--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Innocence in genius, and candor in power…" description: "\"Innocence in genius, and candor in power, are both noble qualities.\" — Madame de Stael" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/madame-de-stael-2069_candor_innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power_439787.jpg" --- # Innocence in genius, and candor in power, are both noble… ![“Innocence in genius, and candor in power, are both noble qualities.” quote by Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/madame-de-stael-2069_candor_innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power_439787.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/madame-de-stael-2069_candor_innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power_439787.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/madame-de-stael-2069_candor_innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power_439787.jpg) > “Innocence in genius, and candor in power, are both noble qualities.” [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Noble traits like innocence in talent and honesty in authority are valuable. **In simple terms:** Honesty and humility are noble. Key Takeaway Value humility and honesty. Themes integrity humility leadership Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - political leadership - creative work - personal development Key Concepts ethics character virtue Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders maintain honesty? - What role does innocence play in innovation? A Different Perspective Noble qualities can be exploited for personal gain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Candor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candor/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Innocence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocence/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) ## Related quotes > [Faithfulness and character are noble qualities that God honors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-george/faithfulness-and-character-are-noble-qualities-that-god-honors/) [Jim George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-george/) > [It is perhaps common in the world for individuals and nations to suffer for their noble qualities more than for their ignoble ones. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/it-is-perhaps-common-in-the-world-for-individuals-and-nations-to/) [Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/) > [The sure mark of one born with noble qualities is being born without envy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-sure-mark-of-one-born-with-noble-qualities-is-being-born-without/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The surest proof of being endowed with noble qualities is to be free from envy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-surest-proof-of-being-endowed-with-noble-qualities-is-to-be-free/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [All beautiful and noble qualities have been united in me... I shall be the fruit which will leave eternal vitality behind even after its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/egon-schiele/all-beautiful-and-noble-qualities-have-been-united-in-me-i-shall-be/) [Egon Schiele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/egon-schiele/) > [I love the Irish for their attachment to the faith and for many amiable and noble qualities, but they are deficient in good sense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orestes-brownson/i-love-the-irish-for-their-attachment-to-the-faith-and-for-many/) [Orestes Brownson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orestes-brownson/) > [We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities... still bears in his bodily frame the indelible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/we-must-however-acknowledge-as-it-seems-to-me-that-man-with-all-his/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Man with all his noble qualities, with sympathy which feels for the most debased, with benevolence which extends not only to other men but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/man-with-all-his-noble-qualities-with-sympathy-which-feels-for-the/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Courage, determination, commitment to achieve a difficult long-term goal, dedication to common good, spirit of selfless service these are no doubt noble qualities of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-joseph-benziger/courage-determination-commitment-to-achieve-a-difficult-long-term/) [T Joseph Benziger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-joseph-benziger/) > [Every trait of beauty may be traced to some virtue, as to innocence, candor, generosity, modesty, and heroism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-henri-bernardin-de-saint-pierre/every-trait-of-beauty-may-be-traced-to-some-virtue-as-to-innocence/) [Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-henri-bernardin-de-saint-pierre/) > [Honesty is always the best policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/honesty-is-always-the-best-policy/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Truth is a risky proposition. It's the nature of mediocre human beings to believe that lies are necessary, that they serve a purpose, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/truth-is-a-risky-proposition-it-s-the-nature-of-mediocre-human-beings/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“I struggle to keep my hard, expressionless mask in place. The doctor's most powerful weapon has always been his particular brand of brutal honesty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/i-struggle-to-keep-my-hard-expressionless-mask-in-place-the-doctor-s/) [Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/) > [I have to declare in all candor that no one interested in being published in our time can afford to be so naive as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/i-have-to-declare-in-all-candor-that-no-one-interested-in-being/) [Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/) > [Take lack of candor. ... I'm not talking about boldface lying, but a tendency to withhold information. That behavior is far more common, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/take-lack-of-candor-i-m-not-talking-about-boldface-lying-but-a/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) ## More by Madame de Stael > [Good taste cannot supply the place of genius in literature, for the best proof of taste, when there is no genius, would be, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/good-taste-cannot-supply-the-place-of-genius-in-literature-for-the/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [There is no reality on this earth except religion and the power of love; all the rest is even more fugitive than life itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/there-is-no-reality-on-this-earth-except-religion-and-the-power-of/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [in Italy, almost at every step, history and poetry add to the graces of nature, sweeten the memory of the past, and seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/in-italy-almost-at-every-step-history-and-poetry-add-to-the-graces-of/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [ \[Ridicule\] laughs at all those who see the earnestness of life and who still believe in true feelings and in serious thought ... It… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/ridicule-laughs-at-all-those-who-see-the-earnestness-of-life-and-who/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [Ought not every woman, like every man, to follow the bent of her own talents?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/ought-not-every-woman-like-every-man-to-follow-the-bent-of-her-own/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [The more we know the better we forgive. Whoever feels deeply, feels for all who live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/the-more-we-know-the-better-we-forgive-whoever-feels-deeply-feels-for/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [Let us then blend everything: love, religion, genius, with sunshine, perfume, music, and poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/let-us-then-blend-everything-love-religion-genius-with-sunshine/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [Man's most valuable faculty is his imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/man-s-most-valuable-faculty-is-his-imagination/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [Taste is to literature what bon ton is in society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/taste-is-to-literature-what-bon-ton-is-in-society/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [A voyage without companionship, that is to say without conversation, is one of the saddest pleasures of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/a-voyage-without-companionship-that-is-to-say-without-conversation-is/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [However old a conjugal union, it still garners some sweetness. Winter has some cloudless days, and under the snow a few flowers still bloom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/however-old-a-conjugal-union-it-still-garners-some-sweetness-winter/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [The sight of such a monument is like continual and stationary music, which one hears for one's good as one approaches it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/the-sight-of-such-a-monument-is-like-continual-and-stationary-music/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [If we would succeed in works of the imagination, we must offer a mild morality in the midst of rigid manners; but where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/if-we-would-succeed-in-works-of-the-imagination-we-must-offer-a-mild/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [“The human mind always makes progress, but it is a progress made in spirals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/the-human-mind-always-makes-progress-but-it-is-a-progress-made-in/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) > [Where no interest is takes in science, literature and liberal pursuits, mere facts and insignificant criticisms necessarily become the themes of discourse; and minds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/where-no-interest-is-takes-in-science-literature-and-liberal-pursuits/) [Madame de Stael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) [Explore all 187 Madame de Stael quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/) ## More Candor quotes > [Take lack of candor. ... I'm not talking about boldface lying, but a tendency to withhold information. That behavior is far more common, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/take-lack-of-candor-i-m-not-talking-about-boldface-lying-but-a/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [I have to declare in all candor that no one interested in being published in our time can afford to be so naive as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/i-have-to-declare-in-all-candor-that-no-one-interested-in-being/) [Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/) > [“I struggle to keep my hard, expressionless mask in place. The doctor's most powerful weapon has always been his particular brand of brutal honesty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/i-struggle-to-keep-my-hard-expressionless-mask-in-place-the-doctor-s/) [Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/) > [Truth is a risky proposition. It's the nature of mediocre human beings to believe that lies are necessary, that they serve a purpose, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/truth-is-a-risky-proposition-it-s-the-nature-of-mediocre-human-beings/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Honesty is always the best policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/honesty-is-always-the-best-policy/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [And he’s right to say that every faction loses something when it gains a virtue: the Dauntless, brave but cruel; the Erudite, intelligent but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/and-he-s-right-to-say-that-every-faction-loses-something-when-it/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Jennifer Fulwiler's story of finding God when you aren't looking for Him is a universal tale which will touch many hearts. With warmth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-arroyo/jennifer-fulwiler-s-story-of-finding-god-when-you-aren-t-looking-for/) [Raymond Arroyo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-arroyo/) > [Michelle Alexander's brave and bold new book paints a haunting picture in which dreary felon garb, post-prison joblessness, and loss of voting rights now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lani-guinier/michelle-alexander-s-brave-and-bold-new-book-paints-a-haunting/) Lani Guinier > [Yet if strict criticism should till frown on our method, let candor and good humor forgive what is done to the best of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-fielding/yet-if-strict-criticism-should-till-frown-on-our-method-let-candor/) [Sarah Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-fielding/) > [“He is the kind of person I should expect to rescue one from a mad dog at any risk but then insist on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-foote/he-is-the-kind-of-person-i-should-expect-to-rescue-one-from-a-mad-dog/) [Shelby Foote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-foote/) > [“Clare wasn't worried anymore about their being mean to each other. She imagined that someday she'd be part of a friendship in which she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-de-los-santos/clare-wasn-t-worried-anymore-about-their-being-mean-to-each-other-she/) [Marisa de los Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-de-los-santos/) > [I have ventured to write more intimately about my personal life than is customary for a member of the Supreme Court, and with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/i-have-ventured-to-write-more-intimately-about-my-personal-life-than/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [Getting candor right - with your reports, your peers, and your boss - is a skill that can make or break your career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/getting-candor-right-with-your-reports-your-peers-and-your-boss-is-a/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [Judicial excellence requires candor before confirmation. We are being asked to give the nominee enormous power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kohl/judicial-excellence-requires-candor-before-confirmation-we-are-being/) [Herb Kohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kohl/) > [“Instead of fleeing God scrutiny, David welcomed it. It's like he was saying, "Look God, since I can't hide from you, since you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-davis-jr/instead-of-fleeing-god-scrutiny-david-welcomed-it-it-s-like-he-was/) [Will Davis Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-davis-jr/) [Browse all 176 Candor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Innocence in genius, and candor in power, are both noble qualities.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Madame de Stael" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power-are-both-noble-qualities/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Candor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power-are-both-noble-qualities/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/madame-de-stael-2069_candor_innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power_439787.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/madame-de-stael-2069_candor_innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power_439787.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e6/madame-de-stael-2069_candor_innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power_439787.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Innocence in genius, and candor in power, are both noble qualities.” — Madame de Stael", "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": "Madame de Stael", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madame-de-stael/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Innocence in genius, and candor in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power-are-both-noble-qualities/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madame-de-stael/innocence-in-genius-and-candor-in-power-are-both-noble-qualities/#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 } } ] } ```