Everyone must row with the oars he has.

Everyone must row with the oars he has.

Natural abilities can almost compensate for the want of every kind of cultivation, but no cultivation of the mind can read more

Natural abilities can almost compensate for the want of every kind of cultivation, but no cultivation of the mind can make up for the want of natural abilities.

To the very last, he [Napolean] had a kind of idea, that, namely,
of "la carriere ouverte aux talents"--the read more

To the very last, he [Napolean] had a kind of idea, that, namely,
of "la carriere ouverte aux talents"--the tools to him that can
handle them.

From such crooked wood as that which man is made of, nothing straight can be fashioned.

From such crooked wood as that which man is made of, nothing straight can be fashioned.

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.

I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.

Executive ability is deciding quickly and getting somebody else to do the work.

Executive ability is deciding quickly and getting somebody else to do the work.

Life has been compared to a race, but the allusion improves by observing, that the most swift are usually the read more

Life has been compared to a race, but the allusion improves by observing, that the most swift are usually the least manageable and the most likely to stray from the course. Great abilities have always been less serviceable to the possessors than moderate ones.

Ability is of little account without opportunity.

Ability is of little account without opportunity.

Natural abilities are like natural plants; they need pruning by study.

Natural abilities are like natural plants; they need pruning by study.