My school was 90 percent white, but 90 percent of the kids I played with were black. So I got the best of both worlds. I think that is where my comedy developed.
Will SmithRead
The separation of talent and skill is one of the largest misconceptions in modern society. Talent is something you born with, but skill can only be attained through Hours and Hours of hard work perfecting your talent as a craft. Which is why Talent will fail you without skill.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Talent is innate, but skill is developed through hard work.
This quote emphasizes the distinction between talent, which is an inherent ability, and skill, which is acquired through persistent effort and practice. Will Smith argues that without the cultivation of skill through dedication and hard work, raw talent alone is insufficient for achieving success.
Themes
TalentSkillHard WorkSuccessCraft
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to students about pursuing their dreams.
More from Will Smith
All quotes →In my mind, I've always been an A-list Hollywood superstar. Y'all just didn't know yet.
Will SmithRead
The first eight years of schooling was with all white people. So that helped me to understand how white people think. I think that transition is what helped me bridge the gap, because that's what my success has really been about: bridging the gap between the black community and the white community.
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We all want to be in love and find that person who is going to love us no matter how our feet smell, no matter how angry we get one day, no matter the things we say that we don't mean.
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I'm profoundly changed. There's a bittersweet emotion that I feel from playing this role. . . . I want the world to be different because I was here. However lofty or crazy or delusional that may sound, I want people's lives to be better because I was here.
Will SmithRead
If you learn how to defeat that person when you're running. You will know how to not quit when things get hard in your life.
Will SmithRead
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