Quotes About Mastery

A genius must never be seen struggling to master his craft. He starts out already accomplished.

unchecked power corrupts.  

Carus, taking off a cap which he wore to conceal his baldness, assured the ambassadors, that, unless their master acknowledged the superiority of Rome, he would speedily render Persia as naked of trees as his own head was destitute of hair.

To enable man to understand the society of the past and to increase his mastery over the society of the present is the dual function of history.

There is no strength higher than overcoming carnal desire.

Good writers are monotonous, like good composers. They keep trying to perfect the one problem they were born to understand.

Sane judgment abhors nothing so much as a picture perpetrated with no technical knowledge, although with plenty of care and diligence.

The Way of Mastery is to break all the rules—but you have to know them perfectly before you can do this; otherwise you are not in a position to transcend them.

The occultist G. I. Gurdjieff (1877–1949) demanded that a student, who was an inveterate smoker, quit smoking, and until he quit, Gurdjieff forbade any visit from him. The student fought for four years against the habit. When the student managed to overcome his habit, he very proudly presented himself in front of the teacher: "So! I quit smoking!" Gurdjieff responded, "Now, smoke!

Following Nietzsche's arguments concerning the genealogy of the word "good"(and "evil"), one could also say that the main difference between "masters"and the "herd" (as the new masters) is that masters are the ones who "give names" (and can thus say "this is so-and-so") whereas the "herd" fights for the -interpretation- of these names ("this -means- so-and-so"). Yet this interpretation is itself a form of mastery, and is often much more tyrannical than the act of "giving names".

Master Steve. "Hmm…

Control is part of faking it

Gyo(?) You practice; you reach a new level; and then you practice again.

Gyo ? ('practice' and also 'to practice') is what monks undergo in their training inside the temple; it's an ordeal, a trial to be mastered. And it never ends. You practice; you reach a new level; and then you practice again.

In the classic Zen in the Art of Archery, Eugen Herrigel's teacher urged him always to take his next shot unburdened by previous failures to hit the target; as he improved, his teacher urged him not to be influenced by his successes either, to stay in the present moment.

4 major factors contribute to recovery: Relaxation, Control, Mastery Experiences, and Mental Detachment from work.

I believe that true beauty of chess is more than enough to satisfy all possible demands.

Chess for me is not a game, but an art. Yes, and I take upon myself all those responsibilities which an art imposes on its adherents.

If you put your mind to it, not as a school lesson but as a practical tool that you've got to master, you may find it a lot easier than you think.

Let such teach others who themselves excel,And censure freely who have written well.

To shoot is human, to make your own bullets is divine. Let's be honest, we were all beginners at one point or another.

One science only will one genius fit

I would rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent than in the extent of my powers and dominion.

I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion.