Mamet was asked about this quote in The Storytellers: Straight Talk from the World’s Most Acclaimed Suspense and Thriller Authors (by Mark Rubenstein)
[MARK] You once said, “There’s no such thing as talent; you just have to work hard enough.” What did you mean?
[MAMET] It’s not true. You know, you can practice forever, but you’re not going to throw a fastball like Sandy Koufax did. He spent time explaining the ergonimics of the fastball, and it made perfect sense to him, because he could throw that fastball.
I was doing a movie with Helen Mirrent and we were on the set. She said, “Oh, David, when you direct, you kind of act.” Which is what a director does; he kind of acts out the piece for his actors. She said, “You must have been an actor.” I said, “Yeah, I was a kid actor.”
She asked how I was, and I told her I was terrible. She said, “But it’s so easy.” And I said, “Yes, Helen, for you it’s easy.”
So, if you’ve got talent, some things are easier. I think Eric Hoffer is the one who said, “The talentless think everything happens without effort.”
this excerpt on google books
here’s what I think…
Innate ability exists. Luck is real.
Hard work doesn’t always pay off.
You play the hand you’re dealt.
Now go make stuff.