Quotes About Skill

Do extremely difficult work. That seems obvious, right? If you do something that's valued but scarce because it's difficult, you're more likely to be in demand and to be compensated fairly for what you do. The implication is stunning, though: When designing a project or developing a skill, seek out the most difficult parts to master and contribute. If it's easy, it's not for you.

The same is true for learning. True learning (as opposed to education) is a voluntary experience that requires tension and discomfort (the persistent feeling of incompetence as we get better at a skill).

The craftsman and the artist say, "Here, I made this." The workingman is asked to follow instructions.

It's insulting to call a professional talented. She's skilled, first and foremost. Many people have talent, but only a few care enough to show up fully, to earn their skill. Skill is rarer than talent. Skill is earned. Skill is available to anyone who cares enough.

Plenty of people are good at what you do. Very good at it. Perhaps as good at it as you are.

A very good senior programmer (who might get paid $200,000) gets paid about the same as a great programmer, who delivers $5 million worth of value for the same price. That's enough of a difference to build an entire company's profit around. Do it with ten programmers and you're rich.

Practicing how to throw. Getting good at throwing. If you get good enough at throwing, the catching takes care of itself.

If you need to be authentic to do your best work, you're not a professional, you're a fortunate amateur.

Talent is something we're born with: it's in our DNA, a magical alignment of gifts. But skill? Skill is earned. It's learned and practiced and hard-won. It's insulting to call a professional talented. She's skilled, first and foremost. Many people have talent, but only a few care enough to show up fully, to earn their skill. Skill is rarer than talent. Skill is earned. Skill is available to anyone who cares enough.

Skill and attitude are essential. Authority is not.

The Dip is the difference between the easy "beginner" technique and the more useful "expert" approach in skiing or fashion design.

Catarina always said skill and talent were better than status because with skill and talent one could not only create beautiful things but earn money from the sale of those things. Status only bought one respect, and one could not fill an empty belly with respect.

You use your tits the way a ninja assassin uses nunchuks.

A gain I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to men of skill but time and chance happen to them all.

Life, like classical music, is full of difficult passages that are conquered as much through endurance and determination as through any particular skill.

But how can I get enough experience if they don't give me a chance to get experience?

You've got a lot of crafty ambition for an Indian boy who can't sew for shit.

I don't know nothing about birthing puppies, Miss Scarlett, but I can cleave the head off a Daimon without breaking a sweat. (Valerius)

What was that action? (Aimee) Chuck Norris meets Jet Li. (Dev)

Look, there's nothing I'm ever going to tell you about me that's the truth. The more you know about me, the shorter your life span is going to be. All you need to know is that I don't miss. In fact, you don't even need to know exactly how good I really am, because if you ever find out, you're going to be dead. (Steele)

You better be glad I like you." – Ren "I am indeed, for I have seen how you throw a knife and it is truly awe inspiring." – Sundown

I have been drawing all my life.

You can be a great DJ and still be not very good at DJ Hero. And vice-versa: You can have never spun in your life on real turntables and be fine on DJ Hero.

That's the thing that most people don't realize. In real life, comedians aren't funny. They save it. They save it up.