The key to pursuing excellence is to embrace an organic, long-term learning process, and not to live in a shell of static, safe mediocrity. Usually, … - Joshua Waitzkin

growth comes at the expense of previous comfort or safety.

I was unhindered by internal conflict — a state of being that I have come to see as fundamental to the learning process.

Over the years, I’ve gotten better and better at returning from mental and physical exhaustion…The fighter who can recover in the thirty seconds between rounds…will have a huge advantage over the guy who is still huffing and puffing, mentally or physically, from the last battle.

Everyone at a high level has a huge amount of chess understanding, and much of what separates the great from the very good is deep presence, relaxation of the conscious mind, which allows the unconscious to flow unhindered.