Not only do we have to be good at waiting, we have to love it. Because waiting is not waiting, it is life.

We learn by pushing ourselves and finding what really lies at the outer reaches of our abilities.

In chess you might find a good move. Then you might find a better move. But take your time. Find the best move.

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.

Just about every error has a technical and psychological component: get good at discovering those connections

Very gifted people, they win and they win, and they are told that they win because they are a winner. That seems like a positive thing to tell children, but ultimately, what that means is when they lose, it must make them a loser.

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.