or, if we trust Aristotle, no great genius has ever been without a touch of insanity.
Genuine
Yes. In On Tranquillity of Mind (60), Chapter 17, section 10 (De Tranquillitate Animi 17.10).
Found word for word by program in the Latin original and in Aubrey Stewart’s English translation (1889).
- Work
- On Tranquillity of Mind (De Tranquillitate Animi), 60
- Where
- Chapter 17, section 10 (De Tranquillitate Animi 17.10)
- Found at
- Paragraph 54 of the Latin text, 43 of the English
- Translation
- Aubrey Stewart, 1889
Researched by AI; checked by program against the full text on 31 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
On the page
[…] All these men discovered how at the cost of a small portion of time they might obtain immortality, and by their deaths gained eternal life.
[…] Miles uigilias diuidit, et nox immunis est ab expeditione redeuntium. 8 Indulgendum est animo dandumque subinde otium, quod alimenti ac uirium loco sit.
[…] If we believe the Greek poet, “it is sometimes pleasant to be mad”; again, Plato always knocked in vain at the door of poetry when he was sober; or, if we trust Aristotle, no great genius has ever been without a touch of insanity. The mind cannot use lofty language, above that of the common herd, unless it be excited. […]
[…] Sed nec saepe faciendum est, ne animus malam consuetudinem ducat, et aliquando tamen in exsultationem libertatemque extrahendus tristisque sobrietas remouenda paulisper. 10 Nam, siue graeco poetae credimus, “aliquando et insanire iucundum est”; siue Platoni, “frustra poeticas fores compos sui pepulit”; siue Aristoteli, “nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit”. 11 Non potest grande aliquid et super ceteros loqui nisi mota mens. Cum uulgaria et solita contempsit instinctuque sacro surrexit excelsior, tunc demum aliquid cecinit grandius ore mortali. […]
I have now, my beloved Serenus, given you an account of what things can preserve peace of mind, what things can restore it to us, what can arrest the vices which secretly undermine it: yet be assured, that none of these is strong enough to enable us to retain so fleeting a blessing, unless we watch over our vacillating mind with intense and unremitting care.
12 Habes, Serene carissime, quae possint tranquillitatem tueri, quae restituere, quae subrepentibus uitiis resistant. […]
The scene
At the end of his advice to Serenus, Seneca recommends giving the mind relief from unremitting work. He discusses walks, changes of place and occasional wine, while warning against making excess a habit. He then appeals to a Greek poet, Plato and Aristotle as authorities for the mind’s need to step outside ordinary restraint in creative inspiration.
What it means
Seneca invokes Aristotle for the idea that exceptional creative achievement involves an inspired departure from the mind’s everyday composure.
Often misread
The words occur in Seneca, but he explicitly presents the thought as Aristotle’s, not as his own discovery. This is a discussion of poetic inspiration and temporary release from sober restraint, not a clinical claim that mental illness is necessary for talent. The present research confirms Seneca’s report, not an identical sentence in Aristotle’s surviving works.
Topics
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Sources
Cite it
Seneca the Younger, On Tranquillity of Mind (60), Chapter 17, section 10 (De Tranquillitate Animi 17.10), translated by Aubrey Stewart (1889). Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/no-great-genius-without-a-touch-of-insanity/ (31 October 2026).
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Checked by people
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