--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has often been said that [...] the…" description: "\"It has often been said that [...] the Japanese [are] geniuses at taking foreign ideas and adding a unique finishing touch.\" — Robert Reed" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/robert-reed-23290_finishing_it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese_2140784.jpg" --- # It has often been said that \[...\] the Japanese \[are\]… ![“It has often been said that [...] the Japanese [are] geniuses at taking foreign ideas and adding a unique finishing touch.” quote by Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/robert-reed-23290_finishing_it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese_2140784.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/robert-reed-23290_finishing_it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese_2140784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/robert-reed-23290_finishing_it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese_2140784.jpg) > “It has often been said that \[...\] the Japanese \[are\] geniuses at taking foreign ideas and adding a unique finishing touch.” [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) ## 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 highlights Japan's ability to adopt foreign concepts and enhance them with distinctive cultural flair. **In simple terms:** Japan excels at adapting and refining foreign ideas. Key Takeaway Embrace and personalize external influences. Themes culture creativity adaptation Mood proud reflective Type analytical observational When to use this quote - business strategy - product design - artistic collaboration - education curriculum - international diplomacy Key Concepts cultural synthesis innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can we respect source cultures while innovating? - What risks arise from over‑customizing borrowed ideas? A Different Perspective May overlook original context or lead to superficial appropriation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Finishing touches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finishing-touches/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Geniuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geniuses/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Japanese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/japanese/) ## Related quotes > [We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-are-not-afraid-to-entrust-the-american-people-with-unpleasant-2/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Friends, both the imaginary ones you build for yourself out of phrases taken from a living writer, or real ones from college, and relatives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/friends-both-the-imaginary-ones-you-build-for-yourself-out-of-phrases/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [“No society in the present age is so self-critical, so ready to embrace foreign ideas, or so transparent and merit-based as the United States.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/no-society-in-the-present-age-is-so-self-critical-so-ready-to-embrace/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [“Whenever Elliot Norther’s wife was nervous she baked. With the murder of Harriet Mason, her husband’s close colleague at the Faculty, she had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-clear/whenever-elliot-norther-s-wife-was-nervous-she-baked-with-the-murder/) Robert Clear > [I especially remember that on All Souls Day, when so many people wanted new monuments for the graves, our whole family pitched in. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/i-especially-remember-that-on-all-souls-day-when-so-many-people/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [“As soon as he was out of sight, Gui pulled the macaron mixture towards him, and took a deep breath. He whipped it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-madeleine/as-soon-as-he-was-out-of-sight-gui-pulled-the-macaron-mixture-towards/) [Laura Madeleine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-madeleine/) > [“It was as if the region were just putting the finishing touches on its seamless, corporatized hegemony, complete with just enough of a gesture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-benderson/it-was-as-if-the-region-were-just-putting-the-finishing-touches-on/) Bruce Benderson > [To write it down was to put the finishing touch on any event, see what it was, what it meant, what it stood for.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardyth-kennelly/to-write-it-down-was-to-put-the-finishing-touch-on-any-event-see-what/) [Ardyth Kennelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardyth-kennelly/) > [It's not how much you do, it's how often you do it. It simply doesn't matter if you make some monumental effort at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-not-how-much-you-do-it-s-how-often-you-do-it-it-simply-doesn-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Many Horses was putting the finishing touches on a bow he had been making when Hunter entered the tepee. 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In fact, we actually joke in my family that your shoes have to be shined before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-newton/good-shoes-they-re-the-ultimate-finishing-touch-in-fact-we-actually/) [Cam Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-newton/) > [A good, finished scandal, fully armed and equipped, such as circulates in the world, is rarely the production of a single individual, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/a-good-finished-scandal-fully-armed-and-equipped-such-as-circulates/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) ## More by Robert Reed > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [In a novella, a whole lot of crap can happen, and you can build momentum and suspense and leave room for a surprise or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/in-a-novella-a-whole-lot-of-crap-can-happen-and-you-can-build/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [To improve as a player you need to not only know how you plan to win, but ... how might your opponent disrupt your plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/to-improve-as-a-player-you-need-to-not-only-know-how-you-plan-to-win/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I don't believe people let things slide away. It's the nature of the universe that everything dissolves into oblivion and by every route possible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-don-t-believe-people-let-things-slide-away-it-s-the-nature-of-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [A community that learns together excels together. We need to form communities that learn together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/a-community-that-learns-together-excels-together-we-need-to-form/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [A favorite science fiction writer of mine is William Faulkner! It was an idea that came to me once, years ago, and I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/a-favorite-science-fiction-writer-of-mine-is-william-faulkner-it-was/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I'm astonished how little fright I have of my own imagination. It really does baffle me that I don't get more scared because I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-m-astonished-how-little-fright-i-have-of-my-own-imagination-it/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [The burden of intelligence: you can always imagine all those wonderful places where you can never belong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/the-burden-of-intelligence-you-can-always-imagine-all-those-wonderful/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I can't point to a moment or incident that made me see that this business, this putting down words on paper, was what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-can-t-point-to-a-moment-or-incident-that-made-me-see-that-this/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I've always thought of science fiction as being, at some level, a 19th-century business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-ve-always-thought-of-science-fiction-as-being-at-some-level-a-19th/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [“With a whisper, Ash asked Shadow, “But why do you live this way?  With him, in this kind of role?” In an Aaback fashion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/with-a-whisper-ash-asked-shadow-but-why-do-you-live-this-way-with-him/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [This is a slow business to have success in. There are exceptions, but for the most part it's kind of like the last writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/this-is-a-slow-business-to-have-success-in-there-are-exceptions-but/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [“How many of us readers say this quote and mean it. "If I knew what I know now life would be different"…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/how-many-of-us-readers-say-this-quote-and-mean-it-if-i-knew-what-i/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [How could anyone survive even a single day, if he didn't feel as if he was, in some little great way, needed?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/how-could-anyone-survive-even-a-single-day-if-he-didn-t-feel-as-if-he/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [2001: A Space Odyssey was a wonderful conundrum when I was a boy, with its giant concepts thrown across the giant screen at Indian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/2001-a-space-odyssey-was-a-wonderful-conundrum-when-i-was-a-boy-with/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) [Explore all 26 Robert Reed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) ## More Finishing quotes > [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [One should never forget that by actually perfecting one piece one gains and learns more than by starting or half-finishing a dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-brahms/one-should-never-forget-that-by-actually-perfecting-one-piece-one/) [Johannes Brahms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-brahms/) > [A good, finished scandal, fully armed and equipped, such as circulates in the world, is rarely the production of a single individual, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/a-good-finished-scandal-fully-armed-and-equipped-such-as-circulates/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [“Never be afraid to offer a smile; sure the risk is that a few foolish people may misinterpret your kindness as weakness, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/never-be-afraid-to-offer-a-smile-sure-the-risk-is-that-a-few-foolish/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [Salah already played in England. He has high skills at dribbling, tempo and finishing and he makes defenders despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-matip/salah-already-played-in-england-he-has-high-skills-at-dribbling-tempo/) [Joel Matip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-matip/) > [I didn't finish high school - left home when I was 15. I moved away to Fresno and worked as a grocery clerk. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-covey/i-didn-t-finish-high-school-left-home-when-i-was-15-i-moved-away-to/) [Joy Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-covey/) > [Don't start shit you can't finish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden/don-t-start-shit-you-can-t-finish/) [Jaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden/) > [I need to improve my finishing. I need more goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-ji-sung/i-need-to-improve-my-finishing-i-need-more-goals/) [Park Ji-sung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-ji-sung/) > [So many people are good at starts and not so good at finishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-corcoran/so-many-people-are-good-at-starts-and-not-so-good-at-finishing/) [Barbara Corcoran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-corcoran/) > [I think it started with both the shows and the box set from finishing White Material. I think we were also pretty desperate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-a-staples/i-think-it-started-with-both-the-shows-and-the-box-set-from-finishing/) [Stuart A. Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-a-staples/) > [Always quit for the day when you know what you want to do next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-what-you-want-to-do-next/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [You can always improve with the team. There are tactical things, finishing in front of goal, speed as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/you-can-always-improve-with-the-team-there-are-tactical-things/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [It is easy to have a lot of paintings or projects hanging around that are 'almost done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/it-is-easy-to-have-a-lot-of-paintings-or-projects-hanging-around-that/) [Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Good shoes - they're the ultimate finishing touch. In fact, we actually joke in my family that your shoes have to be shined before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-newton/good-shoes-they-re-the-ultimate-finishing-touch-in-fact-we-actually/) [Cam Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-newton/) Browse all 475 Finishing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It has often been said that [...] the Japanese [are] geniuses at taking foreign ideas and adding a unique finishing touch.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Reed" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese-are-geniuses-at-taking/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Finishing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese-are-geniuses-at-taking/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/robert-reed-23290_finishing_it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese_2140784.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/robert-reed-23290_finishing_it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese_2140784.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cb/robert-reed-23290_finishing_it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese_2140784.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It has often been said that [...] the Japanese [are] geniuses at taking foreign ideas and adding a unique…” — Robert Reed", "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": "Robert Reed", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It has often been said that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese-are-geniuses-at-taking/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/it-has-often-been-said-that-the-japanese-are-geniuses-at-taking/#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 } } ] } ```