If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.

The aphorism frames personal potential as something organic that can develop even when one begins with apparent disadvantages. “Wings” stand for talent, freedom, ambition, or self-determination; the imperative is negative—don’t sabotage your own growth through fear, conformity, or internalized limits. Attributed to Chanel, it resonates with her public image as a self-made figure who rejected restrictive social and sartorial conventions. The line’s force lies in shifting responsibility from “having” gifts to cultivating conditions for them to emerge, suggesting that flourishing is less about innate endowment than about refusing the habits and environments that stunt development.