--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The talent is not the gift but the…" description: "\"“The talent is not the gift but the courage to do something with it.”\" — Scherrie Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/scherrie-johnson-276635_courage_the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-coura_1069662.jpg" --- # The talent is not the gift but the courage to do something… ![“The talent is not the gift but the courage to do something with it.” quote by Scherrie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/scherrie-johnson-276635_courage_the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-coura_1069662.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/scherrie-johnson-276635_courage_the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-coura_1069662.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/scherrie-johnson-276635_courage_the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-coura_1069662.jpg) > ““The talent is not the gift but the courage to do something with it.”” Scherrie Johnson ## 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; courage to act on it is essential for achievement. **In simple terms:** Courage matters more than talent alone. Key Takeaway Act bravely with your gifts. Themes courage talent action growth motivation Mood inspirational empowering Type speech quote When to use this quote - career advancement - creative projects - leadership Key Concepts self‑efficacy risk‑taking personal development Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance talent and bravery? - What steps help turn talent into action? A Different Perspective Courage can be mistaken for recklessness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) ## Related quotes > [One of the marks of a gift is to have the courage of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/one-of-the-marks-of-a-gift-is-to-have-the-courage-of-it/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [Talent is the gift plus the passion - a desire to succeed so intense that no force on earth can stop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-simon/talent-is-the-gift-plus-the-passion-a-desire-to-succeed-so-intense/) [Neil Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-simon/) > [“My Mothers Gift of Courage To Me Were Both Large and Small.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/my-mothers-gift-of-courage-to-me-were-both-large-and-small/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The greatest gift you will ever have is your life, and the second greatest gift-which you give yourself-is courage to live it to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-friedman/the-greatest-gift-you-will-ever-have-is-your-life-and-the-second/) [Sonia Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-friedman/) > [“...he had imparted to her the greatest gift, which was the courage to go on. That's what love is, she told the boy, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/he-had-imparted-to-her-the-greatest-gift-which-was-the-courage-to-go/) [Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/) > [“The third gift is Courage. May you speak and act with confidence and use courage to follow your own path.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlene-costanzo/the-third-gift-is-courage-may-you-speak-and-act-with-confidence-and/) [Charlene Costanzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlene-costanzo/) > [Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/artistic-talent-is-a-gift-from-god-and-whoever-discovers-it-in/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [Talent is a gift, but you can only succeed with hard work;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-beliveau/talent-is-a-gift-but-you-can-only-succeed-with-hard-work/) Jean Beliveau > [Talent is a gift, but our character is a choice. Talent is natural ability, our gift from God, but we have the power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/talent-is-a-gift-but-our-character-is-a-choice-talent-is-natural/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Talent is a gift which God has given us secretly, and which we reveal without perceiving it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/talent-is-a-gift-which-god-has-given-us-secretly-and-which-we-reveal/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think talent or the gift ever goes away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mcvie/i-don-t-think-talent-or-the-gift-ever-goes-away/) [Christine McVie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mcvie/) > [“You've got to think of every talent you have, every gift you could give the world around you. And you've got to take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/you-ve-got-to-think-of-every-talent-you-have-every-gift-you-could/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [“THE TALENT IS A GIFT BUT THE VIBE IS SOLD SEPARATELY!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/qwana-m-babygirl-reynolds-frasier/the-talent-is-a-gift-but-the-vibe-is-sold-separately/) [Qwana M. "BabyGirl" Reynolds-Frasier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/qwana-m-babygirl-reynolds-frasier/) > [Talent is a gift, but character is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/talent-is-a-gift-but-character-is-a-choice/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [My mother always told me that any talent is a gift of God and I always believed it. If I quit, I would just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/my-mother-always-told-me-that-any-talent-is-a-gift-of-god-and-i/) [Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/) ## More Courage quotes > [The greatest act of courage is to be and to ownall of who you are—without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/the-greatest-act-of-courage-is-to-be-and-to-ownall-of-who-you-are/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [“It takes tremendous courage, persistence, and perseverance to pursue your ultimate purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/it-takes-tremendous-courage-persistence-and-perseverance-to-pursue/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. Conway > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. It is a statical manifestation of valor, as daring deeds are a dynamical. A truly brave man is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inazo-nitobe/tranquillity-is-courage-in-repose-it-is-a-statical-manifestation-of/) [Inazo Nitobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inazo-nitobe/) > [When you heed the calling of your heart, you are following your purpose. Having purpose in your life gives you the courage to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/when-you-heed-the-calling-of-your-heart-you-are-following-your/) [Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/) > [“Of all the train, none escaped except Wamba, who showed upon the occasion much more courage than those who pretended to greater sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/of-all-the-train-none-escaped-except-wamba-who-showed-upon-the/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [Have the courage to go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/have-the-courage-to-go-against-the-tide-of-current-values-that-do-not/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“There is nothing purer, braver, or more beautiful than the try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-armstrong/there-is-nothing-purer-braver-or-more-beautiful-than-the-try/) Kristen Armstrong > [“One theory on cannibals, of course, is that they eat parts of their slain enemies to benefit from that person's greatest assets - their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/one-theory-on-cannibals-of-course-is-that-they-eat-parts-of-their/) [Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/) > [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [I have pictures with Morimoto where I'm all embarrassed and he's so serious, it took me 30 minutes to get up the courage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcela-valladolid/i-have-pictures-with-morimoto-where-i-m-all-embarrassed-and-he-s-so/) [Marcela Valladolid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcela-valladolid/) [Browse all 14,559 Courage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The talent is not the gift but the courage to do something with it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Scherrie Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scherrie-johnson/the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-courage-to-do-something-with-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Courage" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scherrie-johnson/the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-courage-to-do-something-with-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/scherrie-johnson-276635_courage_the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-coura_1069662.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/scherrie-johnson-276635_courage_the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-coura_1069662.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e24/scherrie-johnson-276635_courage_the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-coura_1069662.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The talent is not the gift but the courage to do something with it.” — Scherrie Johnson", "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": "Scherrie Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scherrie-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The talent is not the gift...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scherrie-johnson/the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-courage-to-do-something-with-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scherrie-johnson/the-talent-is-not-the-gift-but-the-courage-to-do-something-with-it/#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 } } ] } ```