These insightful ability advice by influential personalities are quoted from various reliable sources.
Anyway, what is ability?
It is a broad term referring to possession of the talents and skills necessary to perform a current task.
In other words, it is what a person can do now.
According to dictionaries, ability is possessing the skill or capability of doing something.
Other concepts related to ability are: aptitude, capability, knowledge, power, intelligence and skill.
There is this insightful book by Catherine Nomura and Julia Waller, titled “Unique Ability: Creating the Life You Want“.
According to the authors, we all have a unique ability.
It is when we discover this special information about yourself, you can focus on what you know best and you’ll be happier, more productive and add more value to your life.
Ability Advice With Citations
Anyway, now let’s find out these ability advice to bring out your aptitude, capability, knowledge and skill:
“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability. If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.” – Zig Ziglar
“It’s not what you’ve got; it’s what you use that makes a difference.” – Zig Ziglar
“Most of the times we’re limited, not by our abilities, but by our lack of courage.” – Quotationize
“The man who is fitted out by nature, and sent into the world with great abilities, is capable of doing great good or mischief in it.” – Joseph Addison
(The quote is also found in: The Spectator: With Notes And General Index, From The London Stereotype Edition, Complete In Two Volumes, Vol. I, Philadelphia: Published By J. J. Woodward, 1832, No. 224, Friday, November 16, 1711, P. 328)
(Another source of the quote: The Spectator, A New Edition, With Introduction, Notes, And Index By Henry Morley, In Three Volumes, Vol. II, London: George Routledge And Sons, Limited, 1891, No. 224, Friday, November 16, 1711-Hughes)
(More source of the quote is found here.)
“What you are capable of achieving is determined by your talent and ability. What you attempt to do is determined by your motivation. How well you do something is determined by your attitude.” – Lou Holtz
(The second part of the quote is here.)
“Believe that problems do have answers. Believe that they can be overcome. Believe that they can be handled. And finally, believe that you can solve them.” – Norman Vincent Peale
“A man with a great brain has the ability to be simple.” – Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
(The quote is also found in: A Guide To Confident Living By Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Simon & Schuster, 2003, Ch. Eight, How To Be Free From Fear, P. 136)
“The secret is to develop the art of detachment, the ability to live above agitation.” – Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
(The quote is also found in: A Guide To Confident Living By Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Simon & Schuster, 2003, Ch. Ten, How To Avoid Getting Upset, P. 180)
“…to be happy and successful you must cultivate the ability to say to yourself – forget it!” – Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
(The quote is also found in: A Guide To Confident Living By Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Simon & Schuster, 2003, Ch. Seven, Forget Failures And Go Ahead, P. 115)
“It requires great ability to found states and governments, but only common talent to carry them on.” – Wendell Philips
(The quote is also found in: Speeches, Lectures And Letters By Wendell Philips, Boston: James Redpath, Publishers, 1863, Lincoln’s Election, P. 306)
“In general the sign of knowledge or ignorance is the ability to teach, and for this reason we hold that art rather than experience is scientific knowledge…” – Aristotle
(The quote is also found in: Aristotle: The Metaphysics Books I-IX By Aristotle, With English Translation By Hugh Tredennick, Vol. I, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1958, Book I, P. 7)
(Another source of the quote is found here.)
(The quote in Greek is found here.)
“You will be surprised how strong you are, if you’ve a strong belief in your ability.” – Quotationize
” … we rate ability in men by what they finish, not by what they attempt.” – Norman Macdonald
“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” – John Wooden
(They Call Me Coach By John Wooden, Jack Tobin, McGraw-Hill, 2004, 23, P. 152)
“Every person is responsible for all the good within the scope of his abilities, and for no more… ” – Gail Hamilton
(The quote is also found in: Country Living And Country Thinking By Gail Hamilton, Boston: Ticknor And Fields, 1862, Men And Women, P. 167)
“The gentleman is troubled by his own lack of ability, not by the failure of others to appreciate him.” – Confucius
“君子病無能焉，不病人之不己知也。” (Mandarin)
(The Analects Sayings Of Confucius Translated By D.C. Lau, 15:19)
(The quote is also found in: The Analects By Confucius, Translated By D.C. Lau, Dorset Press, 1986, 15:19, P. 134)
Another English translation of the quote is:
“The superior man is distressed by his want of ability. He is not distressed by men’s not knowing him.” – Confucius
(The Analects Of Confucius, Translated By James Legge, Book 15: Wei Ling Gong, 15:19)
“Men, like bullets, go farthest when they are smoothest… ” – Jean Paul Friedrich Richter
“Die Menschen gehen wie Schießkugeln weiter, wenn sie abgeglättet sind… “ (German)
(The quote is also found in: Titan: A Roman From The German Of Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, Translated By Charles T. Brooks, In Two Volumes, Vol. I, New York: Henry Holt And Company, 1877, Fourth Jubilee, 26. Cycle, P. 156)
(The quote in German is found in: Jean Paul’s Sammtliche Werke, Zweiter Band, Paris: Tetot Frères, 1837, Zykel 26. P. 540)
(The quote in German is also found in: Titan Von Jean Paul, Erster Band, Berlin, 1800, Kapitel 33, 26. Zykel, P. 262)
“Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.” – Zig Ziglar
“For it isn’t enough to have a good mind; what matters most is using it well.” – René Descartes
“Car ce n’est pas assez d’avoir l’esprit bon, mais le principal est de l’appliquer bien.” (French)
Another English translation of the quote is:
“For to be possessed of a vigorous mind is not enough; the prime requisite is rightly to apply it.” – René Descartes
(The quote in French is found in: Discours De La Méthode Pour Bien Conduire Sa Raison Et Chercher La vérité Dans Les Sciences, Par M. I. Carré, Paris: Editions Dezobry, 1863, Premiére Partie, Diverses Considérations Toughant Les Sciences, P. 18 )
(The quote in French is also found here.)
“…the world cares very little what you or I know, but it does care a great deal about what you and I do.” – Booker T. Washington
(The quote is also found here.)
Note: An Address to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Boston, Massachusetts, 30 July 1903
“The primary indication, to my thinking, of a well-ordered mind is a man’s ability to remain in one place and linger in his own company.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“Primum argumentum conpositae mentis existimo posse consistere et secum morari.” (Latin)
(Another source of the quote in English is found in: Ad Lucilium Epistulae Morales, With An English Translation By Richard M. Gummere, London: William Heinemann New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1918, Epistle II: On Discursiveness In Reading, P. 7)
(The quote in Latin is found in: Seneca Ad Lucilium Epistulae Morales, With An English Translation By Richard M. Gummere, In Three Volumes, Vol. I, London: William Heinemann, 1918, The Epistles Of Seneca, II. Seneca Lvcilio Svo Saltem, P. 6)
(The quote in Latin is also found in: L Annaei Seneca Ad Lucilium Epistulae Morales Selectae: Für Den Schulgebrauch, Gotha, F.A. Perthes, 1913, P. 15)
“To be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction, is to live twice.” – Kahlil Gibran
(Tears And Laughter By Kahlil Gibran, Edited By Martin L. Wolf, Open Road Media, 2011, Gibran Quotes)
“… we judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(The quote is also found in: Kavanagh: A Tale By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edited For The Modern Reader By Jean Downey, New Haven, Connecticut: College & University Press, 1965, Ch. I, P. 27)
“Ability wins us the esteem of the true men; luck that of the people.” – François De La Rochefoucauld
“Notre mérite nous attire l’estime des honnêtes gens, et notre étoile celle du public” (French)
(The quote is also found in: Reflections; Or Sentences And Moral Maxims By Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld, Prince De Marsillac, Translated By J. W. Willis Bund, M.A. LL.B And J. Hain Friswell, New York: Scribner, Welford And Co., 1871, 165, P. 21)
(The quote in French is found in: Réflexions Ou Sentences Et Maximes Morales De La Rochefoucauld, Édition Louis Lacour, Imprimée Par D. Jouaust, Paris: Académie Des Bibliophiles, 1868, 165, P. 54)
(The quote in French is also found in: Collected La Rochefoucauld Maxims And Other Reflections, Translated With An Introduction And Notes By E. H. And A. M. Blackmore And Francine Giguére, Oxford University Press, 2007, Moral Reflections Or Sententiae And Maxims: Fifth Edition, 1678, V: 165, P. 46)
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
(They Call Me Coach By John Wooden, Jack Tobin, Word Books, 1972, 7, P. 50)
(The quote is also found in: They Call Me Coach By John Wooden, Jack Tobin, Bill Walton, Published By McGraw Hill Professional, 2004, 7, P. 56)
“… all may do what has by man been done. – Edward Young
(The quote is also found in: Night Thoughts, On Life, Death, And Immortality By Edward Young, New-York: R. & W. A. Bartow, 1818, The Complaint, Night VI, The Infidel Reclaimed, Part I, P. 133)
“Who does the best his circumstance allows, does well, acts nobly, angels could no more.” – Edward Young
(The quote is also found in: Night Thoughts, On Life, Death, And Immortality By Edward Young, New-York: R. & W. A. Bartow, 1818, The Complaint, Night II, On Time, Death, And Friendship, P. 24)
“Martyrdom… is the only way in which a man can become famous without ability.” – George Bernard Shaw
(The quote is also found in: The Devil’s Disciple A Melodrama In Three Acts By George Bernard Shaw, New York: Cosimo Inc, 2006, Act III, P. 58)
“Cowardice, as distinguished from panic, is almost always simply a lack of ability to suspend the functioning of the imagination.” – Ernest Hemingway
(The quote is also found in: Men At War: The Best War Stories Of All Time, Edited With An Introduction By Ernest Hemingway, Based On A Plan By William Kozlenko, Crown Publishers, Inc., 1942, Introduction By Ernest Hemingway, P. 17)
“…for natural abilities are like natural plants; they need pruning by study.” – Francis Bacon
(The quote is also found in: The Works Of Francis Bacon, Lord Chancellor Of England: A New Edition: By Basil Montagu, Esq., Vol. I, William Pickering, 1825, L. Of Studies, P. 167)
“They can because they think they can.” – Virgil
“Possunt, quia posse videntur.” (Latin)
(The quote is also found in: The Aeneis Of Virgil, Translated Into Blank Verse By Joseph Trapp, Volume The First, London: Great Neck Publishing., 1718, Remarks Upon The Fifth Book, P. 427)
Another English translation of the quote is:
“For they can conquer, who believe they can.” – Virgil
(The quote in Latin is found in: Vergil Aeneid 5, Edited By Joseph Farrell And Randall Ganiban, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, 2014, Liber Quintes, P. 47)
(The quote in Latin is also found in: Virgil’s Aeneid, Book I – Vi, The Original Text With A Literal Interlinear Translation, By Frederick Holland Dewey, New York: Translation Publishing Company, Inc., 1917, Book V, P. 215)
“For what it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do…” – Aristotle
“…ἀρχή, ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ πράττειν καὶ μή.” (Greek)
(The quote is also found in: The Ethics Of Aristotle: The Nicomachean Ethics, Penguin Books, 1959, P. 89)
Another English translation of the quote is:
“Because wherever it is in our power to do, it is also in our power to forbear doing…” – Aristotle
(The quote in Greek is found in: The Nicomachean Ethics By Aristotle, With An Englsih Translation By H. Rackham, Harvard University Press, 1926, Book III, 6, P. 118)
(The quote in Greek is also found here.)
“…for no amount of ability is of the slightest avail without honor.” – Andrew Carnegie
(Business By Andrew Carnagie, Whitman Publishing Company, 1916, P. 12)
“There is great ability in knowing how to conceal one’s ability.” – Francois De La Rochefoucauld
“C’est une grande habileté que de savoir cacher son habileté.” (French)
(This quote is also found in: Reflections: Or, Sentences and Moral Maxims By François Duc De La Rochefoucauld, Open Road Media, 2017, 245)
(The quote in French is found in: Réflexions Ou Sentences Et Maximes Morales De La Rochefoucauld, Édition Louis Lacour, Imprimée Par D. Jouaust, Paris: Académie Des Bibliophiles, 1868, 245, P. 80)
(The quote in French is also found in: Collected La Rochefoucauld Maxims And Other Reflections, Translated With An Introduction And Notes By E. H. And A. M. Blackmore And Francine Giguére, Oxford University Press, 2007, Moral Reflections Or Sententiae And Maxims: Fifth Edition, 1678 (V), V: 245, P. 70)
“No one can make a start, however outstanding his abilities, if he lacks scope and opportunity and a patron to support him.” – Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (Pliny The Younger)
“Neque enim cuiquam tam statim clarum ingenium est, ut possit emergere; nisi ill materia, occasio, fautor etiam, commendatorque contingat.” (Latin)
(The quote is also found in: Letters And Panegyricus [Of] Pliny, With An English Translation By Betty Radice, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1969, 23. To Triarius, P. 455)
(The quote in Latin is found in: Quintilien Et Pline Le Jeune: Oeuvres Complètes Avec La Traduction En Francais, Publiees Sous La Direction De M. Nisard, Paris, Chez Firmin Didot Fréres, Fils Et Cie, 1865, Pline Le Jeune, Livre Sixième, Lettre XXIII, C. Pline A Triarius Suo S, P. 619)
(The quote in Latin is also found in: Quintilien Et Pline Le Jeune, Oeuvres Complètes, Avec La Traduction En Francais, Publiees Sous La Direction De M. Nisard, Paris, J. J. Dubochet Et Compagnie, Éditeurs, 1842, Pline Le Jeune, Livre Sixième, Lettre XXIII, C. Pline A Triarius Suo S, P. 619)
(Another source of the quote in Latin is found here.)
“As we advance in life, we learn the limits of our abilities.” – James Anthony Froude
(The quote is also found in: Short Studies On Great Subjects, Volume II By James Anthony Froude, University Press Of The Pacific, 2004, Education, An Address Delivered To The Students At St. Andrew’s, March 19, 1869, P. 439)
(Another source of the quote is found in: Littell’s Living Age Conducted By E. Littell, Fourth Series, Volume XIII, From The Beginning, Vol. CI, April, May, June, 1869, Boston: Littell And Gay, 1869, Littell’s Living Age, No. 1302 – May 15, 1869, 1. Inaugural Address At The University Of St. Andrew’s, P. 387)
“…we rate ability in men by what they finish, not by what they attempt.” – Norman MacDonald
(Maxims And Moral Reflections By Norman MacDonald, Collins & Hannay, 1827, Reflections 35, P. 19)
“…the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
(You can view the page here.)
(The quote is also found in: Esquire: The Magazine For Men, Volume 97, By William S. Burroughs, Esquire Publishing Company, 1982, P.74)
(Another source of the quote: My Lost City: Personal Essays, 190-1940 By F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edited By James L. W. West III, Cambridge University Press, 2005, The Crack-Up, P. 139)
“An able man shows his spirit by gentle words and resolute actions. He is neither hot nor timid.” – Lord Chesterfield
(The quote is also found in: The Modern Chesterfield By Lord Chesterfield. Edited By Robert McMurdy, Wildside Press LLC, 2008, Maxims, P. 246)
(Another source of the quote is found in: Letters Written By The Late Right Honourable Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl Of Chesterfield, To His Son, Philip Stanhope, Together With Several Other Pieces On Various Subjects, Published By Mrs. Eugenia Stanhope, From The Originals Now In Her Possession, In Two Volumes, Volume II, 1774-1775, Miscellaneous Pieces, Maxims, P. 516)
“The art of using moderate abilities to advantage wins praise, and often acquires more reputation than real brilliancy.” – Francois De La Rochefoucauld
“L’art de savoir bien mettre en œuvre de médiocres qualités dérobe l’estime, et donne souvent plus de réputation que le véritable mérite.” (French)
(The quote is also found in: Reflections; Or Sentences And Moral Maxims By Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld, Prince De Marsillac, Translated By J. W. Willis Bund, M.A. LL.B And J. Hain Friswell, Simpson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd., 1871, 162, P. 21)
(The quote in French is found in: Maximes Et Réflexions Morales Du Duc De La Rochefoucauld, Paris: Ménard Et Desenne, Fils, 1817, CLXII, P. 35)
(The quote in French is also found in: Collected La Rochefoucauld Maxims And Other Reflections, Translated With An Introduction And Notes By E. H. And A. M. Blackmore And Francine Giguére, Oxford University Press, 2007, Moral Reflections Or Sententiae And Maxims: Fifth Edition, 1678 (V), V: 162, P. 46)
“With moderate abilities modesty is mere honesty; but with great talent it is hypocrisy.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
“Bescheidenheit bei mittelmäßigen Fähigkeiten ist bloße Ehrlichkeit. Bei großen Talenten ist sie Heuchelei.” (German)
Another English translation of the quote is:
“With people of only moderate ability modesty is mere honesty; but with those who possess great talent, it is hypocrisy.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
(The quote in German is also found in: Parerga Und Paralipomena: kleine Philosophische Schriften, Von Arthur Schopenhauer, Zweiter Band, Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus, 1874, Kapitel XXVI, Psychologische Bemerkungen, 355, P. 638)
“… the winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.” – Edward Gibbon
“For human ability is an unequal match for the violent and unforeseen vicissitudes of the world.” – Hugh Blair
“Many persons go to the grave with unrecognized abilities, having failed either to find opportunity or to recognize it when it came” – Robert Brown Asrey
“A man must not deny his manifest abilities, for that is to evade his obligations.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
(The quote is also found in: The Merry Men, And Other Tales And Fables By Robert Louis Stevenson, iUniverse, 2000, The Treasure of Franchard, Chapter 5, Treasure Trove, P. 169)
(Another source of the quote is found here.)
“There are some persons who only disgust with their abilities, there are persons who please even with their faults.” – Francois De La Rochefoucauld
“Il y a des gens dégoûtants avec du mérite, et d’autres qui plaisent avec des défauts.” (French)
(The quote is also found in: Reflections; Or Sentences And Moral Maxims By Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld, Prince De Marsillac, Translated By J. W. Willis Bund, M.A. LL.B And J. Hain Friswell, New York: Scribner, Welford And Co., 1871, 155, P. 20)
(The quote in French is found in: Réflexions Ou Sentences Et Maximes Morales De La Rochefoucauld, Édition Louis Lacour, Imprimée Par D. Jouaust, Paris: Académie Des Bibliophiles, 1868, 155, P. 51)
(The quote in French is also found in: Collected La Rochefoucauld Maxims And Other Reflections, Translated With An Introduction And Notes By E. H. And A. M. Blackmore And Francine Giguére, Oxford University Press, 2007, Moral Reflections Or Sententiae And Maxims: Fifth Edition, 1678 (V), V: 155, P. 44)
“Few of us have abilities to know all the ill we occasion.” – François De La Rochefoucauld
“Il n’y a gueres d’homme assez habile pour connaistre tout le mal qu’il fait.” (French)
(The quote is also found in: Maxims And Moral Reflections By The Duke De La Rochefoucauld, With A Memoir Of The Author By The Chevalier De Chatelain, London: William Tegg, 1868, Ability, V, P. 2)
(The quote in French is found in: Réflexions Ou Sentences Et Maximes Morales De La Rochefoucauld, Édition Louis Lacour, Imprimée Par D. Jouaust, Paris: Académie Des Bibliophiles, 1868, 269, P. 87)
(The quote in French is also found in: La Rochefoucauld: Maximes, Edited By F. C. Green, Cambridge At The University Press, 1945, III. Réflexions Morales, 269, P. 95)
(Another source of the quote is found here.)
“Ye who write, make choice of a subject suitable to your abilities; and revolve in your thoughts a considerable time what your strength declines, and what it is able to support.”support.” – Horace
“sumite materiam vestris, qui scribitis, aequam Viribus, et versate diu, quid ferre recusent, quid valeant humeri.” (Latin)
(The quote is also found in: The Works Of Horace ranslated Literally Into English Prose By Christopher Smart, A New Edition Revised With A Copious Selection Of Noted By Theodore Alois Buckley, New York: Harper & Brothers, 1869, P. 301)
(The quote in Latin is found in: The Works Of Horace, Translated Literally Into English Prose By Christopher Smart, In Two Volumes, Vol. II, Edinburgh: Stirling & Kenney, 1827, De Arte Poetica Ad Pisones, P. 264)
(The quote in Latin is also found in: Q.Horatii Flacci Poëmata: The Works Of Horace, With Explanatory Notes By Charles Anthon, New York: G & C. Carvill & Co., 1838, P. 258)
“Better be a nettle in the side of your friend, than his echo. The condition which high friendship demands is ability to do without it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
(The quote is also found in: Essays By Ralph Waldo Emerson, First Series, Boston: James Munroe & Company, 1847, Essay VI. Friendship, P. 191)
“The scholar is that man who must take up into himself all the ability of the time, all the contributions of the past, all the hopes of the future.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
(The quote is also found in: Ralph Waldo Emerson: Essays & Lectures, Nature; Address, And Lectures, Essays: First And Second Series, Representative Men, English Traits, The Conduct Of Life, Compiled By Joel Porte, The Library Of America, 1983, The American Scholar, P. 70)
“Most persons of ability meet in society with a kind of tacit appeal.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
(The quote is also found in: Essays: Second Series By R. W. Emerson, Boston: Ticknor And Fields, 1856, Essay VII. Politics, P. 210)
“Whatever appeals to the imagination, by transcending the ordinary limits of human ability, wonderfully encourages and liberates us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
(The quote is also found here.)
“Caution reads in the book of advice.” – Edward Counsel
(The quote is also found here.)
“To ask and give advice is the cheapest bargain.” – Edward Counsel
(The quote is also found here.)
“Ability sometimes measures weakness for strength.” – Edward Counsel
(The quote is also found here.)
“Truly, the least ability in a pursuit is, at times, the most favoured.” – Edward Counsel
(The quote is also found here.)
Note: All the links to the sources of these ability advice or quotes are definitely correct and in good working order at the time of publication.
Those quotes attributed to “Quotationize” are my own original quotations.