--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know yet what I am capable of…" description: "\"I don't know yet what I am capable of doing, but, by God, I have genius -- I know it too well to blush behind it.\" — Thomas Wolfe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/thomas-wolfe-4237_behinds_i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-do_1032277.png" --- # I don't know yet what I am capable of doing, but, by God… ![“I don't know yet what I am capable of doing, but, by God, I have genius -- I know it too well to blush behind it.” quote by Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/thomas-wolfe-4237_behinds_i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-do_1032277.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/thomas-wolfe-4237_behinds_i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-do_1032277.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/thomas-wolfe-4237_behinds_i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-do_1032277.png) > “I don't know yet what I am capable of doing, but, by God, I have genius -- I know it too well to blush behind it.” [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He acknowledges unknown potential but feels certain of his genius. **In simple terms:** He knows he has genius, even if uncertain. Key Takeaway Embrace your hidden talents. Themes self‑discovery genius confidence Mood introspective confident Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative work - personal growth - overcoming doubt Key Concepts potential self‑esteem self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports your genius? - How can you balance humility and confidence? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can blind one to realistic limits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable/) [Capable Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable-doing/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Genius Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius-know-259977/) [God Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-genius-2364746/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Know Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-capable/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [I know what I'm capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desean-jackson/i-know-what-i-m-capable-of-doing/) [DeSean Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desean-jackson/) > [I know what I'm capable of doing. I just want to stay fit and healthy and let my football take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ramsey/i-know-what-i-m-capable-of-doing-i-just-want-to-stay-fit-and-healthy/) [Aaron Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ramsey/) > [At the end of the day, I believe in myself and know what I'm capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tecia-torres/at-the-end-of-the-day-i-believe-in-myself-and-know-what-i-m-capable/) [Tecia Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tecia-torres/) > [If you believed in yourself you'd know that you're capable of doing anything that you want to do. You just have to PUSH yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-you-believed-in-yourself-you-d-know-that-you-re-capable-of-doing/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I know what I'm capable of doing. Never a doubt in my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-green/i-know-what-i-m-capable-of-doing-never-a-doubt-in-my-mind/) [A. J. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-green/) > [I know what I'm capable of doing when I'm on the baseball field. And I can repeat it every single day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-tatis-jr/i-know-what-i-m-capable-of-doing-when-i-m-on-the-baseball-field-and-i/) [Fernando Tatis Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-tatis-jr/) > [I always know what I'm capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakim-ziyech/i-always-know-what-i-m-capable-of-doing/) [Hakim Ziyech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakim-ziyech/) > [Few of us know what we are capable of doing... we have never pushed ourselves hard enough to find out. Alfred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-armand-montapert/few-of-us-know-what-we-are-capable-of-doing-we-have-never-pushed/) [Alfred Armand Montapert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-armand-montapert/) > [A lot of people in show business don't know what I'm capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariette-hartley/a-lot-of-people-in-show-business-don-t-know-what-i-m-capable-of-doing/) [Mariette Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariette-hartley/) > [I believe in myself and I know I'm capable of doing certain things that nobody can really do, I would say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-toney/i-believe-in-myself-and-i-know-i-m-capable-of-doing-certain-things/) [Ivan Toney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-toney/) > [I know who I am and know what I'm capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-fournier/i-know-who-i-am-and-know-what-i-m-capable-of-doing/) [Evan Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-fournier/) > [People sometimes attribute my success to my genius; all the genius I know anything about is hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/people-sometimes-attribute-my-success-to-my-genius-all-the-genius-i/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Mr. McMahon is a genius, and he know how to give the people good match from first match to the last match.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-iron-sheik/mr-mcmahon-is-a-genius-and-he-know-how-to-give-the-people-good-match/) [The Iron Sheik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-iron-sheik/) > [“If the poet is not a real genius, I do not know what a genius is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-the-poet-is-not-a-real-genius-i-do-not-know-what-a-genius-is/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Graham Yost is a genius, and I know that very well because we worked together on 'Band of Brothers' and 'Boomtown.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-mcdonough/graham-yost-is-a-genius-and-i-know-that-very-well-because-we-worked/) [Neal McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-mcdonough/) ## More by Thomas Wolfe > [“So all were gone at last, one by one, each swept out into the mighty flood tide of the city's life, there to prove,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/so-all-were-gone-at-last-one-by-one-each-swept-out-into-the-mighty/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“A stick is not only wood but the negation of wood. It is the meeting in space of wood and no-wood. A stick is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/a-stick-is-not-only-wood-but-the-negation-of-wood-it-is-the-meeting/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [All things on earth point home in old October; sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/all-things-on-earth-point-home-in-old-october-sailors-to-sea/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“At these repeated signs of decadence in a society which had once been the object of his envy and his highest ambition, Webber's face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/at-these-repeated-signs-of-decadence-in-a-society-which-had-once-been/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [If a man has talent and can't use it, he's failed. If he uses only half of it, he has partly failed. If he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/if-a-man-has-talent-and-can-t-use-it-he-s-failed-if-he-uses-only-half/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [There came to him an image of man’s whole life upon the earth. It seemed to him that all man’s life was like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/there-came-to-him-an-image-of-man-s-whole-life-upon-the-earth-it/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“He had learned some of the things that every man must find out for himself, and he had found out about them as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/he-had-learned-some-of-the-things-that-every-man-must-find-out-for/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [What I had to face, the very bitter lesson that everyone who wants to write has got to learn, was that a thing may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/what-i-had-to-face-the-very-bitter-lesson-that-everyone-who-wants-to/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [The mountains were his masters. They rimmed in life. They were the cup of reality, beyond growth, beyond struggle and death. They were his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/the-mountains-were-his-masters-they-rimmed-in-life-they-were-the-cup/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“For four years he lived in Brooklyn, and four years in Brooklyn are a geologic age -- a single stratum of grey time. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/for-four-years-he-lived-in-brooklyn-and-four-years-in-brooklyn-are-a/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“Eugene looked with passionate devotion at that grand old head, calm, wise and comforting. In a moment of vision, he saw that, for him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/eugene-looked-with-passionate-devotion-at-that-grand-old-head-calm/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [Each moment is the fruit of forty thousand years. The minute-winning days, like flies, buzz home to death, and every moment is a window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/each-moment-is-the-fruit-of-forty-thousand-years-the-minute-winning/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“Among other things Jonestown was an example of a definition well known to sociologists of religion: a cult is a religion with no political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/among-other-things-jonestown-was-an-example-of-a-definition-well/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“They clung together in that bright moment of wonder, there on the magic island, where the world was quiet, believing all they said. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/they-clung-together-in-that-bright-moment-of-wonder-there-on-the/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [Loneliness is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/loneliness-is-and-always-has-been-the-central-and-inevitable/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) [Explore all 109 Thomas Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) ## More Behinds quotes > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/) [Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) > [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm really thankful to God, man. Like now, I'm really making a real comeback with my group. With or without a record, with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ike-turner/i-m-really-thankful-to-god-man-like-now-i-m-really-making-a-real/) [Ike Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ike-turner/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) [Browse all 6,789 Behinds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't know yet what I am capable of doing, but, by God, I have genius -- I know it too well to blush behind it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Wolfe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-doing-but-by-god-i-have-genius/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behinds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-doing-but-by-god-i-have-genius/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/thomas-wolfe-4237_behinds_i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-do_1032277.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/thomas-wolfe-4237_behinds_i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-do_1032277.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/thomas-wolfe-4237_behinds_i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-do_1032277.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't know yet what I am capable of doing, but, by God, I have genius -- I know it too well to blush…” — Thomas Wolfe", "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 Wolfe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't know yet what I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-doing-but-by-god-i-have-genius/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/i-don-t-know-yet-what-i-am-capable-of-doing-but-by-god-i-have-genius/#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 } } ] } ```