---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Creator would indeed have been a…"
description: "\"The Creator would indeed have been a bungling artist had he intended man for a social animal without planting in him social dispositions.\" — Thomas Jef..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/thomas-jefferson-43_art_the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bun_2635066.jpg"
---

#  The Creator would indeed have been a bungling artist had…

![“The Creator would indeed have been a bungling artist had he intended man for a social animal without planting in him social dispositions.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/thomas-jefferson-43_art_the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bun_2635066.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/thomas-jefferson-43_art_the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bun_2635066.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/thomas-jefferson-43_art_the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bun_2635066.jpg)

> “The Creator would indeed have been a bungling artist had he intended man for a social animal without planting in him social dispositions.”

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## About This Quote

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

A creator designing humans as social beings must embed social traits; otherwise, the design fails.

**In simple terms:** Social traits are essential by design.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate innate social dispositions.

Themes

social nature design humanity

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- education
- community building
- teamwork

Key Concepts

philosophy anthropology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do social dispositions develop?
- Can society shape social nature?

A Different Perspective

Not all social traits are innate.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Intended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-intended-502968/) [Bungling Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bungling-artist-2221051/) [Creator Bungling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator-bungling-2221049/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Intended Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intended-man-1334090/) [Social Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-animal-323657/)

## Related quotes

> [ By the divine providence \[animals\] are intended for man's use... Hence it is not wrong for man to make use of them, either by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/by-the-divine-providence-animals-are-intended-for-man-s-use-hence-it/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [Many a man is given what is intended for another, but no man is given another's fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid-undset/many-a-man-is-given-what-is-intended-for-another-but-no-man-is-given/)

[Sigrid Undset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid-undset/)

> [I am not an artist, and I never intended to be one. I hope I have made some good photographs, but what I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-capa/i-am-not-an-artist-and-i-never-intended-to-be-one-i-hope-i-have-made/)

[Cornell Capa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-capa/)

> [The reading eye must do the work to make them live, and so it did, again and again, never the same life twice, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reading-eye-must-do-the-work-to-make-them-live-and-so-it-did/)

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

> [That a viewer does not see what the artist intended does not make the composition a failure... In reality all artists speak first to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-svob/that-a-viewer-does-not-see-what-the-artist-intended-does-not-make-the/)

[Mike Svob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-svob/)

> [If you want to design a successful human society you need to know what kind of animal we are. Are we a social animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/if-you-want-to-design-a-successful-human-society-you-need-to-know/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [Architecture arises out of our need to shelter the human animal in a spatial environment and to enclose the social animal in a group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-l-geddes/architecture-arises-out-of-our-need-to-shelter-the-human-animal-in-a/)

[Robert L. Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-l-geddes/)

> [Basically, a human being is a social animal. So, if you create some short moment of happiness for people, you get deep satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/basically-a-human-being-is-a-social-animal-so-if-you-create-some/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [Man is a social animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/man-is-a-social-animal/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [“As a social animal, we have a deeply rooted desire to belong to a social group—a preferred tribe, if you will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/as-a-social-animal-we-have-a-deeply-rooted-desire-to-belong-to-a/)

[David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/)

> [“SOCIAL ANIMAL ALWAYS COME ACROSS SEVERAL COMPLICATIONS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bishop-of-nyssa-gregory/social-animal-always-come-across-several-complications/)

[Bishop of Nyssa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bishop-of-nyssa-gregory/)

> [MAN is a social animal, gregarious by nature, and finds his greatest sense of security and satisfaction in the company of others who share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/man-is-a-social-animal-gregarious-by-nature-and-finds-his-greatest/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [A cat can be social, but a dog, we've bred this hyper social animal that's really truly different and will do stuff for us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/a-cat-can-be-social-but-a-dog-we-ve-bred-this-hyper-social-animal/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [Everybody's strange everywhere. Most of the trick of being a social animal is pretending you're not. But who do you fool? Nobody worth talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/everybody-s-strange-everywhere-most-of-the-trick-of-being-a-social/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [Man owes his strength in the struggle for existence to the fact that he is a social animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/man-owes-his-strength-in-the-struggle-for-existence-to-the-fact-that/)

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

## More by Thomas Jefferson

> [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-for-freedom-of-religion-and-against-all-maneuvers-to-bring-about/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-to-the-accidental-opinion-of-a/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Perceiving the order of nature to be that individual happiness shall be inseparable from the practice of virtue, I am willing to hope it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/perceiving-the-order-of-nature-to-be-that-individual-happiness-shall/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy, and not confidence, which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/free-government-is-founded-in-jealousy-and-not-in-confidence-it-is/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will be the next, yet follow truth, justice, and plain dealing, and never fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/though-you-cannot-see-when-you-take-one-step-what-will-be-the-next/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The two principles on which our conduct towards the Indians should be founded are justice and fear. After the injuries we have done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-two-principles-on-which-our-conduct-towards-the-indians-should-be/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Knowledge is power...knowled ge is safety...knowle dge is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/knowledge-is-power-knowled-ge-is-safety-knowle-dge-is-happiness/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Nothing but free argument, raillery and even ridicule will preserve the purity of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/nothing-but-free-argument-raillery-and-even-ridicule-will-preserve/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [When the people are afraid of the government, that's tyranny. But when the government is afraid of the people, that's liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-the-people-are-afraid-of-the-government-that-s-tyranny-but-when/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-are-created/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Explore all 2,098 Thomas Jefferson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [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/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Creator would indeed have been a bungling artist had he intended man for a social animal without planting in him social dispositions.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Jefferson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bungling-artist-had-he-intended/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bungling-artist-had-he-intended/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/thomas-jefferson-43_art_the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bun_2635066.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/thomas-jefferson-43_art_the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bun_2635066.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f72/thomas-jefferson-43_art_the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bun_2635066.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Creator would indeed have been a bungling artist had he intended man for a social animal without…” — Thomas Jefferson",
                "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": "Thomas Jefferson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Creator would indeed have been...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bungling-artist-had-he-intended/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-creator-would-indeed-have-been-a-bungling-artist-had-he-intended/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
