--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Originality is a device that untalented…" description: "\"“Originality is a device that untalented people use to impress other untalented people to protect themselves from talented people...”\" — William Gaddis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/william-gaddis-7794_creativity_originality-is-a-device-that-untalented_1679156.jpg" --- # Originality is a device that untalented people use to… ![“Originality is a device that untalented people use to impress other untalented people to protect themselves from talented people...” quote by William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/william-gaddis-7794_creativity_originality-is-a-device-that-untalented_1679156.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/william-gaddis-7794_creativity_originality-is-a-device-that-untalented_1679156.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/william-gaddis-7794_creativity_originality-is-a-device-that-untalented_1679156.jpg) > ““Originality is a device that untalented people use to impress other untalented people to protect themselves from talented people...”” [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People lacking genuine talent often adopt a façade of originality to gain approval from peers, shielding themselves from those truly skilled. **In simple terms:** Untalented people fake originality to fit in and avoid talented rivals. Key Takeaway Recognize authentic talent and avoid false pretenses. Themes authenticity insecurity creativity Mood anxious defensive Type critical observational When to use this quote - creative work - team meetings - academic settings - social media - networking Key Concepts social dynamics self‑presentation Questions to Reflect On - How does pretending to be original affect personal growth? - What are healthier ways to gain respect? A Different Perspective It can backfire when the façade is exposed, damaging credibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Impress Untalented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impress-untalented-938327/) [Originality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originality/) [Originality Device](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originality-device-938326/) [Protect Talented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-talented-938328/) [Talented people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talented-people/) [Untalented People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untalented-people-667073/) ## Related quotes > [“The untalented people create the basis for the emergence of talents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/the-untalented-people-create-the-basis-for-the-emergence-of-talents/) [Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/) > [I was interested in the idea of celebrity... some very untalented people getting very successful and making a lot of money for not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thewlis/i-was-interested-in-the-idea-of-celebrity-some-very-untalented-people/) [David Thewlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thewlis/) > [There are many untalented people making millions of dollars in the film business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/there-are-many-untalented-people-making-millions-of-dollars-in-the/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [The untalented are more at ease in a society that gives them valid alibis for not achieving than in one where opportunities are abundant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-untalented-are-more-at-ease-in-a-society-that-gives-them-valid/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I wanted to be an actor from a young age, but actually becoming one and seen the ugly side of the world does feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-kranz/i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-from-a-young-age-but-actually-becoming-one/) [Fran Kranz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-kranz/) > [There are no musically untalented people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-levit/there-are-no-musically-untalented-people/) [Igor Levit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-levit/) > [I've played a lot of untalented people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-kirby/i-ve-played-a-lot-of-untalented-people/) [Vanessa Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-kirby/) > [God didn't create the universe so that talented people would be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-conard/god-didn-t-create-the-universe-so-that-talented-people-would-be-happy/) [Edward Conard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-conard/) > [I was born in a family of very talented people. Music runs in my blood and I could never think of anything else but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahat-fateh-ali-khan/i-was-born-in-a-family-of-very-talented-people-music-runs-in-my-blood/) [Rahat Fateh Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahat-fateh-ali-khan/) > [I am not by any means a philosopher, although I have worked with some talented people in the discipline. But certain philosophical concepts deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/i-am-not-by-any-means-a-philosopher-although-i-have-worked-with-some/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Talented people almost always know full well the excellence that is in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/talented-people-almost-always-know-full-well-the-excellence-that-is/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [If I was a white rapper, the bar for me would be Eminem. Of course his white skin helped him excel to heights that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/if-i-was-a-white-rapper-the-bar-for-me-would-be-eminem-of-course-his/) [Charlamagne tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/) > [There are so many talented people that are on G.O.O.D. Music that it's nuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mannie-fresh/there-are-so-many-talented-people-that-are-on-g-o-o-d-music-that-it-s/) [Mannie Fresh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mannie-fresh/) > [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) ## More by William Gaddis > [“That after an hour's silence he can say, The one thing I cannot stand is dampness... That's all, it took him an hour to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/that-after-an-hour-s-silence-he-can-say-the-one-thing-i-cannot-stand/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“What is it they want from a man that they didn't get from his work? What do they expect? What is there left of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/what-is-it-they-want-from-a-man-that-they-didn-t-get-from-his-work/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“-We live in Rome, he says, turning his face to the room again, -Caligula's Rome, with a new circus of vulgar bestialized suffering in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/we-live-in-rome-he-says-turning-his-face-to-the-room-again-caligula-s/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“It is a naked city. Faith is not pampered, nor hope encouraged; there is no place to lay one's exhaustion: but instead pinnacles skewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/it-is-a-naked-city-faith-is-not-pampered-nor-hope-encouraged-there-is/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“-And there's this twelve thousand dollars item for books. -That supposed to be twelve hundred, the twelve thousand is for paper. towels. Besides there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/and-there-s-this-twelve-thousand-dollars-item-for-books-that-supposed/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“There was the cell where Fr. Eulalio, a thriving lunatic of eighty-six who was castigating himself for unchristian pride at having all the vowels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/there-was-the-cell-where-fr-eulalio-a-thriving-lunatic-of-eighty-six/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [Stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/stupidity-is-the-deliberate-cultivation-of-ignorance/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“Venerable age had not, for him, arranged that derelict landscape against which it is privileged to sit and pick its nose, break wind, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/venerable-age-had-not-for-him-arranged-that-derelict-landscape/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“They write for people who read with the surface of their minds, people with reading habits that make the smallest demands on them, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/they-write-for-people-who-read-with-the-surface-of-their-minds-people/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [We're comic. We're all comics. We live in a comic time. And the worse it gets the more comic we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/we-re-comic-we-re-all-comics-we-live-in-a-comic-time-and-the-worse-it/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“Esther liked books out where everyone could see them, a sort of graphic index to the intricate labyrinth of her mind arrayed to impress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/esther-liked-books-out-where-everyone-could-see-them-a-sort-of/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“What greater comfort does time afford, than the objects of terror re-encountered, and their fraudulence exposed in the flash of reason?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/what-greater-comfort-does-time-afford-than-the-objects-of-terror-re/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“The function of this school is custodial. It’s here to keep these kids off the streets until the girls are big enough to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/the-function-of-this-school-is-custodial-it-s-here-to-keep-these-kids/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“where would Christianity be today if Jesus had been given ten to twenty with time off for good behavior”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/where-would-christianity-be-today-if-jesus-had-been-given-ten-to/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [I see the player piano as the grandfather of the computer, the ancestor of the entire nightmare we live in, the birth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/i-see-the-player-piano-as-the-grandfather-of-the-computer-the/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) [Explore all 87 William Gaddis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Originality is a device that untalented people use to impress other untalented people to protect themselves from talented people...”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Gaddis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/originality-is-a-device-that-untalented-people-use-to-impress-other/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creativity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/originality-is-a-device-that-untalented-people-use-to-impress-other/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/william-gaddis-7794_creativity_originality-is-a-device-that-untalented_1679156.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/william-gaddis-7794_creativity_originality-is-a-device-that-untalented_1679156.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/william-gaddis-7794_creativity_originality-is-a-device-that-untalented_1679156.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Originality is a device that untalented people use to impress other untalented people to protect themselves…” — William Gaddis", "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": "William Gaddis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Originality is a device that untalented...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/originality-is-a-device-that-untalented-people-use-to-impress-other/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/originality-is-a-device-that-untalented-people-use-to-impress-other/#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 } } ] } ```