Quotes: Michael Jordan

"Focus like a laser, not a flashlight." 

–– Michael Jordan (b. 1963), American professional basketball player and businessman

Source: Jeff Karp. LIT: Use Nature's Playbook to Energize Your Brain, Spark Ideas, and Ignite Action. New York: William Morrow, 2024; p. 85. 

Quotes: Winston Churchill

"You'll never reach your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks." 

–– Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British Prime Minister 1940-1945; 1951-1955 

via: Commonplace Book 2013-2014, 2014, p. 69.

Quotes: Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

"Your ability to focus on what's important is absolutely fundamental to the life you want to live." 

–– Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, American speaker, author, and consultant 

Source: Erin Anderssen. "Crushed." The Globe and Mail, Saturday March 29, 2014, p. F1, F6-7; p. F6. 

via: Commonplace Book, 2013-2014, 2014, p. 97.

Quotes: Anonymous

"You'll never get an A if you're always afraid of getting an F." 

–– Anonymous

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p. 124.

Quotes: Kyo Maclear

"To what do we commit ourselves and for how long? Monet painted the Nymphéas two hundred and forty-seven times. "It took me some time to understand my waterlilies," he wrote. The older I get the more I understand this impulse toward reduction and repetition; the more I understand there is infinitude in a spartan focus, in Agnes Martin's geometries, in Giorgio Morandi's vases. Focalizing can be regenerative even for those of us who believe the sprawling clamour of the world demands our promiscuous attention.

–– Kyo Maclear (b. 1970), British-born, Canadian writer and artist 

Source: Kyo Maclear. Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets. Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2023; pp. 193. 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p.108. 

Quotes: Jean-Luc Bannalec

"[Georges] Dupin could feel the feverishness he experienced whenever he was caught up in a complicated case. It was an odd state. In a way, he stepped away from the world every time. He forgot everyday life. So there was nothing but the case and all of his questions, which was a sore point in his relationship with Claire. But at the same time, this was when he was absolutely in the real world, more precisely and clearly than at any other time. Doing just one thing: solving the case." 

–– Jean-Luc Bannalec, pseudonym of Jörg Bong, (b. 1966) a German author.

Source: Jean-Luc Bannalec. The Fleur de Sel Murders. New York: Minotaur Books, 2012 (Translation copyright 2017 by Sorcha McDonagh), p. 98. 

via: Commonplace Book 2022, 2023, p.119-120. 

Quotes: Samuel Johnson

"Those who attain any excellence commonly spend life in one pursuit; for excellence is not often gained upon easier terms." 

–– Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), English author 

via: Day In & Day Out Notebook, 2018, p. 23.

Quotes: Børge Ousland

Wellbeing is ...

"If I'm on an expedition, it can be as simple as a cup of lukewarm water – something you'd throw into the sink back at home. But, in a tent, when it is -40 degrees outside, it is the most wonderful thing. There is no wellbeing without a degree of suffering. Yet, wellbeing is also the ability to be present in your own life and to enjoy it. For me, that's the great thing about being an explorer. You are forced to be present in the moment; to focus on the the weather, the route or the terrain. On a good day, when the terrain isn't too dangerous, I will lift my head, take a good look around, and appreciate how privileged I am." 

–– Børge Ousland (b. 1962), Norwegian Polar explorer, writer and photographer 

Source: Elle Decoration UK, July 2017, p. 133. 

via: Sketchbook 31, 2021, p. 93.