In America, people focus on the end result; they focus on the star.

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

I tend not to dwell on the parallels between chess and business, chess and the martial arts, or any two things for that matter, because the truth is that all pursuits are connected if we gain an eye for the thematic links.

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.

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

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

My coach and my parents both had this relationship to what I was doing, which was allowing me to express myself with chess. And so I could love it. I had a passion for it. I was expressing myself through chess, and I was learning about myself through chess.