#skill

"Emotion is always multiplied in the art of a person who doesn't really show much emotion. It once expanded deep within his hidden soul, and following the downplay his audience is blown away."

"If I lived, she died, and I'd never find someone like her again. If she lived, I would have to die. No matter how many times I ran it through my head, there didn't seem to be another way out. One of us had to die and Rita didn't want to talk it through. She was going to let our skill decide."

"When I win, it’s because I’m skilled. When I lose, it’s because my opponent is lucky. But when I fall in love, it’s because I’m lucky and she’s skilled."

"I'd rather strive for the kind of interview where instead of me asking to introduce myself to society, society asks me to introduce myself to society."

"One does not have to be a philosopher to be a successful artist, but he does have to be an artist to be a successful philosopher. His nature is to view the world in an unpredictable albeit useful light."

"Humor - I see it as a survival skill."

"The most complicated skill is to be simple."

"Think of yourself as a brand. You need to be remembered. What will they remember you for? What defines you? If you have it in you, do something that defines you. Invent something, develop a unique skill, get noticed for something — it creates a talking point."

"The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies."

"Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do)."

"Songwriting and poetry are so commonly birthed from underdogs because one can make even the ugliest situations admirable, or more beautiful than the beautiful situations - they are the most graceful media in which the lines of society are distorted."

"When you can write music that endures, bravo. Until then, keep quiet and study the work of those who can."

"When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature."

"Every man has a specific skill, whether it is discovered or not, that more readily and naturally comes to him than it would to another, and his own should be sought and polished. He excels best in his niche - originality loses its authenticity in one's efforts to obtain originality."

"They all believed in him because of the authenticity of his musical talent and his faith in it."

"Whatever your passion is, keep doing it. Don't waste time chasing after success or comparing yourself to others. Every flower blooms at a different pace. Excel at doing what your passion is and only focus on perfecting it. Eventually people will see what you are great at doing, and if you are truly great, success will come chasing after you."