John Stuart Mill

He who lets the world, or his portion of it, choose his plan of life for him, has no need of any other faculty than the ape-like one of imitation. He who chooses his plan for himself, employs all his faculties . . . It is possible that he might be guided in some good path, and kept out of harm's way, without any of these things.

But what will be his comparative worth as a human being? 

It really is of importance, not only what men do, but also what manner of men they are that do it. Among the works of man, which human life is rightly importance surely is many himself . . . Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces which make it a living thing.

Moral Progress

I insist thus emphatically on the importance of genius, and the necessity of allowing it to unfold itself freely both in thought and in practice, being well aware that no one will deny the position in theory, but knowing also that almost everyone , in reality, is totally indifferent to it . . .

Originality is the one thing which unoriginal minds cannot feel the use of. They cannot see what it is to do for them: How should they? if they could see what it would for for them, it would not be originality. The first service which originality has to render them, is that of opening their eyes: which being once fully done, they would have a chance of being themselves original. Meanwhile, recollecting that nothing was ever that all good things which exist are the fruits of originality, let them by modest enough to believe that there is something still left for it to accomplish, and assure themselves that they are more in need of originality, the less they are conscious of the want.

- Mill