quotations about talent
Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents and capacities simply by being given the opportunity to do so.
DORIS LESSING
attributed, Wisdom for the Soul
Nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
CALVIN COOLIDGE
attributed, Prudent Decision Making in an Imprudent World
The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.
JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
attributed, The Little Book of Gratitude Quotes
Well-matured and well-disciplined talent is always sure of a market, provided it exerts itself; but it must not cower at home and expect to be sought for.
WASHINGTON IRVING
letter to Pierre Paris Irving, December 7, 1824
Genius, without talent, is a wild, and beautiful, and erratic meteor; talent, without genius, is a steady light, which lasts long, but never throws a flood of radiance upon earth or sky.
ANONYMOUS
Gentleman's Pocket Magazine and Album of Literature and Fine Arts, 1828
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."
ERMA BOMBECK
attributed, Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much
If you're born with a gift, to behave like it's an achievement is not right.
WOODY ALLEN
Esquire, September 2013
The motivator for talent is a good audience.
MARGO SWADLEY
"A dying habit: why the average BBC1 viewer is 61", The Guardian, March 29, 2017
Hide not your talents, they for use were made, What's a sundial in the shade?
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Poor Richard's Almanac
Whatever your interest, there are ways to put your talent online. Uploading your work does not guarantee you fame and fortune, but people will slowly begin to recognize your talents.
FANBOLT
"The Ultimate Guide to Sharing Your Talents Online", FanBolt, May 26, 2017
The best way to get more talents is to improve the talents we have.
EDWARD BICKERSTETH
attributed, Day's Collacon
Talent is nothing but a prolonged period of attention and a shortened period of mental assimilation.
KONSTANTIN STANISLAVSKY
The Art of the Stage
We must despise no sort of talents: they all have their separate duties and uses, all the happiness of man for their object; they all improve, exalt, and gladden life.
SYDNEY SMITH
"On the Conduct of the Understanding", Elementary Sketches of Moral Philosophy
You have a unique talent and a unique way of expressing it. There is something that you can do better than anyone else in the whole world--and for every unique talent and unique expression of that talent, there are also unique needs. When these needs are matched with the creative expression of your talent, that is the spark that creates affluence. Expressing your talents to fulfill needs creates unlimited wealth and abundance.
DEEPAK CHOPRA
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
I also tell young artists, what's precious is not your songs, what's precious is your talent and your love of the process, so just go back and write another and another and another.
ALAN MENKEN
"Alan Menken Talks Working With Guy Ritchie on Live-Action 'Aladdin,' Progress of 'Little Mermaid'", Billboard, June 12, 2017
Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.
ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER
The World as Will and Representation
People in their right minds never take pride in their talents.
HARPER LEE
To Kill a Mockingbird
Brevity is the sister of talent.
ANTON CHEKHOV
letter to A. P. Chekhov, April 11, 1889
Talents, to strike the eye of posterity, should be concentrated: rays powerless while they are scattered, burn in a point.
ROBERT ELDRIDGE ARIS WILLMOTT
Pleasures of Literature
Many people who are "talented" run into trouble when they reach the outer limits of natural ability. Having been praised for their innate abilities and gone through life believing their success came naturally, these people hit the wall of hard work and don't know what to do. They may question their "naturally gifted" status, and begin to feel inferior. It can be a difficult lesson to learn, that talent has a limit and often ends where tenacious practice and effort begins.
AMOL SARVA
"Talent Is a Myth", Huffington Post, May 3, 2015