Genius will live and thrive without training, but it does not the less reward the watering pot and pruning knife.

Fuller contrasts innate talent with deliberate cultivation. “Genius” may be resilient enough to survive even in neglect—able to “live and thrive without training”—but it still benefits from guidance, discipline, and education, figured as a gardener’s “watering pot and pruning knife.” The image suggests that development is not merely additive (watering) but also corrective (pruning): refinement, critique, and the removal of distractions can shape raw ability into clearer form. The line also carries a social implication consistent with Fuller’s broader concerns about opportunity: if even genius profits from cultivation, then denying training—especially to those excluded from education—needlessly wastes human potential.