The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence Quotes.

1. "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, growth comes at the expense of previous comfort or safety."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

2. "Growth comes at the point of resistance. We learn by pushing ourselves and finding what really lies at the outer reaches of our abilities."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

3. "If I want to be the best, I have to take risks others would avoid, always optimizing the learning potential of the moment and turning adversity to my advantage. That said, there are times when the body needs to heal, but those are ripe opportunities to deepen the mental, technical, internal side of my game. When aiming for the top, your path requires an engaged, searching mind. You have to make obstacles spur you to creative new angles in the learning process. Let setbacks deepen your resolve. You should always come off an injury or a loss better than when you went down."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

4. "One idea I taught was the importance of regaining presence and clarity of mind after making a serious error."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

5. "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."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

6. "He landed on cheap shot, but I knocked him out of the tournament."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

7. "A key component of high-level learning is cultivating a resilient awareness that is the older, conscious embodiment of a child’s playful obliviousness."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

8. "One of the most critical strengths of a superior competitor in any discipline—whether we are speaking about sports, business negotiations, or even presidential debates—is the ability to dictate the tone of the battle."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

9. "In my experience, successful people shoot for the stars, put their hearts on the line in every battle, and ultimately discover that the lessons learned from the pursuit of excellence mean much more than the immediate trophies and glory."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

10. "Of course there were plateaus, periods when my results leveled off while I internalized the information necessary for my next growth spurt, but I didn’t mind."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence