Yes. THE VALLEY OF FEAR. Alec MacDonald was the referent. the entire sentence reads "Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius, and MacDonald had talent enough for his profession to enable him to percieve that there was no humiliation in seeking the assistance of one who already stood alone in Europe, both in his gifts and in his experience."

I've often reflected on that quotation and it has inspired me to seek the original thought. Not an easy thing to do.

There is an old dictim in the game of Chess: If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit. There is a lot of BS in our world today (and in this section of the web site! [ to which I have made my share of contributions!]). I keep looking for the brilliance and hope I have enough talent to recognize it when it comes along.