“If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient.” So states Lady Catherine de Bourgh regarding her hypothetical proficiency on the piano in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.  No one is proficient in theory.  No one is generous in theory.  It requires action to learn to play an instrument and it requires action to learn to be generous.  Piano virtuosos sacrifice their time, their money, and other interests to achieve their goal.  Sacrifice is the key.  Generous people sacrifice their time, their money, and other interests to bless others.  Lady Catherine was off her rich rocker!  So are we if we say, “If I had ever sacrificed, I should have been a generous person.“