I did not develop my ear. I discovered I had an ear, and it was an accident.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the idea that some talents are innate and discovered rather than developed through effort.
Clive Davis's quote suggests that certain abilities, like having a musical ear, are not necessarily cultivated through deliberate practice but rather recognized as part of one's inherent traits. This realization points to the notion that sometimes our skills and passions may surface unexpectedly, leading us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and our potential.
In practice
During a motivational speech about self-discovery, one might use this quote to illustrate the beauty of recognizing hidden talents.
My introduction of Whitney was that if there's going to be one performer for the next generation who combined the beauty and lyric phrasing of a Lena Horne with those Gospel fiery roots of an Aretha Franklin, it would be Whitney Houston.
The music began, and it was one of those life-changing moments. I saw an artist, Janis Joplin. She was exhilarating. She was vibrating. And she was like no other artist that I had ever seen before... It struck me that hard. Maybe the word is epiphany, when you get that special sensation.
There's no way that music could ever go down the tubes. I can't imagine a civilization without music. When you realize today that music is such a part of people's lives. And will always be, really.
I feel blessed that I found not just a profession, but a 24/7 way of life that I purely love. That curiosity to be current, to listen to the Hozier album, to be early in recognition of a Lorde and spending time with her and Miguel, the pleasure of seeing new talent erupt... I love it.
I'm the keeper of the flame for Whitney Houston. She was the greatest... and I don't want the world to forget that.
The greatest happiness is to know the source of unhappiness.
There is nothing that wastes the body like worry.
Humility has nothing to do with depreciating ourselves and our gifts in ways we know to be untrue. Even "humble" attitudes can be masks of pride. Humility is that freedom from our self which enables us to be in positions in which we have neither recognition nor importance, neither power nor visibility, and even experience deprivation, and yet have joy and delight. It is the freedom of knowing that we are not in the center of the universe, not even in the center of our own private universe.
There's small Revenge in Words, but Words may be greatly revenged
Knowledge doesn't really form part of human nature. Conflict, combat, the outcome of the combat, and, consequently, risk and chance are what gives rise to knowledge. Knowledge is not instinctive; it is counter instinctive, just as it is not natural but counter natural.
Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for.
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