Limitless

what do we do instead of taking the responsibility to teach ourselves what we want or need to know? We tell ourselves it isn’t necessary, we make excuses, we blame other people or circumstances, and then we distract ourselves with things that make us feel good.

the reason we prefer to believe that we’re either a genius or we’re not, or that we’re either talented or not, is because it relieves us from the responsibility of taking control of our own life.

Thinking of talent as innate makes our world more manageable, more comfortable. It relieves a person of the burden of expectation.”

try saying something like “This is something I’m not good at yet.” This shift in language can be applied to anything you want to improve.

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

Too many of us don’t come close to our capacities because we are too afraid of making a mistake.

Too many of us don’t come close to our capacities because we are too afraid of making a mistake. Instead of looking at mistakes as proof of failure, take them as proof that you are trying.

Too many of us don’t come close to our capacities because we are too afraid of making a mistake. Instead

Mistakes don’t mean failure. Mistakes are a sign that you are trying something new.

life is not about comparing yourself to anyone else; it’s about measuring yourself compared to who you were yesterday.

you make mistakes; mistakes don’t make you.

knowledge is important, but it is “the performing of some action” that is required to make it powerful.

possession of knowledge wasn’t going to differentiate me from the people around me—it was how I used my knowledge that would.

Knowledge is not power. It only has the potential to be power. You can read this book and learn everything in it, but if you don’t take it and apply the knowledge, it will be useless.

Knowledge × Action = Power

It’s easy to talk about what we learn, but I want to challenge you not to talk about it, but to show what you learned.

learning won’t always be easy, but the effort pays dividends.

learning should be at least a little uncomfortable; otherwise you’re mostly reinforcing what you already know.

The key is taking small, simple steps. Think about a stonecutter. The stonecutter may sit there and hammer away at his block of stone for what feels like an eternity, making only small chips and dents here and there. But in one moment, the stone will crack open. Was it the one time that did it? No—it was all the sustained effort that prepared the stone to split.

It will require you to cultivate patience,