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home • JAN 04, 2019

Traits, Talents and Skills

It is not the strongest of species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change.
Charles Darwin

Traits are nature. The general disposition of a person, temperament, whether they prefer tea or coffee, the way people are. Traits are not about utility, they are about nature.

Talents are also nature, but they are abilities. They have utility. Whether a person can run fast, can speak clearly, or sing well.

A skill is what is displayed or demonstrated. A person who can run fast displays the skill of running fast. A person who can’t run so fast can practice hard and become able to run fast and show similar skill. Running fast is the skill. The reason for the ability to display the skill can be nature, nurture or a combination of the two.

You don’t get to choose your traits and talents. But you get to choose your skills.

Strengths and weaknesses are construed as degrees of expression of skill.