The theory clearly predicts that in the classroom and, as we shall see in the next chapter, the playing field, success will not necessarily go to the… - Martin E P Seligman

Above all, during the interval, change from “ego orientation” to “task orientation.” Think: “I know this seems like a personal insult, but it is not. It is a challenge to be overcome that calls on skills I have.

Authentic happiness derives from raising the bar for yourself, not rating yourself against others.

When we want to move from plus three to plus eight in our lives, though, the exercise of will is more important than rearranging external props. Building strengths and virtues and using them in daily life are very much a matter of making choices. Building strength and virtue is not about learning, training, or conditioning, but about discovery, creation, and ownership.