“Talent sets the floor. Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick
Talent can carry you far, even into the ranks of being very well paid for your skills. But character is the X Factor, that tiny differentiator between champion and runner up.
The aspect of a person that makes them shoot a thousand free throws a day (Larry Bird), the will to not fight back (Jackie Robinson), the sheer guts to face down authority (Kathrin Switzer) is what makes people legends.
Character is what keeps someone in the gym, or the office, or the relationship doing the hard work to succeed.
Talent opens the door. Character is what is written on someone’s soul and writes the tales we tell generations later.