What is Talent?

“Since the word ‘talent’ is bandied about so much,” Uchima wrote in 1968, “I would like to consider this for a moment. Insofar as ‘talent’ is taken to mean an inclination for a certain field, in this case art, we cannot take it too seriously. Talent is all over the place, and it is manifested in all kinds of shapes, too often meaning simply the ability to execute cute doodlings or experiences of serving as chairman of the decorating committee.

“A question was [once] put to a very well known college teacher: ‘If you were given a choice of only one class to teach, which group of students would you most desire?’ And his answer was: ‘Give me a group of bright undergraduate freshmen before someone has had a chance to get his hands on them and corrupt them.’”