"A man of genius cannot be a monster, because anger is an expression of unbridled desire that demands an entire intelligence for the satisfaction of its needs and therefore excludes the possibility of pure contemplation. A monster may have a great mind, but he can only use it for what pertains to will. A bad man may therefore be a great conqueror, a statesman, &c. Finally, he may actually have talent. This word, as is well known, in ancient times meant money, and now denotes skills by which the approval of the crowd is acquired, and therefore money.
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Author
Arthur SchopenhauerAll Translations
All Translations
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A man of genius cannot be a monster, because anger is an expression of unbridled desire that demands an entire intelligence for the satisfaction of its needs and therefore excludes the possibility of pure contemplation. A monster may have a great mind, but he can only use it for what pertains to will. A bad man may therefore be a great conqueror, a statesman, &c. Finally, he may actually have talent. This word, as is well known, in ancient times meant money, and now denotes skills by which the approval of the crowd is acquired, and therefore money.
""Un om de geniu nu poate fi un monstru, pentru că furia este o expresie a dorinței neînfrânate care cere o întreagă inteligență pentru satisficerea nevoilor ei și, prin urmare, exclude posibilitatea unei contemplații pure. Un monstru poate avea o minte mare, dar el poate s-o folosească numai pentru ceea ce se referă la voință. Un om rău poate fi, prin urmare, un mare cuceritor, un om de stat etc. În sfârșit, el poate avea chiar talent. Acest cuvânt, după cum se știe, în timpul străvechi însemnă bani, iar acum denotă abilități cu care se dobândește aprobarea mulțimii, și, prin urmare, banii."