--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even though I had the talent, programming…" description: "\"Even though I had the talent, programming just didn't feel right. I never considered it very seriously. Some people get gratification from bending a ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e00/mitch-kapor-7363_bending_even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming_1006770.jpg" --- # Even though I had the talent, programming just didn't feel… ![“Even though I had the talent, programming just didn't feel right. I never considered it very seriously. Some people get gratification from bending a machine to their will. I didn't.” quote by Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e00/mitch-kapor-7363_bending_even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming_1006770.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e00/mitch-kapor-7363_bending_even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming_1006770.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e00/mitch-kapor-7363_bending_even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming_1006770.jpg) > “Even though I had the talent, programming just didn't feel right. I never considered it very seriously. Some people get gratification from bending a machine to their will. I didn't.” [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Talent alone isn't enough; personal fit and passion drive lasting engagement in programming. **In simple terms:** Skill without interest leads to disengagement. Key Takeaway Find work that aligns with your passions. Themes career motivation self-awareness Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice career When to use this quote - job selection - career change - education - personal development Key Concepts fit intrinsic motivation skill utilization Questions to Reflect On - Do you enjoy the core activities of your field? - What aligns your work with your values? A Different Perspective Passion may be required for sustained success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bending/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Considered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/considered/) [Didn Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-feel/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Gratification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratification/) [Gratification Bending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratification-bending-2160978/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Machine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machine/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Programming Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming-just-2160977/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Seriously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Some people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some-people/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Talent Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent-programming-2160976/) [Though](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/though/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [I don't have any focus groups on talent and programming. If I need five people in a mall to be paid $40 to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/i-don-t-have-any-focus-groups-on-talent-and-programming-if-i-need/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [ In the information age, the barriers \[to entry into programming\] just aren't there. The barriers are self imposed. If you want to set off… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carmack/in-the-information-age-the-barriers-to-entry-into-programming-just/) [John Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carmack/) > [For me it's just so exciting to have a daughter because I do think she will have even more opportunities than I had, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/for-me-it-s-just-so-exciting-to-have-a-daughter-because-i-do-think/) [Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/) > [This Great God, Like a mammy bending over her baby, Kneeled down in the dust Toiling over a lump of clay Till He shaped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/this-great-god-like-a-mammy-bending-over-her-baby-kneeled-down-in-the/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [The river is constantly turning and bending and you never know where it's going to go and where you'll wind up. Following the bend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/the-river-is-constantly-turning-and-bending-and-you-never-know-where/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) > [I had a constant fascination with the darkside. It is another world, bordering on insanity, and demonic possession, or what I thought was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-hughes/i-had-a-constant-fascination-with-the-darkside-it-is-another-world/) [Glenn Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-hughes/) > [Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/notice-that-the-stiffest-tree-is-most-easily-cracked-while-the-bamboo/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I have an idea that conscience impedes quite as many merits as faults, is a sort of alloy, a nickel which may prevent silver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/i-have-an-idea-that-conscience-impedes-quite-as-many-merits-as-faults/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [In Prison Wearily, drearily, Half the day long, Flap the great banners High over the stone; Strangely and eerily Sounds the wind's song, Bending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/in-prison-wearily-drearily-half-the-day-long-flap-the-great-banners/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [Drawing is one of those things which sit on the uneasy bending line between instinct and instruction, where seeming perversity eventually trumps pleasure as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gopnik/drawing-is-one-of-those-things-which-sit-on-the-uneasy-bending-line/) [Adam Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gopnik/) > [Here on the edge of the river, the motifs are very plentiful, the same subject seen from a different angle gives a subject for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/here-on-the-edge-of-the-river-the-motifs-are-very-plentiful-the-same/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [Losing is the bane and bugbear of every professional athlete's existence, but in baseball the monster seems to hang closer than in other sports,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/losing-is-the-bane-and-bugbear-of-every-professional-athlete-s/) [Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/) > [In effect we are, bending and breaking the rules of the language. And if someone were to ask why we do it, the answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/in-effect-we-are-bending-and-breaking-the-rules-of-the-language-and/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [Much bending breaks the bow; much unbending the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/much-bending-breaks-the-bow-much-unbending-the-mind/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/prayer-is-not-a-convenient-device-for-imposing-our-will-upon-god-or/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) ## More by Mitch Kapor > [Velano Vascular has developed a simple, game-changing innovation that will improve the way medicine has been practiced for decades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/velano-vascular-has-developed-a-simple-game-changing-innovation-that/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [The Internet, the network of networks, is growing at an exponential pace. It's growing so fast, in fact, nobody really knows how many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/the-internet-the-network-of-networks-is-growing-at-an-exponential/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [If only I'd stayed on the West Coast, I might have made something of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/if-only-i-d-stayed-on-the-west-coast-i-might-have-made-something-of/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [I'd always wanted to live in San Francisco, and my circumstances never permitted it. I'm so happy I made the move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/i-d-always-wanted-to-live-in-san-francisco-and-my-circumstances-never/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [When regulations restricting competition are relaxed, nobody's market share is protected. If telephone companies can offer video programming, cable revenue will surely drop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/when-regulations-restricting-competition-are-relaxed-nobody-s-market/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [Fundly is at the dynamic intersection of high-growth technology startups, social entrepreneurship, and the exploding world of social media. Kapor Capital is proud to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/fundly-is-at-the-dynamic-intersection-of-high-growth-technology/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [In my case, having knocked around at different jobs helped me get a sense of what the world is actually like and also helped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/in-my-case-having-knocked-around-at-different-jobs-helped-me-get-a/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [I'm like George Lucas, bringing together a creative team that will come up with a unique, well-crafted product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/i-m-like-george-lucas-bringing-together-a-creative-team-that-will/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [You can't be in the tech community... without realizing there's a big shortage of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/you-can-t-be-in-the-tech-community-without-realizing-there-s-a-big/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [Everyone has a subconscious and automatic preference of this over that. Once you're aware of that, you can take steps to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/everyone-has-a-subconscious-and-automatic-preference-of-this-over/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [If information wants to be free, then that's true everywhere, not just in information technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/if-information-wants-to-be-free-then-that-s-true-everywhere-not-just/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [I soon realized that the best thing I could do for the profession of human services was to get out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/i-soon-realized-that-the-best-thing-i-could-do-for-the-profession-of/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [Diversifying our tech talent pool is an imperative for the tech sector. More diverse engineers and entrepreneurs will bring about a new type of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/diversifying-our-tech-talent-pool-is-an-imperative-for-the-tech/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [StumbleUpon has humanized the Web and mastered a way for people to discover online content by incorporating an individual's personal preferences and recommendations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/stumbleupon-has-humanized-the-web-and-mastered-a-way-for-people-to/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [I'm fascinated by management and organizations: how organizations get things done and how successful organizations are built and maintained, how they evolve as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/i-m-fascinated-by-management-and-organizations-how-organizations-get/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) [Explore all 92 Mitch Kapor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) ## More Bending quotes > [Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/prayer-is-not-a-convenient-device-for-imposing-our-will-upon-god-or/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [Much bending breaks the bow; much unbending the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/much-bending-breaks-the-bow-much-unbending-the-mind/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [In effect we are, bending and breaking the rules of the language. And if someone were to ask why we do it, the answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crystal/in-effect-we-are-bending-and-breaking-the-rules-of-the-language-and/) [David Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crystal/) > [Losing is the bane and bugbear of every professional athlete's existence, but in baseball the monster seems to hang closer than in other sports,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/losing-is-the-bane-and-bugbear-of-every-professional-athlete-s/) [Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/) > [Here on the edge of the river, the motifs are very plentiful, the same subject seen from a different angle gives a subject for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/here-on-the-edge-of-the-river-the-motifs-are-very-plentiful-the-same/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [Drawing is one of those things which sit on the uneasy bending line between instinct and instruction, where seeming perversity eventually trumps pleasure as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gopnik/drawing-is-one-of-those-things-which-sit-on-the-uneasy-bending-line/) [Adam Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gopnik/) > [In Prison Wearily, drearily, Half the day long, Flap the great banners High over the stone; Strangely and eerily Sounds the wind's song, Bending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/in-prison-wearily-drearily-half-the-day-long-flap-the-great-banners/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [I have an idea that conscience impedes quite as many merits as faults, is a sort of alloy, a nickel which may prevent silver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/i-have-an-idea-that-conscience-impedes-quite-as-many-merits-as-faults/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/notice-that-the-stiffest-tree-is-most-easily-cracked-while-the-bamboo/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I had a constant fascination with the darkside. It is another world, bordering on insanity, and demonic possession, or what I thought was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-hughes/i-had-a-constant-fascination-with-the-darkside-it-is-another-world/) [Glenn Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-hughes/) > [The river is constantly turning and bending and you never know where it's going to go and where you'll wind up. Following the bend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/the-river-is-constantly-turning-and-bending-and-you-never-know-where/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) > [This Great God, Like a mammy bending over her baby, Kneeled down in the dust Toiling over a lump of clay Till He shaped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/this-great-god-like-a-mammy-bending-over-her-baby-kneeled-down-in-the/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [For me it's just so exciting to have a daughter because I do think she will have even more opportunities than I had, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/for-me-it-s-just-so-exciting-to-have-a-daughter-because-i-do-think/) [Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/) > [Before what is sacred, people lose all sense of power and all confidence; they occupy a powerless and humble attitude toward it. And yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-stirner/before-what-is-sacred-people-lose-all-sense-of-power-and-all/) [Max Stirner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-stirner/) > [Jesus' whole life and mission involve accepting powerlessness and revealing in this powerlessness the limitlessness of God's love. Here we see what compassion means.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/jesus-whole-life-and-mission-involve-accepting-powerlessness-and/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) [Browse all 198 Bending quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bending/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even though I had the talent, programming just didn't feel right. I never considered it very seriously. Some people get gratification from bending a machine to their will. I didn't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mitch Kapor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming-just-didn-t-feel-right-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bending" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming-just-didn-t-feel-right-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e00/mitch-kapor-7363_bending_even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming_1006770.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e00/mitch-kapor-7363_bending_even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming_1006770.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e00/mitch-kapor-7363_bending_even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming_1006770.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even though I had the talent, programming just didn't feel right. I never considered it very seriously. Some…” — Mitch Kapor", "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": "Mitch Kapor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Even though I had the talent,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming-just-didn-t-feel-right-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/even-though-i-had-the-talent-programming-just-didn-t-feel-right-i/#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 } } ] } ```