[anonymid]

I think talent is innate/inborn. Success is something else, and dependent on other factors. Work ethic, motivation, passion, ambition, desire, economic opportunity/advantage, etc. can all determine the extent to which one is able to translate one's innate talent into success. Some people's talent goes to waste, but the very idea of "wasted talent" or "wasted genius" implies that the talent or genius was there to begin with, regardless of what one did or didn't do with it.

 

[anonymid]

So then, would you judge someone more by their talent or by their success. Which do you value more, someone who had no talent, but worked hard and made it big after 20yrs, or a gifted prodigy who has a PhD at age 14, but doesn't do any thing and doesn't care about anything as his talent comes about without much effort.
NOTE, for someone without talent, success may be being employed as a bus driver. Do you think a bus driver deserves more praise than Mozart, for whom, talent was evident from birth.

"Judge" in what sense, for what purpose, with regard to what? In a general sense, "as a person," so to speak? I think people should be judged on their character, not on their talent or their success. I'm not sure that's what you're getting at, though.

As for the bus driver v. Mozart question, I again would ask--praise with regard to what? A bus driver deserves praise for helping me get from point A to point B; Mozart deserves praise for having composed music I find beautiful. It's apples and oranges. People deserve praise for doing what they do well, whatever it is they happen to do (assuming what they do is something useful, desirable, or admirable).