--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who sleep only two or three hours…" description: "\"“People who sleep only two or three hours in the twenty-four are always geniuses. The ones you hear about, anyway. Never mind if the ones you don't hea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/ursula-k-le-guin-138_quote_people-who-sleep-only-two-or-three-hours_1718440.jpg" --- # People who sleep only two or three hours in the… ![“People who sleep only two or three hours in the twenty-four are always geniuses. The ones you hear about, anyway. Never mind if the ones you don't hear about are dolts. Insomnia is genius. It must be. Think of all the work you could do the thoughts you could think, the books you could read, the…” quote by Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/ursula-k-le-guin-138_quote_people-who-sleep-only-two-or-three-hours_1718440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/ursula-k-le-guin-138_quote_people-who-sleep-only-two-or-three-hours_1718440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/ursula-k-le-guin-138_quote_people-who-sleep-only-two-or-three-hours_1718440.jpg) > ““People who sleep only two or three hours in the twenty-four are always geniuses. The ones you hear about, anyway. Never mind if the ones you don't hear about are dolts. Insomnia is genius. It must be. Think of all the work you could do the thoughts you could think, the books you could read, the love you could make, while the dull clods lie snoring.”” [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator suggests that sleep deprivation fuels brilliance, but acknowledges it may be a myth. **In simple terms:** Insomnia supposedly boosts genius. Key Takeaway Balance rest with productivity. Themes creativity sleep myth Mood reflective curious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - Writing - research - night‑shift work - creative brainstorming Key Concepts Cognitive trade‑offs mythmaking Questions to Reflect On - Is genius truly linked to insomnia? - What are healthy ways to boost creativity? A Different Perspective Lack of sleep harms health and cognition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Insomnia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insomnia/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) ## Related quotes > [Books only spoil the originality of genius. 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He's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-macdonald/kendrick-is-phenomenal-i-ve-never-tried-and-practiced-a-song-that-was/) [Danielle Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-macdonald/) > [John Lennon was a musical genius. All I have to do is think of some of his songs and even the titles make me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/john-lennon-was-a-musical-genius-all-i-have-to-do-is-think-of-some-of/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [I never thought of myself as being a genius. I don't know what genius is. I think a far better expression is a retriever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/i-never-thought-of-myself-as-being-a-genius-i-don-t-know-what-genius/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Everyone is an artist and a genius, I think. If we don't choose to limit ourselves then we are totally accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/everyone-is-an-artist-and-a-genius-i-think-if-we-don-t-choose-to/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [I wouldn't want to compare myself to David Byrne whom I consider a genius, but what I think what we have in common is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/i-wouldn-t-want-to-compare-myself-to-david-byrne-whom-i-consider-a/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [I think David Hewlett is a comedic genius. I think he's great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-j-smith/i-think-david-hewlett-is-a-comedic-genius-i-think-he-s-great/) [Brian J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-j-smith/) > [“And what is it you think I'm so good at?" I asked. He shrugged. "Playing a role. Filling in for lost years with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/and-what-is-it-you-think-i-m-so-good-at-i-asked-he-shrugged-playing-a/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) ## More by Ursula K. Le Guin > [“...I wore his blood for clothing, on my legs and thighs and hands: a dry, stiff, brown garment with no warmth in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-wore-his-blood-for-clothing-on-my-legs-and-thighs-and-hands-a-dry/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Translation is entirely mysterious. Increasingly I have felt that the art of writing is itself translating, or more like translating than it is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/translation-is-entirely-mysterious-increasingly-i-have-felt-that-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Aeneas' mother is a star?" "No; a goddess." 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Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Between thought and spoken word is a gap where intention can enter, the symbol be twisted aside, and the lie come to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/between-thought-and-spoken-word-is-a-gap-where-intention-can-enter/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I have no control over my writing. I have lots of good intentions, but no control. There's a story that wants to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-have-no-control-over-my-writing-i-have-lots-of-good-intentions-but/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I did a lot today. That is, I did something. The only thing I have ever done. I pressed a button. It took the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-did-a-lot-today-that-is-i-did-something-the-only-thing-i-have-ever/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [To me the female principle is, or at least historically has been, basically anarchic. It values order without constraint, rule by custom not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/to-me-the-female-principle-is-or-at-least-historically-has-been/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Hector had no virtue?” “Of course he did. He won all his battles, till the last one.” “We all do,” Aeneas remarked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/hector-had-no-virtue-of-course-he-did-he-won-all-his-battles-till-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I was willing to believe him that most modern writing was trash, on the evidence that so much old writing was trash; but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-was-willing-to-believe-him-that-most-modern-writing-was-trash-on/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Can women operate as women in a male institution without becoming imitation men?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/can-women-operate-as-women-in-a-male-institution-without-becoming/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) [Explore all 1,114 Ursula K. Le Guin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## More Insomnia quotes > [“If you go to bed too early and get up too late you probably won't sleep especially well. This could show up as either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-a-lewis/if-you-go-to-bed-too-early-and-get-up-too-late-you-probably-won-t/) [Penelope A. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-a-lewis/) > [ When they \[people with insomnia\] start worrying about not sleeping, I'll say, "Say the mantra to myself; if I don't sleep tonight, I'll likely… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/when-they-people-with-insomnia-start-worrying-about-not-sleeping-i-ll/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [For me being depressed means you can spend all day in bed, and still not get a good night's rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-guest/for-me-being-depressed-means-you-can-spend-all-day-in-bed-and-still/) [Judith Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-guest/) > [“Right now I can't even control my own imagination as it grips my hair and drags me into the dark”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/right-now-i-can-t-even-control-my-own-imagination-as-it-grips-my-hair/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [Unfortunately, I suffer from insomnia, so my bedtime is as soon as I start to feel the least bit sleepy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-jackson/unfortunately-i-suffer-from-insomnia-so-my-bedtime-is-as-soon-as-i/) [Cheyenne Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-jackson/) > [I'm so tired, but I can't sleep. Standing on the edge of something much too deep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-m-so-tired-but-i-can-t-sleep-standing-on-the-edge-of-something-much/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [My life has been regulated by insomnia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/my-life-has-been-regulated-by-insomnia/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/) > [Don't fight with the pillow, but lay down your head And kick every worriment out of the bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-vance-cooke/don-t-fight-with-the-pillow-but-lay-down-your-head-and-kick-every/) [Edmund Vance Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-vance-cooke/) > [The mania started with insomnia and not eating and being driven, driven to find an apartment, driven to see everybody, driven to do New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-duke/the-mania-started-with-insomnia-and-not-eating-and-being-driven/) [Patty Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-duke/) > [O polished perturbation! golden care! That keep'st the ports of slumber open wide To many a watchful night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-polished-perturbation-golden-care-that-keep-st-the-ports-of-slumber/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Use insomnia to do something more than insomnia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/use-insomnia-to-do-something-more-than-insomnia/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [We try not using medications initially, and we use something called behavioral therapy for insomnia. This changes behaviors people do in bed, none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/we-try-not-using-medications-initially-and-we-use-something-called/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [Its at night, when perhaps we should be dreaming, that the mind is most clear, that we are most able to hold all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/its-at-night-when-perhaps-we-should-be-dreaming-that-the-mind-is-most/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [I've crossed some kind of invisible line. I feel as if I've come to a place I never thought I'd have to come to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/i-ve-crossed-some-kind-of-invisible-line-i-feel-as-if-i-ve-come-to-a/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many different ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/cats-are-rather-delicate-creatures-and-they-are-subject-to-a-good/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) [Browse all 384 Insomnia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insomnia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People who sleep only two or three hours in the twenty-four are always geniuses. The ones you hear about, anyway. Never mind if the ones you don't hear about are dolts. Insomnia is genius. It must be. 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