"But farming, really? A man of your talents?"
— Director Krennic, Rogue One
Sometimes, someone or something doesn't live up to their potential. This trope is when a character In-Universe laments that fact. If done to a person, it could be used to give that person the kick up the rear they need to live up to their potential, or maybe they'd double down. If done to an object, it could give someone the idea of getting more utility out of a device.
Sometimes though, the one lamenting the waste of potential is in the wrong about the reasons why someone or something is not living up to their potential, perceived or otherwise. Maybe they grossly misjudged someone's or something's potential, or there are circumstances they are not aware of that explains why they can't or won't live up to their potential, or they are aware, but they don't care.
Often remarked of someone who is Brilliant, but Lazy, and can overlap with Laziness Callout. Can also be remarked when someone engages in Wasteful Wishing, typically to either tell off the wish-maker, or to convince them to consider their wishes more carefully.
If a person's "wasted potential" is due to having different priorities associated with their relationships, someone may do something about those relationships as "They Were Holding You Back".
Super-Trope to I Coulda Been a Contender! which is specific to when a person laments their permanently lost opportunities to reach their own potential. Also a Super-Trope to You Could Have Used Your Powers for Good! which is specific to telling a villain they could have used their talents to benefit people instead of pursuing evil goals, or the reverse where a villain tells the hero they could have used their talents for evil.
Compare Disappointed in You, which is when someone laments someone else screwing up instead of merely failing to live up to their potential. Also compare Fond Memories That Could Have Been, which is when someone laments what relationships they could have had if things were different. Also compare Jaded Washout, which is a character trope and is when someone had a bright future in high school but became a washout after graduating.
If the audience laments the wasted potential of a work, see They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character, They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot, and Underused Game Mechanic.
Contrast Limiting the Potential, in which someone wants to prevent another from reaching their full potential.
Not to be confused with Just Think of the Potential!, which is when someone tries to justify something dangerous.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- Puella Magi Madoka Magica: When visiting Kyosuke's house, Sayaka encounters Kyoko (after their initial duel). The latter is quite annoyed that Sayaka would just waste her wish on something selfless. This would later be Deconstructed, as Kyoko wants Sayaka to not make the same mistake she did.
Comic Books
- One of the more common motivations for Lex Luthor's hatred of Superman is that Superman has powers that could allow him to reign supreme over Earth, crushing opposition in a heartbeat... and doesn't do it, which is so anathema to how Lex would do things if he had Kryptonian powers that it drives him nuts.
Fan Works
- Alicorn: Played for Drama. Rainbow, being a Winged Unicorn with Divine Parentage, has magical power far beyond any regular unicorn, which makes it all the more infuriating for Twilight, her magic teacher, when she seemingly refuses to put in the slightest effort to actually learn how to use her magic. In reality, Twilight's method of teaching just doesn't work for Rainbow so she struggles despite genuinely wanting to learn. Celestia, Rainbow's mother, has better luck by teaching her with a "learning by doing" approach.
- The Best Case Scenario, if you're being "realistic": Because of Aizawa overusing his expulsion tactics, a lot of kids with great potential were saddled with underserved black marks that ruined their lives, which caused others to remark on what a tragedy it all was. An older brother tells the story of his younger brother Kouki. Aizawa giving him a black mark destroyed him. He worked as hard as he could, graduated from U.A., but because of the black mark on his record, no one gave him a chance and he eventually committed suicide, causing grief to his family that such a good kid had his life ruined, then cut short. This and many other similar stories is one of the reasons Aizawa is fired and U.A.'s already tarnished reputation gets even worse. It's also the motive the older brother has for joining hands with others to murder Aizawa for revenge.
- Camera Shy: Handyman is an absurdly powerful Thinker who can see hours into the future with one eye and years into the past with the other, the latter of which makes it painfully easy to do things like figure out capes' secret identities or foil enemy plans. To Tattletale's disgust, he's perfectly happy just being a lackey and generally coasting through life. Even the times he actually does use his power to his full potential are in Coil's throwaway timelines, so he doesn't have to experience actually doing any work.
- Kara of Rokyn: In the "Last Waltz with Luthor" arc, Lex Luthor criticizes Superman for wasting his time fighting with costumed supervillains when he could be bringing about real world-wide change (and then Lex completely dismisses the fact that's exactly what Lex himself has done all along, except from the opposite end of the moral spectrum).
And what had the idiot done with his great powers? Had he taken over the planet, ended the stupidity of mobocracy or Communism or fascism? Had he unified the world under a common rule, ended war, hunger, and poverty?
Hell, no!
All he had done was dress up in an absurd three-colored costume and beat up on crooks. - Keeping Secrets: When Zeref sees Gildarts' Crush Magic in action, the Black Wizard laments that he never met and trained Gildarts when he was younger, as he could have helped the man refine his magic into something truly extraordinary, instead of just being a destructive juggernaut. Indeed, Zeref even says that Gildarts would have made a fantastic member of the Spriggan Twelve, which is quite the compliment.
- Mastermind: Strategist for Hire: Mastermind is disgusted that he, a feared villain, is relegated to grunt work when Overhaul forcibly recruits him into the Shie Hassakai, especially after all his grand boasts of using him to his full potential. Thankfully for Mastermind, this is just a temporary setback.
- The Pixie of the Hidden Leaf: Tanya is professionally outraged to hear that Karin, perhaps the most impossibly powerful sensor ninja in the world, has zero training and doesn't even know she is a sensor ninja.
- Pokémon Reset Bloodlines: One of the things Sabrina detests most is mediocre people, especially those who have what it takes to be better, but for some reason or another, don't live up to their potential. She is flexible in what goals people can pursue, ranging from good things like when she complimented Tommy for growing a spine and standing up to her, to bad things like adoring Twenty Gyarados Bill for going from a mediocre fisherman to a mass murderer who made his mark on history. However, if she feels someone is wasting their potential, she can, will, and did, threaten people into living up to them, and if they fail, she will murder them. She has a rather large body count.
- The Serpent Empress: One of the Five Elder Stars criticized the decision to allow Sandersonia and Marigold to be used as mere entertainment pieces for the World Nobles since they were Lunarians and they had a lot more potential as test subjects for Dr Vegapunk.
- Obito-Sensei: Downplayed. Rin notes that with Sakura's chakra control, she would have made a great medi-nin. However, Sakura channelled all of her talent into being a combat-oriented ninja. She's still living up to her potential and is a great asset to Konoha, just not in the way Rin would have liked.
- What You Knead (Naruto): Zigzagged. When Kakashi steps back from active ninja work to open a bakery, general reception from other citizens of Konoha is mixed. Many treat him with disdain for retiring from being a ninja at a relatively early age when he is one of the best in the village, with Jiraiya being the most prominent of those opposed to Kakashi's life choices. Kakashi however is more surprised by how many were supportive of his decision, like Gai. The Sandaime Hokage took a middle ground, allowing Kakashi to step back from active duty, but not fully retire, making him part of the reserves and obligating Kakashi to keep his skill levels up.
Films — Animation
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire: After his proposal is dismissed by his superiors, Milo confronts one of them, Mr. Harcourt, and threatens to resign if they don't fund an expedition to find the Shepherd's Journal, which supposedly holds the key to finding Atlantis. Harcourt tells him that he has potential, but that he's squandering it searching for a myth, just like his grandfather did.
- Cars 1: Doc Hudson was a racing legend in his time, and when Lightning McQueen finds out who he was, he demands to know why he quit at the top of his game. Doc Hudson rebuts that he didn't quit, other people gave up on him. After his crash and recovery, he was all set to show the world he's still got what it takes, but he was told he's history and they moved on to the next potential big racer.
- The Iron Giant: When Hogarth discovers that Dean has taught the eponymous giant robot how to sculpt, he (Hogarth) claims that a giant robot doing arts and crafts is "undignified" and he should be taught other, more impressive, things instead.
- Megamind: When Megamind discovers that Hal is using his powers to commit crimes after Roxanne makes it clear she is not interested in him, he admonishes him, "I can't believe you. All your gifts, all your powers, and you squander them for your own personal gain!" But Hal doesn't care; he didn't want to be a hero in the first place.
- Treasure Planet: Sarah remarks that her son Jim is clearly talented, putting together his first solar surfer at eight, but he's squandering his smarts if the fact he's failing school is any indication. By the end of the movie though, he manages to make something of himself.
Films — Live-Action
- This is a recurring theme in A Bronx Tale, as Lorenzo and Sonny both (in their own ways) try to keep Calogero, a sweet boy, on the right path and prevent him from turning to a life of crime due to his fascination with a mob boss.
The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.
- Captain America: The First Avenger: After Erskine is assassinated, the Super Soldier program is put on hold, and while Steve is ready, willing and able to serve the war effort, General Phillips flatly refuses. Steve's reduced to performing schlocky stage shows, and both he and Peggy Carter point out this is a waste of his potential.
Peggy: So these are your only two options; lab rat or a dancing monkey. You were meant for more than this, you know.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Willy Wonka manages to build a teleporter, and Mike Teavee is disgusted its potential is wasted being used only for chocolate. He tries to demonstrate it could be used for people, ignoring Wonka's warnings, and really only demonstrates why it shouldn't be used on people when the teleporter can't undo Mike being shrunk.
- Conan the Barbarian (1982). When Conan tells Thulsa Doom that You Killed My Father (and mother, and entire tribe, plus he stole his father's sword) the sorcerer responds this way, apparently believing that Conan would be of better use serving as one of his fanatical followers than working as a thief and mercenary.
"Look at the strength of your body, the desire in your heart. I gave you this. Such a waste. Contemplate this on the Tree of Woe. (to his cultists) Crucify him."
- Independence Day: David is berated by his father, Julius for squandering his potential. He's got impressive skills as a programmer and scientist, but he wastes his talents on just being a mere employee of a cable company.
- Iron Man 1: An early scene between Tony and Rhodey has the later, while heavily drunk, telling Tony he is absolutely capable of being more than the lazy, hedonistic playboy he is. It takes being abducted, tortured and nearly dying for Tony to agree, and start doing something about it.
- Kingsman: The Secret Service: In their talk at the pub, Harry calls the protagonist Eggsy out on squandering his potential. Harry says he is an Olympic-level gymnast who also excelled at military training, has a high IQ, and is a nice guy, if rough around the edges. And yet, he's just a petty criminal instead. Eggsy snaps at him, pointing out that his circumstances — namely having a deceased father, a traumatized mother, an abusive stepfather, and a severe lack of money — forced him to make such choices. He does however take the chance to live up to his potential when Harry offers potential recruitment into the titular group.
- Rocky (1976): Rocky has talent as a boxer and generally means well. It's why Mickey laments that he's nothing more than a goon for a loan shark.
Mickey: You had the talent to become a great fighter. But instead, you became a leg-breaker for some cheap second-rate loan shark.
Rocky: It's a living.
Mickey: It's a waste of a life. - Rogue One: When Krennic meets Galen in the opening scenes of the movie, he laments that a talented man like Galen is working as a mere farmer. Galen says it's a peaceful life since he doesn't have to make weapons anymore, but Krennic is unsympathetic.
- Sky High (2005): After Principal Powers puts Will Stronghold and Warren Peace in detention for their fight, she tells them what they do with their powers is up to them, but remarks that trying to live up, or live down, to their father's legacy is a sad waste of talent. Will decides she's right and tries to reach out to Warren, but he isn't yet open to Will's outreach.
Literature
- Anne of Green Gables: Anne won a full scholarship to college, but she turned it down because Matthew died and Marilla couldn't handle the farm by herself with her weakening eyesight. Marilla always regretted this, feeling that Anne was meant for more than just being a village schoolmarm. Eventually the situation is resolved.
- Conan the Barbarian: In A Witch Shall Be Born, the Vain Sorceress Salome was raised (after being abandoned, for good reason) by a powerful magician, who kicked her out when he realized she was only interested in magic to fulfill her hedonistic whims rather than conquering the world.
He drove me from him at last, saying that I was but a common witch in spite of his teachings, and not fit to command the mighty sorcery he would have taught me. He would have made me queen of the world and ruled the nations through me, he said, but I was only a harlot of darkness. But what of it? I could never endure to seclude myself in a golden tower, and spend the long hours staring into a crystal globe, mumbling over incantations written on serpent's skin in the blood of virgins, poring over musty volumes in forgotten languages.
He said I was but an earthly sprite, knowing naught of the deeper gulfs of cosmic sorcery. Well, this world contains all I desire— power, and pomp, and glittering pageantry, handsome men and soft women for my paramours and my slaves. - Darth Plagueis: Plagueis tells a crooked gambler and potential apprentice of Venamis that instead of just using his powers for petty gambling cheating, he could be more impressive if he actually did something bold and far-reaching with the money, like funding terrorism.
- Discworld: Witches Abroad: One of Granny Weatherwax's biggest grievances with Lily is that Lily became the evil witch, but because Lily thinks she is the good witch, she absolutely squandered her potential as the evil witch. Granny Weatherwax is a lot more clear-eyed on which of them is good and evil, and remarks that if she was the evil witch, she would have done a much better job of it.
- Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Tom Riddle's Hogwarts teachers thought he'd be a shoe-in for the Ministry of Magic after graduating from Hogwarts, and thought he could even become Minister for Magic. They were shocked and disappointed he chose to work at Borgin and Burkes, a shop with a seedy reputation.
- I Hate That We're Childhood Friends!: Kazuma can only act in disgust that Amane is forced by her agency to be nothing more than support to Rua, despite that Amane is a far-talented voice actress and singer. This inspires Kazuma to help Amane to elevate her status while screwing Rua over.
- Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: The primary point of contention Hephaestus Familia had with Welf when he was first introduced into the story is that he had the skill Crozzo Blood, which would allow him to make amazing Magic Swords, that he stubbornly refuses to use for personal reasons. It's a part of his character development that he realizes that whatever his personal issues were, he has to utilize everything he's got to be the best blacksmith he could be and help his friends.
- The Midnight Library (2020): Nora begins the novel lamenting that she hasn't lived up to her own potential, as anxiety and grief have lead her to turn down many opportunities to nurture her intelligence and talents over the years. She is Driven to Suicide over this, only to find herself in the titular Midnight Library, where she gets to experience lives she would have lived had she better pursued her potential in one way or another. In nearly every case, it turns out to be a Fake "Better" Alternate Timeline where her self in that life isn't any happier. In the end, she realizes she can't live to please others' expectations and her potential exists as long as she is living, choosing to go back to the life she tried to escape from and take better advantage of it.
- The Neapolitan Novels is about the friendship between two smart girls named Elena and Lila, who grow up in an impoverished neighborhood. In the first book Elena continues her education past elementary school, while Lila is forced to drop out so she can work in her family's shoe business. Elena is eventually The One Who Made It Out and becomes a materially comfortable and celebrated author (not that this helps her personal life very much), while Lila endures many hardships after refusing to be stifled by a less-than-ideal marriage. Elena is haunted by and envious of how Lila is naturally brilliant and could have excelled at any field if she were allowed to keep studying.
Live-Action TV
- The Brittas Empire: In "Sex, Lies and Red Tape", Laura gives Brittas a "The Reason You Suck" Speech over what she thinks is wasted potential — she knows that Brittas does care for others and has a genuinely good vision for how things should be... which is all wasted on the fact that it's coming from a man with absolutely dreadful social skills and who screws up the simplest of things.
Laura: Do you know what really drives me up the wall almost every time you open your mouth?
Mr. Brittas: Laura, I said I was s—
Laura: It's the waste!
Mr. Brittas: Hmm?
Laura: I mean, here you are — you want to help, you have a dream. You actually have a vision of how things ought to be. You care! You get all the difficult things right!
Mr. Brittas: Laura, I—
Laura: And then when it comes to the really simple bits you blow it! Every time you blow it! I mean there are people out there, and if they had a half of your decency, and a quarter of your desire to do just the right thing. IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY I GET— - The Flash (2014): In the first episode, the Flash learns that his childhood bully, Tony, has become a meta and is using his powers to commit crimes. He berates said bully in a "The Reason You Suck" Speech, and points out how he could have made something of himself, yet has spent his whole life simply being a pathetic bully.
- Gilmore Girls: In the episode "Teach Me Tonight", Rory calls out Jess for doing poorly at school and squandering his smarts. He could get much better grades, but he isn't doing the schoolwork and is skipping class. Jess' plan for adulthood is to be a drifter, but Rory insists he could be so much more if he applied himself.
- Roseanne: When Roseanne, Jackie, and their mom Bev enjoy an afternoon of wine and cathartic confessions from the past, Jackie admits she'd once told Bev she hadn't been accepted to a college but actually had and just didn't go. Bev grows upset, telling Jackie she had always thought she had the potential to be something great if she'd only focused on her education. She manages to alienate Roseanne at the same time by insinuating she never expected Roseanne would be more than an ordinary housewife.
- Scrubs: When Dr. Cox's mentor is a patient in the hospital, he and Dr. Kelso find themselves competing for his approval. At one point Dr. Cox makes Dr. Kelso look bad, which earns him a "Reason You Suck" Speech from his mentor.
Benson: You know what my biggest disappointment being back here is?
Cox: I think I can imagine.
Benson: It's you, Perry. Because you do things like show up the Chief of Medicine, when anyone who spends five seconds in a room with Bob Kelso knows what a gigantic ass he is.
Cox: Hey I just thought...
Benson: No, you don't think, Perry. That's the problem. And God, you're such a talented doctor. If you played the game even a little, you'd be in a position where you could actually change things around here. But you're too damn stubborn. - Star Trek: The Next Generation: In "Birthright", Worf sees a group of other Klingons who don't know much about mainstream Klingon culture due to living away from their home planet. When he sees a farmer using a bat'leth (a type of Klingon sword) as a farming tool, he complains that he's using it the wrong way.
- WandaVision: Agatha, during her "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Wanda, tells her that she's one of the most powerful witches on Earth, that she could use that power to do whatever she wanted... and all she did was turn a small town into the setting of a sitcom. Given what Wanda later uses her powers for, though, maybe she shouldn't have given her the idea.
Theatre
- Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812: Pierre is one of Russia's richest men, so it's not like he lacks opportunities. But he often laments not taking them. In the song "Dust and Ashes", Pierre broods over how meaningless his life feels because he's never been bold enough to pursue what he truly wants.
So easy to close off
Place the blame outside
Hiding in my room at night, so terrified
All the things I could've been
But I never had the nerve
Life and love, I don't deserve
Video Games
- Assassin's Creed Rogue: As Assassin Hope Jensen is dying after being mortally wounded by her former comrade Shay Cormac, she laments that he, in her eyes at least, wasted his potential by joining the Templars.
''Pity… You had so much potential."
Web Videos
- Sword Art Online Abridged: Sugou comments on Kayaba wasting his technological expertise on making a mediocre video game given the fact that SAO's charisma mechanic can be used to grant people a Compelling Voice while telling Asuna his Evil Plan.
Sugou: To think, he had the power to bend the masses to his will... and he just gave it to a bunch of greasy imbeciles begging for nudes.
Western Animation
- Steven Universe: When Jasper is curb-stomping Amethyst, she taunts her for being off-color, stating that she could have been more like Jasper.
Jasper: You could have been me! And what are you instead? Just a joke. [poofs her]
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003): Master Splinter, in one episode, tells Michelangelo that he could be an amazing ninja, even surpassing Leonardo, but he doesn't focus and instead wants to goof off.
- Ultimate Spider-Man: Norman Osborn/Goblin's biggest problem with Spider-Man is that his abilities could easily make him the most powerful person in New York, but he instead uses his abilities to stop street-level crimes, swing around, and crack jokes.