"His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly's wings. At one time he understood it no more than the butterfly did and he did not know when it was brushed or marred"

This quote by Ernest Hemingway is a gorgeous metaphor for an individual's natural skill. It compares an individual's skill to the intricate pattern of dust on a butterfly's wings. Much like the butterfly, the individual does not understand their talent and is uninformed of when it is being brushed or ruined. This quote is a suggestion that talent is something that is natural and ought to be appreciated and nurtured. It is a reminder that skill is something that needs to be respected and not taken for given. It is a pointer that skill is something that must be commemorated and not neglected. It is a suggestion that skill is something that must be valued and not eliminated.