Quotation by

James Whistler

I can't tell you if genius is hereditary, because heaven has granted me no offspring.

Intelligence

Understanding this quote AI Analysis

The speaker is saying they cannot know if intelligence runs in families because they have no children to observe. This means their personal experience limits their ability to comment on whether genius is passed down through heredity.

More by this author

All quotes by James Whistler →

More quotes about Intelligence

See all →

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.

Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.

Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.

We should take care not to make the intellect our god it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.

Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.