--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: True genius walks along a line, and…" description: "\"True genius walks along a line, and, perhaps, our greatest pleasure is in seeing it so often near falling, without being ever actually down.\" — Oliver ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d6/oliver-goldsmith-772_artistic_true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perha_927036.png" --- # True genius walks along a line, and, perhaps, our greatest… ![“True genius walks along a line, and, perhaps, our greatest pleasure is in seeing it so often near falling, without being ever actually down.” quote by Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d6/oliver-goldsmith-772_artistic_true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perha_927036.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d6/oliver-goldsmith-772_artistic_true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perha_927036.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d6/oliver-goldsmith-772_artistic_true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perha_927036.png) > “True genius walks along a line, and, perhaps, our greatest pleasure is in seeing it so often near falling, without being ever actually down.” [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Genius balances on a fine line between brilliance and failure, finding pleasure in near‑falls without truly falling. **In simple terms:** Genius walks a fine line. Key Takeaway Embrace risk without fear of failure. Themes genius balance risk pleasure resilience Mood reflective encouraging Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative work - entrepreneurship - scientific research - performance arts Key Concepts psychology of creativity philosophy of art Questions to Reflect On - How do you manage near‑failure? - What pleasures arise from risk? A Different Perspective Risk can lead to actual failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Greatest pleasures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-pleasures/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [True genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-genius/) ## Related quotes > [You can do something that walks a line, and invariably, whatever that line is, it will be crossed by people who don't know any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fincher/you-can-do-something-that-walks-a-line-and-invariably-whatever-that/) [David Fincher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fincher/) > [“I was dancing on the edge of something new, though maybe not completely new, if I had to be honest with myself, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-attwell/i-was-dancing-on-the-edge-of-something-new-though-maybe-not/) [Cary Attwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-attwell/) > [“The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/the-soul-walks-not-upon-a-line-neither-does-it-grow-like-a-reed/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [You know youre falling in love when the feeling of falling actually feels like youre floating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/you-know-youre-falling-in-love-when-the-feeling-of-falling-actually/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [Superficial knowledge ... is hurtful to those who possess true genius; for it necessarily draws them away from their main object, wastes their industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/superficial-knowledge-is-hurtful-to-those-who-possess-true-genius-for/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/when-a-true-genius-appears-you-can-know-him-by-this-sign-that-all-the/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [True genius repeats itself forever, and never repeats itself--one ever varied sense beams novelty and unity on all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/true-genius-repeats-itself-forever-and-never-repeats-itself-one-ever/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [Indeed, what is startling about the notion of a victimless crime is that even when the behavior in question is genuinely victimless, its criminality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/indeed-what-is-startling-about-the-notion-of-a-victimless-crime-is/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“What would you have me do? Seek for the patronage of some great man, And like a creeping vine on a tall tree Crawl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-rostand/what-would-you-have-me-do-seek-for-the-patronage-of-some-great-man/) [Edmond Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-rostand/) > [“With the confidence and peace of mind native to true genius, I lay my life story before the world, so that the reader may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-t-a-hoffmann-2/with-the-confidence-and-peace-of-mind-native-to-true-genius-i-lay-my/) [E.T.A. Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-t-a-hoffmann-2/) > [It is the privilege of true genius, And especially genius who opens up a new path, To make great mistakes with impunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/it-is-the-privilege-of-true-genius-and-especially-genius-who-opens-up/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [Style is indeed the valet of genius, and an able one too; but as the true gentleman will appear, even in rags, so true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/style-is-indeed-the-valet-of-genius-and-an-able-one-too-but-as-the/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [I'm the artist formally known as Beck. I have a genius wig. When I put that wig on, then the true genius emerges. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beck/i-m-the-artist-formally-known-as-beck-i-have-a-genius-wig-when-i-put/) [Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beck/) > [The spark of a genius exists in the brain of the truly creative man from the hour of his birth. True genius is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-spark-of-a-genius-exists-in-the-brain-of-the-truly-creative-man/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Kendrick is a true genius artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flying-lotus/kendrick-is-a-true-genius-artist/) [Flying Lotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flying-lotus/) ## More by Oliver Goldsmith > [The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-fortunate-circumstances-of-our-lives-are-generally-found-at-last/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [How happy he who crowns in shades like these, A youth of labour with an age of ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/how-happy-he-who-crowns-in-shades-like-these-a-youth-of-labour-with/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [One man is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and the other with a wooden ladle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/one-man-is-born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-his-mouth-and-the-other-with-a/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [He cast off his friends as a huntsman his pack, For he knew when he pleas'd he could whistle them back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/he-cast-off-his-friends-as-a-huntsman-his-pack-for-he-knew-when-he/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Even children follow'd with endearing wile, And pluck'd his gown, to share the good man's smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/even-children-follow-d-with-endearing-wile-and-pluck-d-his-gown-to/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [The premises being thus settled, I proceed to observe that the concatenation of self-existence, proceeding in a reciprocal duplicate ratio, naturally produces a problematical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-premises-being-thus-settled-i-proceed-to-observe-that-the/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, and fools, who came to scoff, remained to pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/truth-from-his-lips-prevailed-with-double-sway-and-fools-who-came-to/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Politics resemble religion; attempting to divest either of ceremony is the most certain mode of bringing either into contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/politics-resemble-religion-attempting-to-divest-either-of-ceremony-is/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [To what fortuitous occurrence do we not owe every pleasure and convenience of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/to-what-fortuitous-occurrence-do-we-not-owe-every-pleasure-and/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Every acknowledgment of gratitude is a circumstance of humiliation; and some are found to submit to frequent mortifications of this kind, proclaiming what obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/every-acknowledgment-of-gratitude-is-a-circumstance-of-humiliation/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [ \[T\]here are depths of thousands of miles which are hidden from our inquiry. The only tidings we have from those unfathomable regions are by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/t-here-are-depths-of-thousands-of-miles-which-are-hidden-from-our/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Like the bee, we should make our industry our amusement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/like-the-bee-we-should-make-our-industry-our-amusement/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Age, that lessens the enjoyment of life, increases our desire of living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/age-that-lessens-the-enjoyment-of-life-increases-our-desire-of-living/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Thus let me hold thee to my heart, And every care resign: And we shall never, never part, My life-my all that's mine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/thus-let-me-hold-thee-to-my-heart-and-every-care-resign-and-we-shall/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [Here lies David Garrick, describe me who can, An abridgment of all that was pleasant in man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/here-lies-david-garrick-describe-me-who-can-an-abridgment-of-all-that/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) [Explore all 375 Oliver Goldsmith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) ## More Artistic quotes > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [We don't make glamorous movies today. Everything now is very realistic, artistic - and depressing. When is the last time you you saw a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-head/we-don-t-make-glamorous-movies-today-everything-now-is-very-realistic/) [Edith Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-head/) > [Unfortunately, moral beauty in art - like physical beauty in a person - is extremely perishable. It is nowhere so durable as artistic or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/unfortunately-moral-beauty-in-art-like-physical-beauty-in-a-person-is/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [It took me a long time to get to where I am, but I am here and it is everywhere I want to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-nokia/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-get-to-where-i-am-but-i-am-here-and-it-is/) [Princess Nokia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-nokia/) > [When we idealize the real, we sacrifice to artistic fancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fuseli/when-we-idealize-the-real-we-sacrifice-to-artistic-fancy/) [Henry Fuseli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fuseli/) > [For now, I'm supposing that all movements are equal, which they're not, except in this respect: that none of them gives a damn about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/for-now-i-m-supposing-that-all-movements-are-equal-which-they-re-not/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [At a time when painting itself often seems to be a threatened, even despised, form of artistic activity, Andrew Salgado emerges as a dazzlingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucie-smith/at-a-time-when-painting-itself-often-seems-to-be-a-threatened-even/) Edward Lucie-Smith > [I think once the artistic world of the type designer merged with the scientific world of the computer programmer, you began to see this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-think-once-the-artistic-world-of-the-type-designer-merged-with-the/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Writers and musicians know well the importance of extensive reading for successful writing or extensive listening for musical composition. Likewise, visual artists... understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laseau/writers-and-musicians-know-well-the-importance-of-extensive-reading/) [Paul Laseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laseau/) > [Being a Catholic, I was drawn to the mystery of the Latin and the smoke and the mirrors and all of that. That part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/being-a-catholic-i-was-drawn-to-the-mystery-of-the-latin-and-the/) [Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/) > [It is, of course, a luxury to create art and, on top of this, to insist on expressing one's own artistic opinion. Nothing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beckmann/it-is-of-course-a-luxury-to-create-art-and-on-top-of-this-to-insist/) [Max Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beckmann/) > [Niches set back in the walls contained polished marble statues of entwined bodies. Will looked away from them hastily, and then back. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/niches-set-back-in-the-walls-contained-polished-marble-statues-of/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) [Browse all 1,574 Artistic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "True genius walks along a line, and, perhaps, our greatest pleasure is in seeing it so often near falling, without being ever actually down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oliver Goldsmith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perhaps-our-greatest-pleasure-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artistic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perhaps-our-greatest-pleasure-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d6/oliver-goldsmith-772_artistic_true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perha_927036.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d6/oliver-goldsmith-772_artistic_true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perha_927036.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d6/oliver-goldsmith-772_artistic_true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perha_927036.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“True genius walks along a line, and, perhaps, our greatest pleasure is in seeing it so often near falling…” — Oliver Goldsmith", "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": "Oliver Goldsmith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "True genius walks along a line,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perhaps-our-greatest-pleasure-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/true-genius-walks-along-a-line-and-perhaps-our-greatest-pleasure-is/#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 } } ] } ```