---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every intellectual effort sets us apart…"
description: "\"Every intellectual effort sets us apart from the commonplace, and leads us by hidden and difficult paths to secluded spots where we find ourselves amid..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_commonplace_every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart_3146841.jpg"
---

#  Every intellectual effort sets us apart from the…

![“Every intellectual effort sets us apart from the commonplace, and leads us by hidden and difficult paths to secluded spots where we find ourselves amid unaccustomed thoughts.” quote by Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_commonplace_every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart_3146841.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_commonplace_every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart_3146841.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_commonplace_every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart_3146841.jpg)

> “Every intellectual effort sets us apart from the commonplace, and leads us by hidden and difficult paths to secluded spots where we find ourselves amid unaccustomed thoughts.”

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Intellectual pursuits separate us from ordinary life, leading through challenging, hidden paths to unique, thought‑provoking experiences.

**In simple terms:** Thinking sets you apart and leads to new ideas.

Key Takeaway

Embrace challenging intellectual journeys.

Themes

intellectual growth individuality exploration

Mood

contemplative inspired

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- academia
- creative writing
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

self‑discovery philosophical inquiry

Questions to Reflect On

- What hidden insights have you gained through deep thought?
- How can you share these insights without alienating others?

A Different Perspective

Hard work may isolate you from others.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Commonplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commonplace/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult Paths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-paths-2390658/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-effort-301922/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Paths Secluded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paths-secluded-5632114/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Secluded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secluded/) [Spots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spots/) [Unaccustomed Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unaccustomed-thoughts-5632115/)

## Related quotes

> [“It is difficult to describe paths of thought where there are already many paths laid down, and not fall into one of the grooves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/it-is-difficult-to-describe-paths-of-thought-where-there-are-already/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [“On our difficult paths we need truth to speak louder than the lies of despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindee-snider-re/on-our-difficult-paths-we-need-truth-to-speak-louder-than-the-lies-of/)

[Cindee Snider Re](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindee-snider-re/)

> [“truth cannot be found by intellectual effort because truth is not a theory, it is an experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/truth-cannot-be-found-by-intellectual-effort-because-truth-is-not-a/)

[Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

> [Intellectual effort gives me enormous pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-kramnik/intellectual-effort-gives-me-enormous-pleasure/)

[Vladimir Kramnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-kramnik/)

> [It is exceptional that one should be able to acquire the understanding of a process without having previously acquired a deep familiarity with running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-von-neumann/it-is-exceptional-that-one-should-be-able-to-acquire-the/)

[John von Neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-von-neumann/)

> [“On the contrary, we have a very deep-seated distrust of real intellectual effort (probably because we suspect that it will destroy, as I hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/on-the-contrary-we-have-a-very-deep-seated-distrust-of-real/)

[James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/)

> [Software development takes immense intellectual effort. Even the best programmers can rarely sustain that level of effort for more than a few hours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-spolsky/software-development-takes-immense-intellectual-effort-even-the-best/)

[Joel Spolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-spolsky/)

> [“He seemed to have lost the power of intellectual effort, now that the stimulus of pain had been removed. He was not bored, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/he-seemed-to-have-lost-the-power-of-intellectual-effort-now-that-the/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Compassion is not feeling sorry for others. It's not soft. It requires an intellectual effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/compassion-is-not-feeling-sorry-for-others-it-s-not-soft-it-requires/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

> [“A poet or philosopher should have no fault to find with his age if it only permits him to do his work undisturbed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhaur/a-poet-or-philosopher-should-have-no-fault-to-find-with-his-age-if-it/)

[Arthur Schopenhaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhaur/)

> [ \[I\]t is necessary to insist upon this extraordinary but undeniable fact: experimental science has progressed thanks in great part to the work of men… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/i-t-is-necessary-to-insist-upon-this-extraordinary-but-undeniable/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [The characteristic of the hour is that the commonplace mind, knowing itself to be commonplace, has the assurance to proclaim the rights of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-characteristic-of-the-hour-is-that-the-commonplace-mind-knowing/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Commonplaces are the tramways of intellectual transportation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/commonplaces-are-the-tramways-of-intellectual-transportation/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [The nineteenth century, utilitarian throughout, set up a utilitarian interpretation of the phenomenon of life which has come down to us and may still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-nineteenth-century-utilitarian-throughout-set-up-a-utilitarian/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

## More by Jose Ortega y Gasset

> [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [In these years we are witnessing the gigantic spectacle of innumerable human lives wandering about lost in their own labyrinths, through not having anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/in-these-years-we-are-witnessing-the-gigantic-spectacle-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [In order to master the unruly torrent of life the learned man meditates, the poet quivers, and the political hero erects the fortress of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/in-order-to-master-the-unruly-torrent-of-life-the-learned-man/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [The common man, finding himself in a world so excellent, technically and socially, believes it has been produced by nature, and never thinks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-common-man-finding-himself-in-a-world-so-excellent-technically/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Barbarism is the absence of standards to which appeal can be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/barbarism-is-the-absence-of-standards-to-which-appeal-can-be-made/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [The form most contradictory to human life that can appear among the human species is the "self-sat-isfied man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-form-most-contradictory-to-human-life-that-can-appear-among-the/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [“For there is no doubt that the most radical division that is possible to make of humanity is that which splits into two classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/for-there-is-no-doubt-that-the-most-radical-division-that-is-possible/)

[José Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [What makes a nation great is not primarily its great men, but the stature of its innumerable mediocre ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/what-makes-a-nation-great-is-not-primarily-its-great-men-but-the/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand. This is the sport, the luxury, special to the intellectual man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/to-be-surprised-to-wonder-is-to-begin-to-understand-this-is-the-sport/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Romantic poses aside, let us recognize that "falling in love"...is an inferior state of mind, a form of transitory imbecility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/romantic-poses-aside-let-us-recognize-that-falling-in-love-is-an/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Law is born from despair of human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/law-is-born-from-despair-of-human-nature/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [The masses think that is is easy to flee from reality, when it is the most difficult thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-masses-think-that-is-is-easy-to-flee-from-reality-when-it-is-the/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [The librarian's mission should be, not like up to now, a mere handling of the book as an object, but rather a know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-librarian-s-mission-should-be-not-like-up-to-now-a-mere-handling/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Whether he be an original or a plagiarist, man is the novelist of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/whether-he-be-an-original-or-a-plagiarist-man-is-the-novelist-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Here, then, is the point at which I see the new mission of the librarian rise up incomparably higher than all those preceding. Up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/here-then-is-the-point-at-which-i-see-the-new-mission-of-the/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

[Explore all 204 Jose Ortega y Gasset quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

## More Commonplace quotes

> [It was just the sort of yatch you'd expect a rock promoter to have. Mirrored ceilings, marble, Jacuzzis and leopard-skin everything, it made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/it-was-just-the-sort-of-yatch-you-d-expect-a-rock-promoter-to-have/)

[Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/)

> [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/)

[Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/)

> [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/)

> [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/)

[Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/)

> [To be original is to discover the commonplace of a thousand years--to face at first the sneer that no one would have thought of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-stanley-lee/to-be-original-is-to-discover-the-commonplace-of-a-thousand-years-to/)

[Gerald Stanley Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-stanley-lee/)

> [Ever since childhood I have scorned the commonplace limits so often set upon human ambition. Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury - to me these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/ever-since-childhood-i-have-scorned-the-commonplace-limits-so-often/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [After all, the commonplaces are the great poetic truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/after-all-the-commonplaces-are-the-great-poetic-truths/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [“In a sense nothing is commonplace, for everything exists visibly by means of light and color, and light and color are the most fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-parkhurst-the-painter-in-oil/in-a-sense-nothing-is-commonplace-for-everything-exists-visibly-by/)

[David Parkhurst The Painter In Oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-parkhurst-the-painter-in-oil/)

> [Great geniuses have the shortest biographies. Their cousins can tell you nothing about them. They lived in their writings, and sotheir house and street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/great-geniuses-have-the-shortest-biographies-their-cousins-can-tell/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The profession of music is lacking in horse sense, not only because the commonplace variety of horse is absent from its operations, but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-partch/the-profession-of-music-is-lacking-in-horse-sense-not-only-because/)

[Harry Partch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-partch/)

> [Lying, stealing, and cheating are commonplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/lying-stealing-and-cheating-are-commonplace/)

[Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/)

> [Which are the people who have influenced us most? Not the ones who thought they did, but those who had not the remotest notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/which-are-the-people-who-have-influenced-us-most-not-the-ones-who/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [We look for visions of heaven and we never dream that all the time God is in the commonplace things and people around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-look-for-visions-of-heaven-and-we-never-dream-that-all-the-time/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [Science is wonderful at destroying metaphysical answers, but incapable of providing substitute ones. Science takes away foundations without providing a replacement. Whether we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-putnam/science-is-wonderful-at-destroying-metaphysical-answers-but-incapable/)

[Hilary Putnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-putnam/)

[Browse all 344 Commonplace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commonplace/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every intellectual effort sets us apart from the commonplace, and leads us by hidden and difficult paths to secluded spots where we find ourselves amid unaccustomed thoughts.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jose Ortega y Gasset"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart-from-the-commonplace-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Commonplace"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart-from-the-commonplace-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_commonplace_every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart_3146841.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_commonplace_every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart_3146841.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_commonplace_every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart_3146841.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every intellectual effort sets us apart from the commonplace, and leads us by hidden and difficult paths to…” — Jose Ortega y Gasset",
                "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": "Jose Ortega y Gasset",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every intellectual effort sets us apart...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart-from-the-commonplace-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/every-intellectual-effort-sets-us-apart-from-the-commonplace-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
