--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can teach people a lot about craft…" description: "\"You can teach people a lot about craft and various techniques, and you can certainly teach them to appreciate, but you cannot give them spirit or soul ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/mary-gaitskill-7551_appreciate_you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-a_1442646.jpg" --- # You can teach people a lot about craft and various… ![“You can teach people a lot about craft and various techniques, and you can certainly teach them to appreciate, but you cannot give them spirit or soul if it's not there.” quote by Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/mary-gaitskill-7551_appreciate_you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-a_1442646.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/mary-gaitskill-7551_appreciate_you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-a_1442646.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/mary-gaitskill-7551_appreciate_you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-a_1442646.jpg) > “You can teach people a lot about craft and various techniques, and you can certainly teach them to appreciate, but you cannot give them spirit or soul if it's not there.” [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Teaching technique imparts skill, but spirit and soul must already exist within the learner. **In simple terms:** Skills can be taught, but passion cannot be given. Key Takeaway Foster inner motivation. Themes education creativity authenticity Mood thoughtful inspirational Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - artistic training - personal development - teaching methods Key Concepts skill transfer intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can teachers inspire inner fire? - What role does innate talent play? A Different Perspective Without internal drive, instruction may feel hollow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) ## Related quotes > [And one thing the void certainly can teach us is how to wait, how to become truly patient, and how to let go of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/and-one-thing-the-void-certainly-can-teach-us-is-how-to-wait-how-to/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [Change can be uncomfortable and scary. But I believe change exists to teach us to appreciate and enjoy the right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-bleiler/change-can-be-uncomfortable-and-scary-but-i-believe-change-exists-to/) [Gretchen Bleiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-bleiler/) > [Dear God, Please teach me to forgive myself and others. Remove the walls that keep love out, behind which I am a prisoner. Heal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/dear-god-please-teach-me-to-forgive-myself-and-others-remove-the/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Youll soon get their appreciation if you start to teach them how you appreciate them now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/youll-soon-get-their-appreciation-if-you-start-to-teach-them-how-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've taught both screenwriting and playwriting, and playwriting is both much harder and much more rewarding. One can teach people how to tell a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ives/i-ve-taught-both-screenwriting-and-playwriting-and-playwriting-is/) [David Ives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ives/) > [Yes, I am one of those people who feels that most of my work is adaptation of one sort or another. For me, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/yes-i-am-one-of-those-people-who-feels-that-most-of-my-work-is/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [Marketing is the act of inventing the product. The effort of designing it. The craft of producing it. The art of pricing it. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/marketing-is-the-act-of-inventing-the-product-the-effort-of-designing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Writing about craft has forced me to think more about my own writing technique, and to break down my process in ways that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-coe/writing-about-craft-has-forced-me-to-think-more-about-my-own-writing/) [David B. Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-coe/) > [We have become indifferent to content, and react, not even to form, but to technique, to technical efficiency itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/czeslaw-milosz/we-have-become-indifferent-to-content-and-react-not-even-to-form-but/) [Czeslaw Milosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/czeslaw-milosz/) > [If you give a little credit to the concept of the artist, I think you ought to indulge excesses a bit, because that reflects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/if-you-give-a-little-credit-to-the-concept-of-the-artist-i-think-you/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [Sex is a natural function. You can't make it happen, but you can teach people to let it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sex-is-a-natural-function-you-can-t-make-it-happen-but-you-can-teach/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's not my job at the Institute to teach where people are in the art world - in the world of art historically. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-jordan/it-s-not-my-job-at-the-institute-to-teach-where-people-are-in-the-art/) [Lawrence Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-jordan/) > [Regrettably, people today don't watch many programs that actually teach people how to cook, so I agreed to do a competitive show that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-ben-israel/regrettably-people-today-don-t-watch-many-programs-that-actually/) [Ron Ben-Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-ben-israel/) > [I'm not so sure that I can teach people how to, you know, write dialogue or create plot or anything like that. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-m-not-so-sure-that-i-can-teach-people-how-to-you-know-write/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) ## More by Mary Gaitskill > [“I carry love wrapped in pain. That is my treasure and soon it will be yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-carry-love-wrapped-in-pain-that-is-my-treasure-and-soon-it-will-be/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [“God famously doesn't afflict Job because of anything Job has done, but because he wants to prove a point to Satan. Twenty years later,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/god-famously-doesn-t-afflict-job-because-of-anything-job-has-done-but/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [When you're writing a story, you're creating something of an artificial ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-you-re-writing-a-story-you-re-creating-something-of-an/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [Partly, I'm worried that no one is saying anything because they are afraid of being seen as politically correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/partly-i-m-worried-that-no-one-is-saying-anything-because-they-are/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [ “...loading your brain with subliminal messages… How loathsome to turn a sadistic murder into entertainment \[in the newspaper\] -- and yet how hard not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/loading-your-brain-with-subliminal-messages-how-loathsome-to-turn-a/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [ “The place Joanne is building inside \[herself\] has rooms for all of this. Not just rooms. Beautiful ones. For Karl and Jerry and Karen… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/the-place-joanne-is-building-inside-herself-has-rooms-for-all-of-this/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [“Valiantly, he tried to bring his soul to life in the small thing through which it had to live, and it was crushed, again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/valiantly-he-tried-to-bring-his-soul-to-life-in-the-small-thing/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [The best definition I've heard is that guilt is about what you've done, shame is about who you are. If something's out of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/the-best-definition-i-ve-heard-is-that-guilt-is-about-what-you-ve/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [When my first book came out, it was very disorienting. My health went south. I didn't know how to relate to people. I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-my-first-book-came-out-it-was-very-disorienting-my-health-went/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [When he held her that way, she felt so happy that it disturbed her. After he left, it would take her hours to fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-he-held-her-that-way-she-felt-so-happy-that-it-disturbed-her/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [“But life can give a lot. If you can’t see inside the heart no matter how you look, then why not look? Why not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/but-life-can-give-a-lot-if-you-can-t-see-inside-the-heart-no-matter/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [Sexuality is a place where people are very vulnerable and can be experiencing and embodying very raw forces that they don't really understand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/sexuality-is-a-place-where-people-are-very-vulnerable-and-can-be/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [I focus more on the spiritual or psychic gains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-focus-more-on-the-spiritual-or-psychic-gains/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [“When boys get angry with each other, they just fight it out and it's all over. But girls are dirty. They pretend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-boys-get-angry-with-each-other-they-just-fight-it-out-and-it-s/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) > [I think, life is miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-think-life-is-miserable/) [Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) [Explore all 87 Mary Gaitskill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/) ## More Appreciate quotes > [All I hear is the people that appreciate me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-hardy/all-i-hear-is-the-people-that-appreciate-me/) [Greg Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-hardy/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Time is really gold,spent it wisely with the people around you.Spread love,appreciate the beauty around you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jglargosta/time-is-really-gold-spent-it-wisely-with-the-people-around-you-spread/) [Jglargosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jglargosta/) > [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Eventually the consumer will come to appreciate the editorial point of view of every different brand. User-generated content without editorial oversight will simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/eventually-the-consumer-will-come-to-appreciate-the-editorial-point/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [The connoisseur of art must be able to appreciate what is simply beautiful, but the common run of people is satisfied with ornament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-connoisseur-of-art-must-be-able-to-appreciate-what-is-simply/) [Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [This time, there were no drugs involved. The hours were completely normal daytime hours. I think we were able to appreciate the interplay, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/this-time-there-were-no-drugs-involved-the-hours-were-completely/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [I would like beautiful gymnastics to be recognized as the best. I want the judges to appreciate things that are not necessarily winning points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kohei-uchimura/i-would-like-beautiful-gymnastics-to-be-recognized-as-the-best-i-want/) [Kohei Uchimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kohei-uchimura/) > [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [It's great at this stage in my life to still be in the running, that people appreciate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/it-s-great-at-this-stage-in-my-life-to-still-be-in-the-running-that/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Love is too wonderful for us but why we often times do not ever appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamad-idrus/love-is-too-wonderful-for-us-but-why-we-often-times-do-not-ever/) [Mohamad Idrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamad-idrus/) > [I think the most important thing is to stay hopeful, to believe wonderful things are possible and do your best. Basically, to not give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irena-a-hoffman/i-think-the-most-important-thing-is-to-stay-hopeful-to-believe/) [Irena A. Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irena-a-hoffman/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) Browse all 3,873 Appreciate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can teach people a lot about craft and various techniques, and you can certainly teach them to appreciate, but you cannot give them spirit or soul if it's not there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Gaitskill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-and-various-techniques-and-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appreciate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-and-various-techniques-and-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/mary-gaitskill-7551_appreciate_you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-a_1442646.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/mary-gaitskill-7551_appreciate_you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-a_1442646.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/512/mary-gaitskill-7551_appreciate_you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-a_1442646.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can teach people a lot about craft and various techniques, and you can certainly teach them to…” — Mary Gaitskill", "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": "Mary Gaitskill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can teach people a lot...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-and-various-techniques-and-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/you-can-teach-people-a-lot-about-craft-and-various-techniques-and-you/#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 } } ] } ```