---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: all abilities are paid for with…"
description: "\"“all abilities are paid for with disabilities. perfect health may entail the heavy toll of bovine stupidity. insight into one area involves blind spots..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/william-s-burroughs-528_disabilities_all-abilities-are-paid-for-with-disabili_2931825.png"
---

#  all abilities are paid for with disabilities. perfect…

![“all abilities are paid for with disabilities. perfect health may entail the heavy toll of bovine stupidity. insight into one area involves blind spots in another. i could not have done what i have done as a writer had i been a gifted mathematician or physicist. honesty wrung out of him by pain, he…” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/william-s-burroughs-528_disabilities_all-abilities-are-paid-for-with-disabili_2931825.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/william-s-burroughs-528_disabilities_all-abilities-are-paid-for-with-disabili_2931825.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4c/william-s-burroughs-528_disabilities_all-abilities-are-paid-for-with-disabili_2931825.png)

> ““all abilities are paid for with disabilities. perfect health may entail the heavy toll of bovine stupidity. insight into one area involves blind spots in another. i could not have done what i have done as a writer had i been a gifted mathematician or physicist. honesty wrung out of him by pain, he cried out with a loud voice.””

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Every talent comes with a cost; perfection brings blind spots and pain.

**In simple terms:** Abilities have hidden costs and blind spots.

Key Takeaway

Balance strengths with awareness of limitations.

Themes

talent trade‑offs self‑knowledge

Mood

introspective critical

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- career choice
- skill development
- health management
- artistic practice

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy creativity

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the hidden costs of your strengths?
- How can you turn blind spots into growth?

A Different Perspective

The quote may romanticize suffering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Disabilities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disabilities/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/)

## Related quotes

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> [“It seemed odd no one had thought of it before but in general there is no accounting for the bovine stupidity of mankind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-mason/it-seemed-odd-no-one-had-thought-of-it-before-but-in-general-there-is/)

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> [“...a woman of quite bovine stupidity and potato-like contours...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-forsyth/a-woman-of-quite-bovine-stupidity-and-potato-like-contours/)

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> [Learning disabilities cannot be cured, but they can be treated successfully and children with LD can go on to live happy, successful lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ford/learning-disabilities-cannot-be-cured-but-they-can-be-treated/)

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> [Barring extreme physical and mental disabilities, each and every one of us is where we are today -- be it poor or wealthy, happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-boortz/barring-extreme-physical-and-mental-disabilities-each-and-every-one/)

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> [What has become of society now these days? It's not simple anymore; well life has never been simple though. Why can't people just accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-hough/what-has-become-of-society-now-these-days-it-s-not-simple-anymore/)

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> [A lot of roles for people with disabilities are quite patronising. It's a real pity when they are just used to give dull PC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/a-lot-of-roles-for-people-with-disabilities-are-quite-patronising-it/)

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> [Autistic people's disabilities are widely known, but one of their best-established strengths is their attention to detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-baron-cohen/autistic-people-s-disabilities-are-widely-known-but-one-of-their-best/)

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[Jamie Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-brewer/)

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[Lauren Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-potter/)

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[Max Heindel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-heindel/)

## More by William S. Burroughs

> [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“Well as, one judge said to the other, 'Be just and if you can't be just be arbitrary.' Regret cannot observe customary obscenities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/well-as-one-judge-said-to-the-other-be-just-and-if-you-can-t-be-just/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/after-one-look-at-this-planet-any-visitor-from-outer-space-would-say/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [For seven days she lay in bed looking sullenly at the ceiling as though resenting the death she had cultivated for so many years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-seven-days-she-lay-in-bed-looking-sullenly-at-the-ceiling-as/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [When you stop growing you start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-you-stop-growing-you-start-dying/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [When all lies, deceit, pretense is stripped away, what remains? The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/)

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[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

[Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

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