A gold trophy cup beside a small green seedling growing in a thimble against a cream background.

Original artwork, not a still

Luc de Clapiers Vauvenargues

Great success is commoner than great abilities.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker claims that exceptional success occurs more often than exceptional ability. That comparison questions any simple equation between achievement and talent. Its sharpness comes from leaving the implication unstated: success alone, in this view, cannot establish how able someone really is.

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