I started playing chess when I was five years old. I learned the moves from my mother, then worked with my father - and later trainers. My style became very technical. I sacrificed a lot of things. I was always hunting for the king, for the mate. I'd forget about my other pieces.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the dedication and sacrifices necessary to achieve mastery in chess.
Garry Kasparov's quote illustrates his early introduction to chess and the rigorous training he undertook to refine his skills. It emphasizes the importance of commitment, the guidance of family and mentors, and a singular focus on achieving victory, which in chess is symbolized by 'hunting for the king.' His acknowledgment of sacrifices made for success shows that mastery often requires prioritizing one area at the expense of others.
In practice
This quote can be shared in a motivational speech about pursuing excellence.
There is no one that can share your responsibility. It it is your responsibility you must carry it on and you must be responsible for your actions. At the end of the day we all are being challenged, sooner or later, by our destiny. And it's up to us to make all the difference in this life. If not you, who else?
Setbacks and losses are both inevitable and essential if you're going to improve and become a good, even great, competitor. The art is in avoiding catastrophic losses in the key battles.
Botvinnik tried to take the mystery out of Chess, always relating it to situations in ordinary life. He used to call chess a typical inexact problem similar to those which people are always having to solve in everyday life.
One does not succeed by sticking to convention. When your opponent can easily anticipate every move you make, your strategy deteriorates and becomes commoditized.
I think that it's a vital moment now for Russian democracy to convince people that it's only our actions, our joined actions and protests that could force Kremlin to reconsider its plans to abolish presidential elections.
I learned that fighting on the chess board could also have an impact on the political climate in the country.
In figure skating, you have four minutes to do your best. It's your time; you do your best.
Startup CEOs should not play the odds. When you are building a company, you must believe there is an answer and you cannot pay attention to your odds of finding it. You just have to find it. It matters not whether your chances are nine in ten or one in a thousand; your task is the same.
To see a thing clearly in the mind makes it begin to take form.
I did everything by the numbers. I had checklists upon checklists. If I wasn't ahead of everybody on my team, I didn't feel I was doing my job.
Of course there is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life, and what it brings
I celebrate a victory when I start walking off the field. By the time I get to the locker room, I'm done.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.