Quote of the Day: Thomas Shadwell on Daily Inspiration

We often believe passion is a lightning bolt: you either “have it” or you don’t. But Thomas Shadwell offers a steadier, more hopeful truth, “Every man loves what he is good at”, suggesting that affection is often built, not found.

When you’re competent, effort stops feeling like punishment and starts feeling like craft. Reliable outcomes turn uncertainty into play: you get clear feedback, a small reward in the brain, and the sense that your time is being well spent. That’s why practice can shift from grit to groove; friction decreases, attention narrows, and progress becomes intrinsically satisfying. The cycle is simple: ability fuels enjoyment, enjoyment fuels practice, and practice deepens ability, one of the most practical forms of success you can engineer.

Social meaning strengthens the bond. Being good at something earns trust, usefulness, and recognition, and soon the skill becomes part of your identity: “I’m the kind of person who can do this.” But don’t miss the other direction, love can come first. Curiosity and values can carry you through the clumsy stage if you protect it with small wins, good coaching, and a beginner-friendly environment. Ask yourself: do I love this because I’m good at it, or am I good at it because I love it? Keep your identity flexible, and let mastery serve what you actually care about, your leadership, your relationships, your integrity.

Shadwell earned his authority the hard way: a major Restoration dramatist and later Poet Laureate, he built popular comedies in the Jonsonian “humours” tradition and navigated the era’s fierce political currents with a working writer’s eye for human motives.

Today, pick one skill you “kind of like,” then design a 20-minute practice with a measurable finish (ten reps, one page, one sketch, one solved problem). Track it, celebrate the smallest improvement, and let competence quietly teach you what to love, may your effort become ease, and your ease become joy.