A recently read quote from Rafael Nadel speaks to his single-minded pursuit of winning. I don’t disagree with the sentiment I believe he’s expressing, which is that what’s widely perceived of as talent must be put to good use to achieve results. He’s quoted as saying:

So, in summary, the person who wins the most is the one with the most talent.

In principle this makes sense; in practice there are often barriers to even the most gifted or persistent possessor of talent, such that the victor’s cup escapes them even though it’s within their ability to grasp.

I hope many talents are brought to bear on the problem of unequal access to expectation, opportunity, encouragement, and recovery. Then we all win.