An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment the world hands out and the punishment he inflicts upon himself.

Write verse, not poetry. The public wants verse. If you have a talent for poetry, then don't by any means mother it, but try your hand at verse.

Some people possess talent, others are possessed by it. When that happens, a talent becomes a curse.

Can you imagine what it would be like if all the Aussie film talent was able to make Australian stories?

People think I must have been so talented at an early age, but I don't know - was it talent or hard work? Who knows?

Ry Cooder for me is a master, a great master that has a wonderful feel for Cuban music. He's also paid tribute my talent a bit, even though I don't know half of what he knows.

Talent works, genius creates.

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.

With people of limited ability modesty is merely honesty. But with those who possess great talent it is hypocrisy.

The relationship between talent and management is uneasy, at best.

A book is never a masterpiece: it becomes one. Genius is the talent of a dead man.

After Proust, there are certain things that simply cannot be done again. He marks off for you the boundaries of your talent.

If people ask me for the ingredients of success, I say one is talent, two is stubbornness or determination, and third is sheer luck. You have to have two out of the three. Any two will probably do.

Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent.

I can evaluate a player in a very short period of time because I'm very close to that game, very educated in that game and played the game for a long, long time. I wasn't just a guy with talent. I learned a lot about the game.