Quotes About Mastery

There's always a fascination in watching anybody do a job which he really understands. Watch a woman—a woman who really knows how to cook, I mean—rolling dough. She's got a peculiar, solemn, indrawn air, a satisfied kind of air, like a priestess celebrating a sacred rite.

I do know them each by heart because

To write a story that works, that moves the reader, is difficult, and most of us can't do it. Even among those who have done it, it mostly can't be done. And it can't be done from a position of total control, of flawless mastery, of simply having an intention and then knowingly executing it. There's intuition involved, and stretching—trying things that are at the limit of our abilities.

We might think of a story as a candy factory. We understand that the essence of candymaking is…making that piece of candy right there.

He lived in Half-Moon Street. His house was ruled by his cook, the wife of Moggat, his valet-footman. She also ruled the hapless Moggat. Moggat retaliated by ruling his jovial master as far as he was able, so one might really say Mrs. Moggat ruled them all. As Tom was quite unaware of this fact, it troubled him not a whit.

Karate is like boiling water: without heat, it returns to it's tepid state

I consider myself a part-time worker when it comes to the piano, but you need to play regularly to stay sharp.

A worker may be the hammer's master, but the hammer still prevails. A tool knows exactly how it is meant to be handled, while the user of the tool can only have an approximate idea.

What can cake teach you about life? That practice makes perfect, and if you try something once, it probably won't be perfect, and you have to keep working on it if you want to be good at it.

Swing has always been my strength, and I am also working hard on it.

Quality is pride of workmanship.

My workmanship and quality are my strengths.

That's kind of how I see my workmanship: it's how many hours I put in that makes me better.

I only need one workout to feel like my shot is back.

Chess masters don't evaluate all the possible moves. They know how to discard 98 percent of the ones they could make and then focus on the best choice of the remaining lot. That's the way expertise works in other fields, too: Wise practitioners recognize familiar patterns and put their creativity, improvisation, and skill toward the marginal cases.

The amateur tweets. The pro works.

Basically, if you work hard and practice an instrument every day, you'll learn how to play like a professional. You'll get better and better each day. And that's how it works for me. I wasn't magically inclined to play. I had to keep practicing and practicing to train my fingers.

It's not until the very last phase that you know how good the works are going to be.

I'm two times world champion, I've got nothing to prove to anybody.

I was world champion. For me, chess is my life. It is everything.

If you're going to make comments on economy, study economy. If you're gonna make comments on world history, make sure you learn world history. If you're gonna save lives and be a doctor, you need to study medicine. Then, you will be able to make comments on economy, on medicine, and on world history.

The most important thing is winning, not breaking the world record.

Hema ji is a dedicated artist and a perfectionist who continues to rehearse on her lines till she gets them right.

I don't have to prove myself to anyone. People know what I'm capable of. I've spent a long time in this game.