Consequently the student who is devoid of talent will derive no more profit from this work than barren soil from a treatise on agriculture.
QuintilianRead
Without natural gifts technical rules are useless.
Interpretation
Natural talent is essential for effectively applying technical knowledge.
Quintilian's quote emphasizes the importance of innate abilities in conjunction with learned skills. While technical rules and knowledge can provide a framework, without the natural gifts or talents to utilize them, such rules become ineffective. This highlights the balance between education and inherent aptitude in achieving mastery in any field.
In practice
During a speech on education, one could use this quote to underline the necessity of nurturing talent alongside teaching technical skills.
Consequently the student who is devoid of talent will derive no more profit from this work than barren soil from a treatise on agriculture.
As regards parents, I should like to see them as highly educated as possible, and I do not restrict this remark to fathers alone.
Whilst we deliberate how to begin a thing, it grows too late to begin it.
A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.
An evil-speaker differs from an evil-doer only in the want of opportunity.
It is the nurse that the child first hears, and her words that he will first attempt to imitate.
If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today. If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare.
Reading was like a drug, a dope. The novels created moods in which I lived for days.
My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water.
With the states release today of a set of clear and consistent academic standards, our nation is one step closer to supporting effective teaching in every classroom, charting a path to college and careers for all students, and developing the tools to help all children stay motivated and engaged in their own education. The more states that adopt these college and career based standards, the closer we will be to sharing innovation across state borders and becoming more competitive as a country.
Children, after all, are not just adults-in-the-making. They are people whose current needs and rights and experiences must be taken seriously.
Dublin university contains the cream of Ireland: Rich and thick.
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