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One day, if you have a little bit of talent and a lot of hard work, you're going to find out who you are.

Massimo Bottura

In a 2015 interview with “The Talks,” acclaimed chef Massimo Bottura briefly summarized his path from cooking with his mother as a young boy to opening his Michelin-starred restaurant, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. Bottura, who is famous for his avant-garde twists on traditional Italian dishes and ingredients, has no shortage of talent and inspiration. Yet here he reminds us that tireless hard work is also necessary to discover our true path.
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Mix a little foolishness with your prudence; it's good to be silly at the right moment.

Horace

From Roman poet Horace comes a bit of levity not always found in moral adages. In a quote from "Odes," his collection of lyric poems published between 23 and 13 BCE, Horace reminds us that while virtue and discipline are important, it is just as necessary to find lightness, humor, and silliness in life. Moments of laughter and playfulness rescue us from feeling the weight of our obligations, and help us stay balanced as we navigate the day to day.

April, dressed in all his trim, hath put a spirit of youth in everything.

William Shakespeare

From time immemorial, spring’s awakening has signaled to humanity the promise of new beginnings. In William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 98,” a love poem published in 1609, the prolific poet and playwright personifies the glorious month of April as the herald of youth, vitality, and hope. For the Bard, the coming of spring — the twittering birds, ambrosial flowers, and long-awaited sunny skies — brought with it all the delights of a fresh start.

Time is everything; time is quality.

Javier Bardem

Our most valuable and fleeting resource in life is time, something well-understood by celebrated Spanish actor Javier Bardem, best known for his role in 2007’s No Country for Old Men, which won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. In a 2018 interview with The Talks, Bardem defined success as being a good father and husband (to fellow star Penelope Cruz), by devoting his time and attention to his family. Quality time spent with loved ones or pursuing our passions is a gift, and one that should never be wasted.

Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.

William Arthur Ward

Just as the length of a wick in a candle determines how long the flame will last, the depth of one's curiosity fuels their pursuit of knowledge. It’s an apt metaphor, coined by motivational writer William Arthur Ward (1921-1994). Ward published more than 100 poems, articles, and essays, as well as a book titled The Inspirational Maxim. Since Ward first wrote about curiosity, science has quantified its benefits in new and fascinating ways. One such study indicated that when we are curious, changes in our brain prepare us to learn not only the information we originally sought out, but also incidental information we might encounter along the way. Ward may not have had neuroimaging technology, but his instincts were correct: Curiosity is at the center of our capacity to learn.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.

Dale Carnegie

Specializing in self-improvement and interpersonal skills, American writer and lecturer Dale Carnegie talked often about the power of action. It’s easy to let our small doubts and anxieties balloon into overwhelming fears — because we allow them too much time and space to grow rather than taking action to face them. “If you want to conquer fear,” Carnegie urged, “do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

I learned that you have to push away the demand of people's expectations by believing in your instincts.

Stefano Pilati

Italian designer Stefano Pilati is best known for helming the famed fashion house Yves Saint Laurent. But his path to creative success wasn’t straightforward: Pilati studied as a land surveyor before he decided to pursue fashion, and worked his way up through apprenticeships and manufacturing jobs. After leading several established brands, including YSL, Pilati finally launched his own fashion line in 2017. His steady commitment to his dreams, regardless of other people’s opinions, encourages us to follow our intuition. When we drop in and listen, the path ahead gets clearer.

The older I get, the more I want to be authentically myself.

Julianne Moore

Best known for her roles in films such as Still Alice and Boogie Nights, Academy Award-winning actress Julianne Moore has also authored bestselling children’s books about self-acceptance. The eight installments of her Freckleface Strawberry series were inspired by her girlhood as a conspicuous redhead. Like many young people, Freckleface Strawberry gets her ideas about who she wants to be and what she wants to do from looking outward. Moore, 61, wants to help kids learn a lesson she realized with the passing decades. As she mentions in this quote, growing older brings clarity, and once you grasp what you like about yourself, determining your priorities becomes easier.

It is not enough to know your craft — you have to have feeling.

Édouard Manet

Though he is now a renowned artist, French painter Édouard Manet’s work was considered strange and even scandalous in the 19th century. His paintings often broke artistic conventions in both form and content, depicting subjects such as nude women and bullfighters. His commitment to painting reality, rather than restrictive social norms, cemented his reputation as a groundbreaking artist. With these words, he encourages us not to fall back on structure: The more heart we put into something, the more likely it is that its effects will ripple out beyond ourselves.

Find your style and stick to it.

Manolo Blahnik

Legendary Spanish fashion designer Manolo Blahnik has certainly earned the authority to give advice about style. Since founding his eponymous line of high-end shoes in the 1970s, Blahnik has become a household name in fashion. In an interview with The Talks in 2018, the designer expressed his distaste for trends, saying, “I like independence. I love the eccentrics.” He went on to encourage everyone to find their own style, have confidence in it, and never let anyone tell you to change it.