This is what I was trying to say:

“The art of using moderate abilities to advantage wins praise, and often acquires more reputation than real brilliancy.” de la Rochefoucauld

When I said this:

I’m not the best at a lot of things. Most of the time, the stuff people talk about makes my head spin and I get confused pretty easily. But I make due with what I’ve got. Being smart or talented or having the right equipment–none of that is all that rare. But to get up do a thousand miles or punched in the face or write a hundred pages or strike a deal or read a book or make a phone call without anyone telling you to? That’s almost unheard of.

I found it after and I like his better.

Marcus Aurelius on the Sex/Cash Theory.

“If you had a step mother and a real mother, you would pay your respects to your stepmother, yes…but it’s your real mother you would go home to. The court…and philosophy: keep returning to it, to rest in its embrace. Its what makes the court–and you–endurable.”

I’m not sure I agree with either take, that you need to have your life’s passion and then a career that subsidizes it: the court/philosophy dichotomy. Then again, I’m way to young to have any idea what the fuck I’m talking about there. It’s worth a try though.