures hinder its expression; allowing individuals autonomy could unlock collective potential. **In simple terms:** Talent is everywhere but often suppressed; self‑management could free it. Key Takeaway Give people freedom to self‑organize. Themes education individualism potential societal structures Mood criticalical optimistic Type philosophical political educational When to use this quote - schools - workplaces - community projects - policy design Key Concepts self‑management autonomy human capital Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure equitable outcomes when everyone manages themselves? - What safeguards are needed for self‑governance? A Different Perspective Assumes all individuals can self‑govern responsibly, which may not hold universally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchy/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) ## Related quotes > [I've concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress genius because we haven't yet figured out how to manage a population of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/i-ve-concluded-that-genius-is-as-common-as-dirt-we-suppress-genius/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Genius is nothing more than common faculties refined to a greater intensity. There are no astonishing ways of doing astonishing things. All astonishing things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-haydon/genius-is-nothing-more-than-common-faculties-refined-to-a-greater/) [Benjamin Haydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-haydon/) > [If genius has any common denominator, I would propose breadth of interest and the ability to construct fruitful analogies between fields.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/if-genius-has-any-common-denominator-i-would-propose-breadth-of/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The only difference between a genius and one of common capacity is that the former anticipates and explores what the latter accidentally hits upon;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-difference-between-a-genius-and-one-of-common-capacity-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we seek to advance, what we seek to develop in all of our colleges and universities, are educated men and women who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/what-we-seek-to-advance-what-we-seek-to-develop-in-all-of-our/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“Colleges are supposed to be the calm environment in which educated men and women determine what’s true and what’s false, and where they learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/colleges-are-supposed-to-be-the-calm-environment-in-which-educated/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“Like other self-educated men, he was vain of his vocabulary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-macdonald/like-other-self-educated-men-he-was-vain-of-his-vocabulary/) [Ross Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-macdonald/) > [“Education should be the number priority,women should be encouraged to get educated & men should marry graduates.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/education-should-be-the-number-priority-women-should-be-encouraged-to/) Anyaele Sam Chiyson > [Steve Jobs didn't seek solace among minimum wage workers. He sought it from highly educated men and women who understood and shared his focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gerber/steve-jobs-didn-t-seek-solace-among-minimum-wage-workers-he-sought-it/) [Michael Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gerber/) > [Men who allow their love of power to give them a distorted view of the world are to be found in every asylum: one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/men-who-allow-their-love-of-power-to-give-them-a-distorted-view-of-2/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Educated men are so impressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/educated-men-are-so-impressive/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“I'm not trying to tell you," he said "that only educated men are able to contribute something valuable to the world. It's not so.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-m-not-trying-to-tell-you-he-said-that-only-educated-men-are-able-to/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [“For this is the great secret, which was known to all educated men in our day: that by what men think, we create the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/for-this-is-the-great-secret-which-was-known-to-all-educated-men-in/) [Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/) > [“Where any one body of educated men, of whatever denomination, are condemned indiscriminately, there must be a deficiency of information, (or smiling) of something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/where-any-one-body-of-educated-men-of-whatever-denomination-are/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“this is the great secret, which was known to all educated men in our day: that by what men think, we create the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/this-is-the-great-secret-which-was-known-to-all-educated-men-in-our/) [Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/) ## More by John Taylor Gatto > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/we-could-encourage-the-best-qualities-of-youthfulness-curiosity/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [There isn't a right way to become educated; there are as many ways as there are fingerprints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/there-isn-t-a-right-way-to-become-educated-there-are-as-many-ways-as/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [The truth is that schools don't really teach anything except how to obey orders. This is a great mystery to me because thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/the-truth-is-that-schools-don-t-really-teach-anything-except-how-to/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [“Any economy in which the most common tasks are the shuffling of paper, the punching of buttons, and the running of mouths isn’t an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/any-economy-in-which-the-most-common-tasks-are-the-shuffling-of-paper/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [This was once a land where every sane person knew how to build a shelter, grow food, and entertain one another. Now we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/this-was-once-a-land-where-every-sane-person-knew-how-to-build-a/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Self-knowledge is the only basis of true knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/self-knowledge-is-the-only-basis-of-true-knowledge/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Schools were designed by Horace Mann and Barnard Sears and Harper of the University of Chicago and Thorndyke of Columbia Teachers College and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/schools-were-designed-by-horace-mann-and-barnard-sears-and-harper-of/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [You need experience, adventure, and explorations more than you need algebra!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/you-need-experience-adventure-and-explorations-more-than-you-need/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [A lot of the strings that hold us like puppets are really inventions of our own minds. I'm not saying that there aren't armies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/a-lot-of-the-strings-that-hold-us-like-puppets-are-really-inventions/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Is there an idea more radical in the history of the human race than turning your children over to total strangers whom you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/is-there-an-idea-more-radical-in-the-history-of-the-human-race-than/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [School is a twelve-year jail sentence where bad habits are the only curriculum truly learned. I teach school and win awards doing it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/school-is-a-twelve-year-jail-sentence-where-bad-habits-are-the-only/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [“Pick up a fifth-grade math or rhetoric textbook from 1850 and you’ll see that the texts were pitched then on what would today be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/pick-up-a-fifth-grade-math-or-rhetoric-textbook-from-1850-and-you-ll/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [I feel ashamed that so many of us cannot imagine a better way to do things than locking children up all day in cells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/i-feel-ashamed-that-so-many-of-us-cannot-imagine-a-better-way-to-do/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [The shocking possibility that dumb people don't exist in sufficient numbers to warrant the millions of careers devoted to tending them will seem incredible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/the-shocking-possibility-that-dumb-people-don-t-exist-in-sufficient/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) [Explore all 107 John Taylor Gatto quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) ## More Anarchy quotes > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/) [Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [So far I'm still standing on 'Sons of Anarchy' but all the rest of the people on the show have me in their crosshairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-pileggi/so-far-i-m-still-standing-on-sons-of-anarchy-but-all-the-rest-of-the/) Mitch Pileggi > [“Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science and Bad Religion in a World Without God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/anarchy-evolution-faith-science-and-bad-religion-in-a-world-without/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [Perhaps it is this theory of all work and no play that has made the Marxist such a very dull boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/perhaps-it-is-this-theory-of-all-work-and-no-play-that-has-made-the/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [In morals as in politics anarchy is not for the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-morals-as-in-politics-anarchy-is-not-for-the-weak/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [I think that if you run a big company, you've got to, four or five times a year, just say, 'Hey team, look, here's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/i-think-that-if-you-run-a-big-company-you-ve-got-to-four-or-five/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) > [Where you have no religion, you are sure to have no government, for as religion disappears, anarchy takes place and fixes a compleat Hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-morgan/where-you-have-no-religion-you-are-sure-to-have-no-government-for-as/) [Daniel Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-morgan/) > [What a comfort it is to feel that amid the chaos and anarchy which sweep the surface, God is holding fast the foundations on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-b-meyer/what-a-comfort-it-is-to-feel-that-amid-the-chaos-and-anarchy-which/) [F.B. Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-b-meyer/) > [“An anarchist government somehow creates an impression in the hearts of citizens that no one cares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-anarchist-government-somehow-creates-an-impression-in-the-hearts/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Would you like to do something good for the future of the human race; well, start killing some of its powerful members.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/would-you-like-to-do-something-good-for-the-future-of-the-human-race/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [“twenty-three years of RFRAs to produce anarchy,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corvino/twenty-three-years-of-rfras-to-produce-anarchy/) [John Corvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corvino/) > [Freedom is that faculty that enlarges the usefulness of all other faculties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/freedom-is-that-faculty-that-enlarges-the-usefulness-of-all-other/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) [Browse all 795 Anarchy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anarchy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ive concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we havent yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. The solution, I think, is simple and glorious. 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