Quotes: W.H. Auden

"When a successful author analyzes the reasons for his success, he generally underestimates the talent he was born with, and overestimates his skill in employing it."

–– W.H. Auden (1907-1973), British-born American poet 

Source: Adam Moss. The Work of Art: How Something Comes From Nothing. New York: Penguin Press, 2024; p. 15.

via 2020 Aboveground Art Supplies Knapsack Sketchbook, 2024 p. 48.

Quotes: Jean-Luc Bannalec

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor." 

–– Breton proverb 

Source: Jean-Luc Bannalec. Death in Brittany. New York: Minotaur Books, 2012. 

via: Aboveground Art Supplies 2020 Knapsack Sketchbook, 2023, p. 25. 

Quotes: Barbara Hemphill

"All of us are born with more talent than others in some arena of life, but innate skill doesn't automatically produce success. Practice and training does."

–– Barbara Hemphill, American organizational expert 

Source: Elle Decoration UK, May 2016, p. 95. 

via: Sketchbook 26, 2022, p. 125.

Quotes: Twyla Tharp

"Without passion, all the skill in the world won't lift you above craft. Without skill, all the passion in the world will leave you eager but floundering. Combining the two is the essence of the creative life."

–– Twyla Tharp (b. 1941), American dancer, choreographer, and writer 

via: Sketchbook 19, 2012, p. 104