"Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them"

R. Buckminster Fuller’s observation underscores a provocative idea: that innate potential is universal, yet the unfolding of life, through education, culture, socialization, and daily pressures, gradually suppresses or diminishes this potential. He suggests that genius isn’t a rare quality reserved for a few, but a birthright possessed by all. Children exhibit curiosity, creativity, fearlessness, and a freedom from conventional limits; they are full of questions, uninhibited by established ways of thinking, and naturally inventive in their approach to the world.

As people mature, various forces mold them. Formal education tends to prize conformity, rote memorization, and the regurgitation of accepted facts over independent thought and imaginative problem-solving. Mistakes are often penalized rather than embraced as opportunities for learning and innovation. Social norms reward fitting in and discourage eccentricity, narrowing the spectrum of behavior considered acceptable or “normal.” This socialization process, though valuable for creating cooperative societies, can stifle creativity, suppress out-of-the-box ideas, and diminish the courageous confidence with which young minds approach new challenges.

Societal systems also reward specialization over broad-based exploration. The drive for productivity and efficiency encourages streamlined, repetitive tasks, rather than the expansive, playful, and sometimes chaotic experimentation that fuels true genius. Fear of judgment, fear of failure, and the desire for acceptance lead many to conform and stifle their creativity.

Fuller’s statement is a challenge, a call to reimagine education and culture, to nurture rather than restrict natural genius. It is also a call for recognition: the potential for extraordinary insight and innovation exists in everyone, but it must be protected from societal forces that, often unintentionally, undermine it. By rekindling curiosity and encouraging unorthodox thinking throughout life, individuals and communities can reclaim and realize the genius with which everyone begins.