Why fixate on the extreme limits of what we might do when most of us are at the very beginning of our journey?

With everything perfect we do not ask how it came to be, we rejoice in the present fact as though it came out of the ground by magic.

No one can see in the work of the artist how it has become.

Our vanity and self-love promote the code of the genius for if we think of geniuses as something magical we are not obliged to compare ourselves and find ourselves lacking. To call someone divine means there is no need to compete.

Do not talk about giftedness. Geniuses all possess that seriousness of the efficient workmen which first learns to construct the parts properly before adventuring to fashion a great whole. They allow themselves time for it because they took more pleasure in the making.

Grit has two components: passion and perseverance.

Do you have a life philosophy? This is what I want.

A clear well-defined philosophy gets to the guidelines and boundaries that keep you on track.

Improvise, adapt, overcome.

On any long journey detours are to be expected.

'The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I am not afraid to die on the treadmill. I will not be outworked. You might have more talent than me, you might be smarter than me, you might be sexier than me, you might be all those things but if we get on the treadmill together there are two things: you're getting off first or I'm going to die. It's really that simple.' - Will Smith

80% of success in life is showing up.

Grit is not just working incredibly hard. That's only part of it. There are no shortcuts to excellence, developing real expertise, figuring out really hard problems. It all takes time. Longer than most people imagine. Then you know you've got to apply those skills to produce goods or services that are valuable to people. Rome wasn't built in a day. Grit is about working on something you care about so much that you're willing to stay loyal to it.

It's doing what you love, but not just falling in love, staying in love.

Purpose: the intention to contribute to the well-being of others.

No pain, no gain.

Deliberate practice involves a clearly defined stretch goal for concentration in effort, immediate and informative feedback, repetition with reflection, and refinement.

Deliberate practice predicted advancing to the final rounds of competition far better than any other kind of preparation.

The roots of knowledge are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.