Perspective

It can be difficult to appreciate how much simply avoiding the standard ways of failing dramatically increases the odds of success.

The artist is a discoverer, not an inventor.

You can’t take credit for your talents, but it matters that you use them. You can’t really be blamed for your weaknesses, but it matters that you correct them. So pride and shame don’t make a lot of sense in the final analysis. But they weren’t much fun anyway; these are isolating emotions.