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Genius seems to be the fakulty ov doing a thing excellently well, that nobody supposed could be done at all.

— Josh Billings

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Notes from Wikiquote

As rendered in Uncle Sam's Uncle Josh: Or, Josh Billings on Practically Everything (1953) edited by Donald Day, p. 182

Variants

Genius is the faculty of doing a thing that nobody supposed could be done at all.

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Intelligence

More quotes by Josh Billings

I honestly beleave it iz better tew know nothing than two know what ain't so.

Men are often praised for their sagacity, but all the foresight in the world can't tell a double-yoked egg until it is broken.

There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.

As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.

Affurisms. From Josh Billings: His Sayings (1865)

Men of genius are scarce, but men of genius who use their genius for the benefit of the world are scarcer.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Josh Billings (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.