Parents are usually more careful to bestow knowledge on their children rather than virtue, the art of speaking well rather than doing well; but their manners should be of the greatest concern.
Only the free-wheeling artist-explorer, non-academic, scientist-philosopher, mechanic, economist-poet who has never waited for patron-starting and accrediting of his co-ordinate capabilities holds the prime initiative today.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True innovators do not wait for approval or validation to pursue their creative visions.
This quote by R. Buckminster Fuller emphasizes the importance of self-initiative and the ability to explore, create, and innovate without seeking external validation or traditional credentials. It speaks to the essence of creativity and the value of a multidisciplinary approach, suggesting that true progress comes from those who bravely navigate their own paths in various fields rather than conforming to established norms.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing careers in the arts, one might use this quote to inspire students to follow their passions without waiting for approval.
More from R. Buckminster Fuller
All quotes βThere is no such thing as genius, some children are just less damaged than others.
The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun.
I have spent most of my life unlearning things that were proved not to be true
The earth is like a spaceship that didn't come with an operating manual.
Nature is trying very hard to make us succeed, but nature does not depend on us. We are not the only experiment.
Similar quotes
Writers write these male stereotypes, and it makes it ten times more interesting if a woman says the lines.
I dance not to entertain but to help people better understand each other. Because through dance I have experienced the wordless joy of freedom, I seek it more fully now for my people and for all people everywhere.
I can't be alone among fiction writers in regarding the world, so much weirder than anything we could make up, as beating us at our own game or in racking my brains over what could possibly constitute a contribution when novels pale before the newspaper.
Hip-hop, which is my generation's blues, is important to the characters that I write about. They use hip-hop to understand the world through language.
Photos are profound because they have such short lives. They are more like fingerprints, dead leaves, rain puddles, or the corpses of flies.
It's an artist's duty to reflect the times in which we live.