Talent
The Oxford English Dictionary cites Lydgate with the earliest record of using the word "talent" in reference to a gifted state of natural ability.
Read more about this topic: John Lydgate
Famous quotes containing the word talent:
“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.”
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)
“Language was not powerful enough to describe the infant phenomenon. “I’ll tell you what, sir,” he said; “the talent of this child is not to be imagined. She must be seen, sir—seen—to be ever so faintly appreciated.”... The infant phenomenon, though of short stature, had a comparatively aged countenance, and had moreover been precisely the same age—not perhaps to the full extent of the memory of the oldest inhabitant, but certainly for five good years.”
—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
“At fifteen, beauty and talent do not exist; there can only be promise of the coming woman.”
—Honoré De Balzac (1799–1850)