Talent is like a river—it flows only when continuously fed. Jiang Yan, a gifted writer of the Southern Dynasties, dazzled the world with his poetry and painting in youth, yet in old age, his pen faltered and his words dried up. Thus arose the age‑old saying, “Jiang Yan’s talent is exhausted.”
But talent is not a fixed gift; it is a garden that must be tended. If one rests on past laurels, the sharpest mind may dull. Rather than lamenting fading brilliance, we should ask ourselves: Have I stopped learning? Have I ceased to wonder? Am I too comfortable to grow?
The end of inspiration is rarely fate—it is often neglect. True wisdom lies not in never running dry, but in knowing how to replenish. Stay curious, stay humble, and keep writing your story. For the pen is never empty when the heart is full.