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

11. "The human mind defines things in relation to one another—without light the notion of darkness would be unintelligible"
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

12. "there are clear distinctions between what it takes to be decent, what it takes to be good, what it takes to be great, and what it takes to be among the best. If your goal is to be mediocre, then you have a considerable margin for error. You can get depressed when fired and mope around waiting for someone to call with a new job offer. If you hurt your toe, you can take six weeks watching television and eating potato chips."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

13. "The secret is that everything is always on the line. The more present we are at practice, the more present we will be in competition, in the boardroom, at the exam, the operating table, the big stage. If we have any hope of attaining excellence, let alone of showing what we’ve got under pressure, we have to be prepared by a lifestyle of reinforcement. Presence must be like breathing."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

14. "I knew how to block out my issues in a sprint, but in marathons I ran out of gas. Consistency became a critical problem. On days that I was inspired, I was unstoppable. But other days I would play bad chess. The time had come for me to learn the science of long-term, healthy, self-sustaining peak performance."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

15. "I was unhindered by internal conflict—a state of being that I have come to see as fundamental to the learning process."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

16. "To walk a thorny road, we may cover its every inch with leather or we can make sandals. Anger."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

17. "we cannot calculate our important contests, adventures, and great loves to the end. The only thing we can really count on is getting surprised. No matter how much preparation we do, in the real tests of our lives, we’ll be in unfamiliar terrain. Conditions might not be calm or reasonable. It may feel as though the whole world is stacked against us. This is when we have to perform better than we ever conceived of performing. I believe the key is to have prepared in a manner that allows for inspiration, to have laid the foundation for us to create under the wildest pressures we ever imagined."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

18. "Instead of running from our emotions or being swept away by their initial gusts, we should learn to sit with them, become at peace with their unique flavors, and ultimately discover deep pools of inspiration."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

19. "It is rarely a mysterious technique that drives us to the top, but rather a profound mastery of what may well be a basic skill set."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

20. "Whenever I made a fundamental error, he would mention the principle I had violated. If I refused to budge, he’d proceed to take advantage of the error until my position fell apart. Over time, Bruce earned my respect as I saw the correctness of his ideas."
- Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence