Sober up, and you see and hear everything you'd been able to avoid hearing before.
Sammy Davis, Jr.Read
What have I got? No looks, no money, no education. Just talent.
Interpretation
Talent can be more valuable than material possessions or traditional advantages.
In this quote, Sammy Davis Jr. emphasizes the idea that personal talent and ability can be more significant than conventional markers of success such as wealth, appearance, or formal education. It underscores the importance of recognizing and valuing one's innate skills as a means to achieve one's goals in life.
In practice
In a motivational speech to aspiring artists, this quote can inspire them to focus on their unique talents.
Sober up, and you see and hear everything you'd been able to avoid hearing before.
I'd learned a lot in the Army. I knew that above all things in the world I had to become so big, so strong that people and their hatred could never touch me.
Reality is never as bad as a nightmare, as the mental tortures we inflict on ourselves.
May was young and beautiful, we were legally married, but she was caught in the prison of my skin.
The success of the Rat Pack or the Clan was due to the camaraderie, the three guys who work together and kid each other and love each other.
I have a respect for Elvis and my friendship. It ain't my business what he did in private. The only thing I want to know is, 'Was he my friend?', 'Did I enjoy him as a performer?', 'Did he give the world of entertainment something?' - and the answer is YES on all accounts. The other jazz just don't matter.
Those that spend the most effort in search of shortcuts are often the most disappointed and the least successful.
Starting and growing a business is as much about the innovation, drive and determination of the people who do it as it is about the product they sell.
So many good things have happened to me in the game of baseball. When I do allow myself a chance to think about it, it's almost like a storybook career. You feel so blessed to have been able to compete this long.
I don't think there's too many Aboriginal people out there who are successful that don't want to help make gains for our people.
Yeah, I wasn't chosen to be first. I was just chosen to command that flight. Circumstance put me in that particular role. That wasn't planned by anyone.
Fortune is ever seen accompanying industry.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.