--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Talent is extremely common. What is rare…" description: "\"“Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of the writer. Writers have no one to talk shop to. It is like making w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/kurt-vonnegut-41_sistine-chapel_talent-is-extremely-common-what-is-rare_2193212.jpg" --- # Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the… ![“Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of the writer. Writers have no one to talk shop to. It is like making wallpaper by hand for the Sistine Chapel.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/kurt-vonnegut-41_sistine-chapel_talent-is-extremely-common-what-is-rare_2193212.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/kurt-vonnegut-41_sistine-chapel_talent-is-extremely-common-what-is-rare_2193212.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/kurt-vonnegut-41_sistine-chapel_talent-is-extremely-common-what-is-rare_2193212.jpg) > ““Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of the writer. Writers have no one to talk shop to. It is like making wallpaper by hand for the Sistine Chapel.”” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is common, but the dedication to endure isolation and laborious effort is rare, making the writer’s craft uniquely demanding. **In simple terms:** Writing is common; perseverance is rare. Key Takeaway Embrace the solitary, disciplined writer’s life. Themes creativity discipline solitude craft perseverance Mood reflective inspired determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - novel writing - freelance work - self‑publishing - artist residencies - creative workshops Key Concepts artistic labor self‑reliance creative process Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance solitude with community? - What motivates you to persist in writing? A Different Perspective Isolation can hinder mental health and collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Sistine chapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sistine-chapel/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of the writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/talent-is-extremely-common-what-is-rare-is-the-willingness-to-endure/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Talent is extremely common. 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There is the architect, which is one type. The architect, as if designing a building,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/i-often-said-that-writers-are-of-two-types-there-is-the-architect/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“It's not Jane Austen, it's not Henry James. But this writer, or writers, well, they're pretty damn good too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/it-s-not-jane-austen-it-s-not-henry-james-but-this-writer-or-writers/) [Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/) > [Write. No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states, black pullovers or being publicly obnoxious will ever add up to your being a writer. Writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/write-no-amount-of-self-inflicted-misery-altered-states-black/) [A.L. 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This time I thought: Writers always talk about not knowing where a book is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kehlmann/usually-i-work-out-the-plot-before-i-start-this-time-i-thought/) [Daniel Kehlmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kehlmann/) > [I'm one of those writers who can't talk about what they're working on. The entire four years I was writing 'House of Sand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-one-of-those-writers-who-can-t-talk-about-what-they-re-working-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I try to pay attention to language. I think that as a general rule, we as writers talk too much and we should listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-winslow/i-try-to-pay-attention-to-language-i-think-that-as-a-general-rule-we/) [Don Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-winslow/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. 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