--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People talk about talent as though it…" description: "\"People talk about talent as though it were some neutral substance that can be applied to anything. But talent is narrow and only functions with a very ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/wilfrid-sheed-18089_function_people-talk-about-talent-as-though-it-we_2142976.jpg" --- # People talk about talent as though it were some neutral… ![“People talk about talent as though it were some neutral substance that can be applied to anything. But talent is narrow and only functions with a very few subjects, which it is up to the writer to find.” quote by Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/wilfrid-sheed-18089_function_people-talk-about-talent-as-though-it-we_2142976.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/wilfrid-sheed-18089_function_people-talk-about-talent-as-though-it-we_2142976.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/wilfrid-sheed-18089_function_people-talk-about-talent-as-though-it-we_2142976.jpg) > “People talk about talent as though it were some neutral substance that can be applied to anything. But talent is narrow and only functions with a very few subjects, which it is up to the writer to find.” [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Talent is a limited, domain‑specific ability that must be matched to the right field to be effective. **In simple terms:** Talent works only in certain areas. Key Takeaway Identify where your talent truly belongs. Themes talent specialization creativity Mood reflective analytical Type advice insight When to use this quote - career planning - artistic projects - education - mentoring Key Concepts skill alignment domain expertise Questions to Reflect On - What fields naturally suit your strengths? - How can you develop complementary skills? A Different Perspective Talent cannot be forced into unrelated tasks without loss of quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Applied Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/applied-talent-4469621/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-talk/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Subjects Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects-writer-4469620/) [Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Talent Narrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent-narrow-4469618/) [Talent Neutral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent-neutral-4469619/) [Talk Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-talent-353184/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I try not to respond with a pep talk, such as, "Everyone has talent, just try, you'll see." I skirt those kinds of answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pinkney/i-try-not-to-respond-with-a-pep-talk-such-as-everyone-has-talent-just/) [Jerry Pinkney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pinkney/) > [In a way, to have whatever people talk about as "crossover success," I think it means you start making bad music. I mean, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/in-a-way-to-have-whatever-people-talk-about-as-crossover-success-i/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [Gr8 people talk about things. Small people talk about other people. and legends never talk they send sms ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/gr8-people-talk-about-things-small-people-talk-about-other-people-and/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [“People talk as if they knew everything, but if you dare to ask a question, they don't know anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-talk-as-if-they-knew-everything-but-if-you-dare-to-ask-a/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I am not someone who shouts a lot or fights with players. It depends on the situation, it depends on the people. Some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-odegaard/i-am-not-someone-who-shouts-a-lot-or-fights-with-players-it-depends/) [Martin Odegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-odegaard/) > [Growing up, I was always trying to catch a great show. And that's where I learned an artist gets respect. That's what makes people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romeo-santos/growing-up-i-was-always-trying-to-catch-a-great-show-and-that-s-where/) [Romeo Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romeo-santos/) > [ People talk about \[Bashar\] Assad running Syria. He doesn't control his own country. He's down to about 20, 25 percent of the country. What… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/people-talk-about-bashar-assad-running-syria-he-doesn-t-control-his/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [The erotic and the art historical imagination is something that gets very little play when people talk about my work, and when they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/the-erotic-and-the-art-historical-imagination-is-something-that-gets/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [“People talk about history and things like slavery, genocide, and religious persecution as horrors that happened in the past because we were ignorant. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-matthew-nespoli/people-talk-about-history-and-things-like-slavery-genocide-and/) [J. Matthew Nespoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-matthew-nespoli/) > [I think audibles, the way people talk about it, it's overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-flacco/i-think-audibles-the-way-people-talk-about-it-it-s-overrated/) [Joe Flacco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-flacco/) > [“Wilem snorted."That doesn't sound suspicious at all," he said. "And you wonder why people talk about you." "I don't wonder why they talk," I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/wilem-snorted-that-doesn-t-sound-suspicious-at-all-he-said-and-you/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't have alot of people to talk to. Not alot of people are worth my time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-peters/i-don-t-have-alot-of-people-to-talk-to-not-alot-of-people-are-worth/) [Julie Anne Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-peters/) > [Most people have to talk so they won't hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/most-people-have-to-talk-so-they-won-t-hear/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I think when people talk about art imitating life, you're in real time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-think-when-people-talk-about-art-imitating-life-you-re-in-real-time/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More by Wilfrid Sheed > [For now, I'm supposing that all movements are equal, which they're not, except in this respect: that none of them gives a damn about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/for-now-i-m-supposing-that-all-movements-are-equal-which-they-re-not/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [I myself have not met a self-confessed liberal since the late fifties (and even then it was a tacky thing to admit, like coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/i-myself-have-not-met-a-self-confessed-liberal-since-the-late-fifties/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [For Catholics before Vatican II, the land of the free was pre-eminently the land of Sister Says-except, of course, for Sister, for whom it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/for-catholics-before-vatican-ii-the-land-of-the-free-was-pre/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [I picked up the writing on the very day he died. It was the only consolation I could find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/i-picked-up-the-writing-on-the-very-day-he-died-it-was-the-only/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [It is possible that the malice of writers has been overrated (by myself among others). Reading their ruminations on their craft, one sees why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/it-is-possible-that-the-malice-of-writers-has-been-overrated-by/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [As things now stand, the office is a slightly meaner battleground than the home. Male bosses seem to dominate their women underlings as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/as-things-now-stand-the-office-is-a-slightly-meaner-battleground-than/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Mankind has always made too much of its saints and heroes, and how the latter handle the fuss might be called their final test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/mankind-has-always-made-too-much-of-its-saints-and-heroes-and-how-the/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Mushy reviews are a breach of faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/mushy-reviews-are-a-breach-of-faith/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [The actual Irish weather report is really a recording made in 1922, which no one has had occasion to change. "Scattered showers, periods of sunshine."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/the-actual-irish-weather-report-is-really-a-recording-made-in-1922/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [The town is as full as ever of 'characters,' all created by each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/the-town-is-as-full-as-ever-of-characters-all-created-by-each-other/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [You noodle around with tempo and sound until you get the perfect fit for that particular song, and then, so long as you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/you-noodle-around-with-tempo-and-sound-until-you-get-the-perfect-fit/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Every writer is a writer of the generation before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/every-writer-is-a-writer-of-the-generation-before/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Mr Michener, as timeless as a stack of National Geographics, is the ultimate Summer Writer. Just as one goes back to the cottage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/mr-michener-as-timeless-as-a-stack-of-national-geographics-is-the/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [Of course, history is only a muddle of facts and a fuddle of professors, and anyone who thinks it is one clear voice saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/of-course-history-is-only-a-muddle-of-facts-and-a-fuddle-of/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [How does one make a movie about decadence these days? Now that we're allowed to do it, it's too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/how-does-one-make-a-movie-about-decadence-these-days-now-that-we-re/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) [Explore all 35 Wilfrid Sheed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) ## More Function quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/) [Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/much-of-what-i-saw-in-geneva-really-disillusioned-me-about-how-my/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Some writers say they cannot write in front of a window; many say they cannot function without almost perfect quiet. A writer with only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/some-writers-say-they-cannot-write-in-front-of-a-window-many-say-they/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [. . . to know the order of nature, and regard the universe as orderly is the highest function of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/to-know-the-order-of-nature-and-regard-the-universe-as-orderly-is-the/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. 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