quotations about ability
Men are often capable of greater things than they perform. They are sent into the world with bills of credit, and seldom draw to their full extent.
HORACE WALPOLE
Your ability is as good as money in the bank.
BOB NEAL
"The Countryman: Fully engaged vs. check the box", Daily Bulldog, January 5, 2017
Ability in man is an apt good, if it be applied to good ends.
DIOGENES
attributed, Day's Collacon
To become an able man in any profession, there are three things necessary -- nature, study, and practice.
ARISTOTLE
attributed, Day's Collacon
Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. A student of Plato, he was the founder of the Lyceum, the Peripatetic school of philosophy, and the Aristotelian tradition. His writings have exerted a unique influence on almost every form of knowledge in the West and continue to be a subject of contemporary philosophical discussion.
Ability wins us the esteem of the true men; luck that of the people.
LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
Maxims
François de La Rochefoucauld (15 September 1613 - 17 March 1680) was a noted French moralist. He is part of the literary movement of classicism and best known for his maxims, which had a profound influence on German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
I always tell our guys, play as if you have no ability. Play as if your ability is the last thing you have. I've got to focus, I've got to have attention to detail, my alignments, my assignments, where are my hands going to be. And when you do that, then your ability jumps out, then you have greatness.
JIMBO FISHER
"FSU starting CB Tarvarus McFadden's bounce-back mentality paying off", Orlando Sentinel, October 11, 2016
To be sure, ability is rightfully the first thing employers should assess when hiring a potential employee. It is, after all, the only tangible criterion.
ERIC SWENSON
The Five A's of Great Employees
Don't doubt your abilities, believe in yourself and always trust your gut feeling -- it's an important instinct.
DAVID WELCH
"Chief encounters: believe in yourself, embrace change and don't doubt your abilities", Third Force News, February 9, 2016
When fortune wishes to bring mighty events to a successful conclusion, she selects some man of spirit and ability who knows how to seize the opportunity she offers.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI
attributed, Day's Collacon
Ability comprehends the power of doing in general, without specifying the quality or degree.
GEORGE CRABBE
English Synonyms
The abilities of man must fall short on one side or other, like too scanty a blanket when you are abed; if you pull it upon your shoulders, you leave your feet bare; if you thrust it down upon your feet, your shoulders are uncovered.
SIR WILLIAM TEMPLE
The Works of Sir William Temple
The competition level's going to rise and your ability is going to rise, too.
ABDUL-MALIK ABU
attributed, "NC State slams the door emphatically on non-conference play", WRAL Sports Fan, December 28, 2016
Our personalities and abilities are not fixed. This is not to say that nothing about a person is stable over time, but longitudinal studies of personality traits have found the traits to vary considerably with age, just as IQ scores have been found to jump when test takers are exposed to richer learning environments. Yes, there are limits, but people can and do change with effort and experience.
HEIDI GRANT HALVORSON
"The Mindset That Leads People to Be Dangerously Overconfident", Harvard Business Review, April 19, 2016
The greatest thing a man can do in this world, is to make the most possible out of the stuff that has been given him. This is success, and there is no other.
ORISON SWETT MARDEN
Learn to Expect a Great Deal of Life
It requires no small degree of ability to know when to conceal one's ability.
FRANÇOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
Moral Maxims
François de La Rochefoucauld (15 September 1613 - 17 March 1680) was a noted French moralist. He is part of the literary movement of classicism and best known for his maxims, which had a profound influence on German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
Natural ability is nothing without effort.
JOSEPH NOCCO
"Buccaneers to retain veteran wide receiver Vincent Jackson for next season", Today's Pigskin, February 1, 2016
Whatever your ability is you only have to perform at that ability.
RUTH BLANCH
attributed, "CWA hosts Armidale Special Olympic speakers ", The Armidale Express, October 14, 2016
The abilities of man have not been exhausted; nothing has been done by him that cannot be better done; there is no effort of science or art that may not be exceeded, no depth of philosophy that cannot be deeper sounded, no flight of imagination that may not be passed by strong and soaring wing.
JEAN PAUL
The Spirit of the Age, vol. 1-2
Constructive criticism is painful. It stings as it pierces your ego and makes you doubt your abilities. But what is painful is essential to your growth.
GREGG STEINBERG
"Do you value constructive criticism? Good thing Harper Lee did", The Tennessean, February 28, 2016
There is something that is much more scarce, something finer far, something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability.
ELBERT HUBBARD
"The Crying Need", A Message to Garcia and Thirteen Other Things