---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: does not ingenuity consist in the finding…"
description: "\"“does not ingenuity consist in the finding or creating of connections between apparently extraneous orders of ideas?)”\" — Primo Levi"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/primo-levi-2751_creativity_does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-findin_2747571.jpg"
---

#  does not ingenuity consist in the finding or creating of…

![“does not ingenuity consist in the finding or creating of connections between apparently extraneous orders of ideas?)” quote by Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/primo-levi-2751_creativity_does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-findin_2747571.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/primo-levi-2751_creativity_does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-findin_2747571.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/primo-levi-2751_creativity_does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-findin_2747571.jpg)

> ““does not ingenuity consist in the finding or creating of connections between apparently extraneous orders of ideas?)””

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

## About This Quote

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

Ingenuity lies in linking seemingly unrelated ideas, creating novel connections.

**In simple terms:** Creativity is connecting disparate ideas.

Key Takeaway

Seek unexpected connections.

Themes

creativity connection innovation

Mood

inquisitive intellectual

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- research
- artistic creation

Key Concepts

interdisciplinary thinking conceptual blending

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you find unrelated ideas?
- What limits creative connections?

A Different Perspective

May overlook practical constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Ingenuity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingenuity/)

## Related quotes

> [“The extraneous duties, in a sense, were the job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-extraneous-duties-in-a-sense-were-the-job/)

[Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/)

> [My parents never got carried away with the extraneous elements of being in the business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-joel-osment/my-parents-never-got-carried-away-with-the-extraneous-elements-of/)

[Haley Joel Osment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-joel-osment/)

> [I think that words are often extraneous to what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-hodgkin/i-think-that-words-are-often-extraneous-to-what-i-do/)

[Howard Hodgkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-hodgkin/)

> [“He was notorious for cutting short extraneous verbiage from over-loquacious barristers".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-courtenay/he-was-notorious-for-cutting-short-extraneous-verbiage-from-over/)

[Bryce Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-courtenay/)

> [He knew he couldn't tell stories, that he always included extraneous details & tangents that interested only him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-knew-he-couldn-t-tell-stories-that-he-always-included-extraneous/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“The world was full of extraneous rubbish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satya-robyn/the-world-was-full-of-extraneous-rubbish/)

Satya Robyn

> [You have to decide what is extraneous and what is central. There is always more to tell. If you want to have a finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele-logan-alexander/you-have-to-decide-what-is-extraneous-and-what-is-central-there-is/)

[Adele Logan Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele-logan-alexander/)

> [I'm trying always to leave out what I think is extraneous. And to find what I think is the most wonderful language to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-trying-always-to-leave-out-what-i-think-is-extraneous-and-to-find/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [For God does not want to save us by our own but by an extraneous righteousness, one that does not originate in ourselves but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/for-god-does-not-want-to-save-us-by-our-own-but-by-an-extraneous/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

> [By making college more affordable for all and more accessible for minority students, the first new higher education authorizing legislation in a decade will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/by-making-college-more-affordable-for-all-and-more-accessible-for/)

[Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/)

> [The founder of any branch must be more ingenious than the common man. However, if his achievement is not carried on by disciples of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-founder-of-any-branch-must-be-more-ingenious-than-the-common-man/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [Ultimately, of course, you must decide for yourself whether the subjective psychological effects created by your evolved cognitive biases reflect an objective reality, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-bering/ultimately-of-course-you-must-decide-for-yourself-whether-the/)

[Jesse Bering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-bering/)

> [Human ingenuity has given centuries to the goal of ensuring that the human body might move around at an even 68 degrees all year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-morrow/human-ingenuity-has-given-centuries-to-the-goal-of-ensuring-that-the/)

[Lance Morrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-morrow/)

> [Perhaps a creature of so much ingenuity and deep memory is almost bound to grow alienated from his world, his fellows, and the objects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/perhaps-a-creature-of-so-much-ingenuity-and-deep-memory-is-almost/)

[Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/)

> [It's still possible to savor the remarkable foods that millennia of human ingenuity have teased from milk. A sip of milk itself or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-mcgee/it-s-still-possible-to-savor-the-remarkable-foods-that-millennia-of/)

Harold McGee

## More by Primo Levi

> [I too entered the Lager as a nonbeliever, and as a nonbeliever I was liberated and have lived to this day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/i-too-entered-the-lager-as-a-nonbeliever-and-as-a-nonbeliever-i-was/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [Man is a centaur, a tangle of flesh and mind, divine inspiration and dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/man-is-a-centaur-a-tangle-of-flesh-and-mind-divine-inspiration-and/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [Our ignorance allowed us to live, as you are in the mountains, and your rope is frayed and about to break, but you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/our-ignorance-allowed-us-to-live-as-you-are-in-the-mountains-and-your/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [“Válka, to je hlavně velký zmatek, na poli i v lidských hlavách: často člověk ani nechápe, kdo vlastně vítězí a kdo prohrává, o tom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/v-lka-to-je-hlavn-velk-zmatek-na-poli-i-v-lidsk-ch-hlav-ch-asto-lov-k/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [“An extreme case of the distortion of the memory of a committed guilty act is found in its suppression. Here, too, the borderline between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/an-extreme-case-of-the-distortion-of-the-memory-of-a-committed-guilty/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [“It was the shame we knew so well, the shame that drowned us after the selections, and every time we had to watch, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/it-was-the-shame-we-knew-so-well-the-shame-that-drowned-us-after-the/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [An enemy who sees the error of his ways ceases to be an enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/an-enemy-who-sees-the-error-of-his-ways-ceases-to-be-an-enemy/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [“Willingly or not we come to terms with power, forgetting that we are all in the ghetto, that the ghetto is walled in, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/willingly-or-not-we-come-to-terms-with-power-forgetting-that-we-are/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [Nothing can be said: nothing sure, nothing probable, nothing honest. Better to err through omission than through commission: better to refrain from steering the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/nothing-can-be-said-nothing-sure-nothing-probable-nothing-honest/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [“We were also born," Line said abruptly. Mendel questioned her with a look, and Line tried to clarify her thought: "Born, expelled. Russia conceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/we-were-also-born-line-said-abruptly-mendel-questioned-her-with-a/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [“They are the typical product of the structure of the German Lager: if one offers a position of privilege to a few individuals in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/they-are-the-typical-product-of-the-structure-of-the-german-lager-if/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [Anyone who has obeyed nature by transmitting a piece of gossip experiences the explosive relief that accompanies the satisfying of a primary need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/anyone-who-has-obeyed-nature-by-transmitting-a-piece-of-gossip/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [I beg the reader not to go in search of messages. It is a term that I detest because it distresses me greatly, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/i-beg-the-reader-not-to-go-in-search-of-messages-it-is-a-term-that-i/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [“One of them declared: 'Doing this work, one either goes crazy the first day or gets accustomed to it.' Another, though: 'Certainly I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/one-of-them-declared-doing-this-work-one-either-goes-crazy-the-first/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [For me chemistry represented an indefinite cloud of future potentialities which enveloped my life to come in black volutes torn by fiery flashes, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/for-me-chemistry-represented-an-indefinite-cloud-of-future/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

[Explore all 130 Primo Levi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

## More Creativity quotes

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/)

Andrei Amalrik

> [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/)

[John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/)

> [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/)

[Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/)

[Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/)

> [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/)

[Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/)

> [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/)

[Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/)

> [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/)

Christoph Niemann

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/)

[Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/)

> [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“does not ingenuity consist in the finding or creating of connections between apparently extraneous orders of ideas?)”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Primo Levi"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-finding-or-creating-of-connections/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Creativity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-finding-or-creating-of-connections/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/primo-levi-2751_creativity_does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-findin_2747571.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/primo-levi-2751_creativity_does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-findin_2747571.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/primo-levi-2751_creativity_does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-findin_2747571.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“does not ingenuity consist in the finding or creating of connections between apparently extraneous orders of…” — Primo Levi",
                "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": "Primo Levi",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“does not ingenuity consist in the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-finding-or-creating-of-connections/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/does-not-ingenuity-consist-in-the-finding-or-creating-of-connections/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```