---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A distinction has been made between…"
description: "\"A distinction has been made between acuteness and subtlety of understanding. This might be illustrated by saying that acuteness consists in taking up t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/william-hazlitt-326_air_a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acut_1433359.jpg"
---

#  A distinction has been made between acuteness and subtlety…

![“A distinction has been made between acuteness and subtlety of understanding. This might be illustrated by saying that acuteness consists in taking up the points or solid atoms, subtlety in feeling the air of truth.” quote by William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/william-hazlitt-326_air_a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acut_1433359.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/william-hazlitt-326_air_a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acut_1433359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/william-hazlitt-326_air_a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acut_1433359.jpg)

> “A distinction has been made between acuteness and subtlety of understanding. This might be illustrated by saying that acuteness consists in taking up the points or solid atoms, subtlety in feeling the air of truth.”

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## About This Quote

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

Sharp insight focuses on concrete facts; subtle insight perceives underlying truth.

**In simple terms:** Clarity vs. nuance.

Key Takeaway

Balance detail with intuition.

Themes

analysis intuition truth

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- academic research
- legal argument
- art critique
- personal decision making

Key Concepts

philosophy cognition perception

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you prioritize facts or feeling?
- How can both be integrated?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on detail can miss the bigger picture.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Acuteness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acuteness-5108855/) [Acuteness Consists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acuteness-consists-5108853/) [Acuteness Subtlety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acuteness-subtlety-5108851/) [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Atoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atoms/) [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Distinction Acuteness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction-acuteness-5108852/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Saying Acuteness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-acuteness-5108854/) [Subtlety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subtlety/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/)

## Related quotes

> [I’m I really working on the right thing, or once I put the solution in place I’m I going to get the benefit out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-evans/i-m-i-really-working-on-the-right-thing-or-once-i-put-the-solution-in/)

[Dave Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-evans/)

> [Johnny Winter doesn't know the word 'subtlety.' But it works, it works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-trucks/johnny-winter-doesn-t-know-the-word-subtlety-but-it-works-it-works/)

[Butch Trucks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-trucks/)

> [In Kerala, people are more educated, so you can have subtlety in Malayalam films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyadarshan/in-kerala-people-are-more-educated-so-you-can-have-subtlety-in/)

[Priyadarshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyadarshan/)

> [Some have said there is no subtlety to destruction. You know what? They're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaya/some-have-said-there-is-no-subtlety-to-destruction-you-know-what-they/)

[Jaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaya/)

> [The American capitalists are richer and stronger than their counterparts in other lands. They are also younger and more ignorant, and therefore more inclined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-cannon/the-american-capitalists-are-richer-and-stronger-than-their/)

[James P. Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-cannon/)

> [The Silvertop and the Goldtop both had subtlety where it was needed but lots of definition as well. I liked the different voicings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dweezil-zappa/the-silvertop-and-the-goldtop-both-had-subtlety-where-it-was-needed/)

[Dweezil Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dweezil-zappa/)

> [A small garden, accordingly, gives its owner a far greater opportunity to express himself ... in a garden any man may be an artist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-gray-otis-dwight/a-small-garden-accordingly-gives-its-owner-a-far-greater-opportunity/)

[Harrison Gray Otis Dwight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-gray-otis-dwight/)

> [Spiritual wisdom consists in finding out the subtleties, policies, and depths of any indwelling sin... to trace this serpent in all its turnings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/spiritual-wisdom-consists-in-finding-out-the-subtleties-policies-and/)

[John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/)

> [I share this view, that Hillary Clinton did not get a fair chance with both media perspectives and the subtleties on the gender discrimination.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-echaveste/i-share-this-view-that-hillary-clinton-did-not-get-a-fair-chance-with/)

[Maria Echaveste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-echaveste/)

> [Sometimes men present a swagger that suggests a prowess, whether it's sexual or financial. L.A. seems to be a place where trying too hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/sometimes-men-present-a-swagger-that-suggests-a-prowess-whether-it-s/)

[Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/)

> [Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/human-subtlety-will-never-devise-an-invention-more-beautiful-more/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [Spirit of place! It is for this we travel, to surprise its subtlety; and where it is a strong and dominant angel, that place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-meynell/spirit-of-place-it-is-for-this-we-travel-to-surprise-its-subtlety-and/)

[Alice Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-meynell/)

> [If we do not appreciate the sensitivity and subtlety of the human heart, how can we appreciate the sensitivity and subtlety of the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/if-we-do-not-appreciate-the-sensitivity-and-subtlety-of-the-human/)

[Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/)

> [To become aware of the subtlety of nature you need to be alert. The moment you become alert you become still... thinking subsides. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-become-aware-of-the-subtlety-of-nature-you-need-to-be-alert-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [It is said that Windham, when he came to the end of a speech, often found himself so perplexed by his own subtlety that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/it-is-said-that-windham-when-he-came-to-the-end-of-a-speech-often/)

[Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/)

## More by William Hazlitt

> [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We are thankful for good-will rather than for services, for the motive than the quantum of favor received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-thankful-for-good-will-rather-than-for-services-for-the-motive/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The discussing the characters and foibles of common friends is a great sweetness and cement of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-discussing-the-characters-and-foibles-of-common-friends-is-a/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Want of principle is power. Truth and honesty set a limit to our efforts, which impudence and hypocrisy easily overleap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/want-of-principle-is-power-truth-and-honesty-set-a-limit-to-our/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Repose is as necessary in conversation as in a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/repose-is-as-necessary-in-conversation-as-in-a-picture/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [No act terminating in itself constitutes greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/no-act-terminating-in-itself-constitutes-greatness/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Vice is man's nature: virtue is a habit--or a mask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/vice-is-man-s-nature-virtue-is-a-habit-or-a-mask/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We never do anything well till we cease to think about the manner doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-never-do-anything-well-till-we-cease-to-think-about-the-manner/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/man-is-the-only-animal-that-laughs-and-weeps-for-he-is-the-only/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Those who have had none of the cares of this life to harass and disturb them, have been obliged to have recourse to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/those-who-have-had-none-of-the-cares-of-this-life-to-harass-and/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Poverty, when it is voluntary, is never despicable, but takes an heroical aspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/poverty-when-it-is-voluntary-is-never-despicable-but-takes-an/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [We are not satisfied to be right, unless we can prove others to be quite wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/we-are-not-satisfied-to-be-right-unless-we-can-prove-others-to-be/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The world judge of men by their ability in their profession, and we judge of ourselves by the same test: for it is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-world-judge-of-men-by-their-ability-in-their-profession-and-we/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The best part of our lives we pass in counting on what is to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-best-part-of-our-lives-we-pass-in-counting-on-what-is-to-come/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

[Explore all 671 William Hazlitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## More Air quotes

> [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/)

[Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/)

[Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/)

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [ 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/)

> [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/)

[Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/)

> [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/)

[Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/)

> [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

[Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A distinction has been made between acuteness and subtlety of understanding. This might be illustrated by saying that acuteness consists in taking up the points or solid atoms, subtlety in feeling the air of truth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Hazlitt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acuteness-and-subtlety-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Air"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acuteness-and-subtlety-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/william-hazlitt-326_air_a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acut_1433359.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/william-hazlitt-326_air_a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acut_1433359.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e2/william-hazlitt-326_air_a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acut_1433359.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A distinction has been made between acuteness and subtlety of understanding. This might be illustrated by…” — William Hazlitt",
                "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 Hazlitt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A distinction has been made between...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acuteness-and-subtlety-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-distinction-has-been-made-between-acuteness-and-subtlety-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
