Use It Or Lose It

During the last sessions of The Chekhov Training, we worked with some beautiful short prose pieces from The Madman by the great Lebanese poet Kahlill Gibran.

Researching Gibran, I happened upon a story about his nephew (and namesake), Kahlil Gibran, a Boston-based sculptor. Gibran, the nephew, died in 2008. In his obituary, he's quoted as having said this: 

"I believe talent is a grace. You don't deny it, you don't affirm it. But if you don't work at it, you can lose it. The only sin is in squandering talent."

Gulp.

Yes.

Well.

I don't know if squandering your talent can rightly be called the original sin. But it'd make a pretty fine eleventh commandmen, wouldn't it? Thou shalt not squander thy talent. 

Copy Gibran's remarkable sentences down somewhere and have a look at it every now and again. 

And mark it: #11.