“It is a very rare thing for a man of talent to succeed by his talent.”

“Talent was not rare; the ability to survive having it was.”

“Many a man may thank his talent for his rank, but no man has ever been able to return the compliment by thanking his rank for his talent.”

“They may think that they are very smart about everything because they made millions of dollars by digging a hole in the ground and finding oil, but the talent and luck needed to become rich are not the same talent and luck needed to succeed on Parliament Hill.”

“The most talented man, as he has been told many times, does a hundred foolish things in his life.”

“Greatness is often born of the passionate dance between a rare talent and a noble purpose.”

“Everyone has talent. What's rare is the courage to follow it to the dark places where it leads.”

“What is rare is not raw talent, skill, or even confidence, but humility, diligence, and self-awareness.”

“Talent? That's not talent. Talent is Liza Minnelli tap dancing and singing at the same time. What I just saw was devastation. Dying man on the cross. Salvation in B minor.”

“I think we judge talent wrong. What do we see as talent? I think I have made the same mistake myself. We judge talent by people’s ability to strike a cricket ball. The sweetness, the timing. That’s the only thing we see as talent. Things like determination, courage, discipline, temperament, these are also talent.”