The major difference between the 'best' and the 'average' is that the 'best' get as much pleasure from practice as performance.
Benjamin ZanderRead
In the measurement world, we set a goal and strive to achieve it. In the universe of possibility, we set the context and let life unfold.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the difference between setting rigid goals and embracing a more flexible approach to life.
Benjamin Zander's quote highlights the distinction between two approaches to achieving success: one where specific goals are set, requiring effort and determination, and another where broader possibilities are embraced, allowing life to naturally evolve. In the measurement world, we focus on concrete targets and the struggle to reach them, while in the universe of possibility, we create a context that nurtures growth and spontaneity, suggesting that sometimes success comes from adaptation and openness to new experiences.
Themes
GoalsPossibilityLifeGrowthFlexibility
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in motivational speeches to encourage students to embrace uncertainty.
More from Benjamin Zander
All quotes →This is the moment — this is the most important moment right now. Which is: We are about contribution. That’s what our job is. It’s not about impressing people. It’s not about getting the next job. It’s about contributing something.
Benjamin ZanderRead
I have a definition of success. For me it's very simple. It's not about wealth and fame and power. It's about how many shining eyes I have around me.
Benjamin ZanderRead
Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference, accepting that you may not understand how or why.
Benjamin ZanderRead
Similar quotes
For me, it's been liberating to put myself in the mind of a fictitious six year-old each day, and rediscover my own curiosity. I've been amazed at how one idea leads to others if I allow my mind to play and wander.
Bill WattersonRead
Revenge by young men is considered gain, even at the cost of their own lives, but old men who stay at home in times of war, and mothers who have sons to lose, know better.
Chief SeattleRead
It is not enough that your designs, nay that your actions, are intrinsically good, you must take care they shall appear so.
Henry FieldingRead
When you seek advice, do not withhold any facts from the person whose advice you seek.
Abu BakrRead
If you want to cultivate a habit, do it without any reservation, till it is firmly established. Until it is so confirmed, until it becomes a part of your character, let there be no exception, no relaxation of effort.
MahaviraRead
God has given me a mule-like stubbornness to stick with a difficult problem and the intuitive powers to conceptualize complex hypothetical situations in my mind.
Albert EinsteinRead