“It’s at this point that I discovered that ‘talent’ is a word people use to describe you when they want to express good-hearted empathy. It merely reflects that you’re not yet a threat to their dominance or their prize fund flow. It’s when they trash-talk you like they did after my surprise coup in Italy – that you know you’re respected, maybe even feared.
The way I see it, talent is a lot like a plant. When it’s watered with hard work, it grows, branches out and blooms. Deprived of nourishment, the plant simply withers away. With hard work, talent gains in depth and scope, and uncovers abilities that were earlier unexplored. Talent and hard work, therefore, aren’t conflicting forces orbiting in separate galaxies; they are complementary to each other and provide one another with sustenance. I hate to undermine the worth of talent. Unquestionably, talent exists.”
Excerpt From: Viswanathan Anand. “Mind Master:Winning Lessons From a Champion’s Life.”