--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You think you have some stable talent…" description: "\"You think you have some stable talent which will show no matter what you're writing, and if it doesn't seem to be getting across to the audience once, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joan-didion-497_audience_you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-wh_3058018.jpg" --- # You think you have some stable talent which will show no… ![“You think you have some stable talent which will show no matter what you're writing, and if it doesn't seem to be getting across to the audience once, you can't imagine that moment when it suddenly will.” quote by Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joan-didion-497_audience_you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-wh_3058018.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joan-didion-497_audience_you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-wh_3058018.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joan-didion-497_audience_you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-wh_3058018.jpg) > “You think you have some stable talent which will show no matter what you're writing, and if it doesn't seem to be getting across to the audience once, you can't imagine that moment when it suddenly will.” [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Warns that talent may feel dormant, yet persistence can eventually reveal its impact to audiences. **In simple terms:** Talent may seem invisible now but can emerge later. Key Takeaway Persist despite early lack of audience response. Themes creativity perseverance talent Mood thoughtful encouraging realistic Type literary motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - artist residencies - creative mentorship programs Key Concepts growth mindset artistic resilience audience perception Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to sustain creative effort? - How do you measure progress beyond audience feedback? A Different Perspective May ignore structural barriers to visibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [You think you have some stable talent that will show no matter what you're writing, and if it doesn't seem to be getting across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-that-will-show-no-matter-what/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [The function of the actor is to make the audience imagine for the moment that real things are happening to real people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-function-of-the-actor-is-to-make-the-audience-imagine-for-the/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [When I'm talking to a large audience, I imagine that I'm talking to a single person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-barber/when-i-m-talking-to-a-large-audience-i-imagine-that-i-m-talking-to-a/) [Red Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-barber/) > [I feel I have the potential to reach an audience beyond anything I can imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/i-feel-i-have-the-potential-to-reach-an-audience-beyond-anything-i/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [Ultimately, theatre takes place in the minds of the audience: they all imagine the same thing at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/ultimately-theatre-takes-place-in-the-minds-of-the-audience-they-all/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [Don’t waste talent. No matter what you do, don’t waste talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-lewis/don-t-waste-talent-no-matter-what-you-do-don-t-waste-talent/) [Ray Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-lewis/) > [Basketball talent is basketball talent, no matter if it comes from the suburbs or the city. Take the time to know and understand me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-webber/basketball-talent-is-basketball-talent-no-matter-if-it-comes-from-the/) [Chris Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-webber/) > [Everyone thinks that having a talent is a matter of luck; no one thinks that luck could be a matter o talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacinto-benavente/everyone-thinks-that-having-a-talent-is-a-matter-of-luck-no-one/) [Jacinto Benavente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacinto-benavente/) > [Talent is a matter of quantity. Talent does not write on page, it writes three hundred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/talent-is-a-matter-of-quantity-talent-does-not-write-on-page-it/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [Intentionality and talent always matter. An extraordinary feat is certainly made more likely by someone's focus, hard work, etc. But chance also matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/intentionality-and-talent-always-matter-an-extraordinary-feat-is/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [I think disease and all the things that we treat are tied to national security in a lot of ways that we maybe don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bush/i-think-disease-and-all-the-things-that-we-treat-are-tied-to-national/) [Laura Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bush/) > [There is always a point in the writing of a piece when I sit in a room literally papered with false starts and cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/there-is-always-a-point-in-the-writing-of-a-piece-when-i-sit-in-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Think 'Game of Thrones.' In the old days, this sort of show might be considered bad writing. It doesn't really seem to be moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/think-game-of-thrones-in-the-old-days-this-sort-of-show-might-be/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [The writing that I have found to be most false is the writing that doesn't offer hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/the-writing-that-i-have-found-to-be-most-false-is-the-writing-that/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [Good writing is good writing, but that doesn't mean you can't orchestrate it or tweak it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-travolta/good-writing-is-good-writing-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you-can-t/) [John Travolta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-travolta/) ## More by Joan Didion > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Style is character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/style-is-character/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I went because I was interested in the alchemy of issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-went-because-i-was-interested-in-the-alchemy-of-issues/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-remember-of-course-but-exactly/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I no longer want reminders of what was, what got broken, what got lost, what got wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-no-longer-want-reminders-of-what-was-what-got-broken-what-got-lost/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [My mother 'gave teas' the way other mothers breathed. Her own mother 'gave teas.' All of their friends 'gave teas,' each involving butter cookies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/my-mother-gave-teas-the-way-other-mothers-breathed-her-own-mother/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I'm not very interested in people. I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Was there ever in anyone's life span a point free in time, devoid of memory, a point when choice was any more than sum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-there-ever-in-anyone-s-life-span-a-point-free-in-time-devoid-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Research to date has shown that, like many other stressors, grief frequently leads to changes in the endocrine, immune, autonomic nervous, and cardiovascular systems;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/research-to-date-has-shown-that-like-many-other-stressors-grief/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I just can't see the upside in this," I heard myself say by way of explanation. Later he said that if John had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-just-can-t-see-the-upside-in-this-i-heard-myself-say-by-way-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [To those of us who remained committed mainly to the exploration of moral distinctions and ambiguities, the feminist analysis may have seemed a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-those-of-us-who-remained-committed-mainly-to-the-exploration-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) [Explore all 515 Joan Didion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You think you have some stable talent which will show no matter what you're writing, and if it doesn't seem to be getting across to the audience once, you can't imagine that moment when it suddenly will.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Didion" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-which-will-show-no-matter-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-which-will-show-no-matter-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joan-didion-497_audience_you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-wh_3058018.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joan-didion-497_audience_you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-wh_3058018.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/joan-didion-497_audience_you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-wh_3058018.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You think you have some stable talent which will show no matter what you're writing, and if it doesn't seem…” — Joan Didion", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joan Didion", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You think you have some stable...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-which-will-show-no-matter-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/you-think-you-have-some-stable-talent-which-will-show-no-matter-what/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```