Quotes About Focus

Creativity is incredibly important, but drive is equally so.

Writing is an incredibly lonely job.

When I'm working on a short story, I could duck into a bathroom at a crowded party and write a scene, which is to say I can work in a very incremental way.

In history we studied the bog man. Do you remember the bog man? I was absolutely fascinated by this. When something brings the past into sharp focus as a child it creates an indelible impression.

I think what I've learned to focus on is my music, and that's why I made my record independently.

I am a wire-walker. I can walk any time, anywhere - I'm indestructible.

To achieve important things, we have to sacrifice what's important to us. That's an idea that's very central to Indian thinking.

ASK "WHY?" Asking why you're doing your project will focus you on what matters, your ultimate purpose, and your result. This goes into the box on the right of your project chart.

Think of your project as "one of those," gather data, and learn from all the experience those numbers represent by making reference-class forecasts. Use the same focus to spot and mitigate risks. Switching the focus from your project to the class your project belongs to will lead, paradoxically, to a more accurate understanding of your project.

SAY NO AND WALK AWAY Staying focused is essential for getting projects done. Saying no is essential for staying focused. At the outset, will the project have the people and funds, including contingencies, needed to succeed? If not, walk away. Does an action contribute to achieving the goal in the box on the right? If not, skip it. Say no to monuments. No to untested technology. No to lawsuits. And so on. This can be difficult, particularly if your organization embraces a bias for action.

Small is good. For one thing, small projects can be simple.

To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.

Attention is a drug. There's no going back.

Life is simple," I said. "Ale, women, sword, and reputation. Nothing else matters.

Discipline strengthens the mind so that it becomes impervious to the corroding influence of fear.

One thing at a time, as in the days when I was building Joshua. If I had wanted to build all the boat at once, the enormity of the task would have crushed me. I had to put all I had into the hull alone, without thinking about the rest. It would follow . . . with the help of the gods. Sailing non-stop around the world is the same. I do not think anyone has the means of pulling it off—at the start.

concentrating on a magnetized needle prevents one from participating in the real universe, seen and unseen, where a sailboat moves.

You don't have to swing hard to hit a home run. If you got the timing, it'll go.

Think! How the hell are you gonna think and hit at the same time?

If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up somewhere else.

When you walk with purpose, you collide with destiny.

For what's the use of talking with a man who has a disease and thinks about the stars?

To focus on the visible at the expense of the essential is irresponsible.

The wise man thinks about his troubles only when there is some purpose in doing so; at other times he thinks about others things.