Quotes: Teresa Amabile and Steven J. Kramer

"Progress and inner work life feed each other. Mathematician Norbert Wiener called this sort of interaction a positive feedback loop or "cumulative causation." Progress enhances inner work life ... and positive inner work life leads to further progress ..., creating a virtuous cycle. The loop can operate as a vicious cycle, as well. Just as inner work life and progress improve in tandem, when one goes downhill, so does the other. ...

"Like any feedback loop, the progress loop is self-reinforcing. ... [A] vicious cycle can be broken by ... removing obstacles to progress and providing the supports necessary for success." 

–– Teresa Amabile (b. 1950), American academic and author; and Steven J. Kramer, American independent researcher, writer, and consultant

Source: Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer. The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press, 2011; p. 98-99. 

via Commonplace Book 2013-2014, 2013, p. 29-30.

Quotes: Rebecca Solnit

"Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi said the same thing, more or less about spiritual endeavours: "After you have practiced for a while, you will realize that it is not possible to make rapid, extraordinary progress. Even though you try very hard, the progress you make is always little by little."

–– Rebecca Solnit (b. 1961), American author 

Source: Rebecca Solnit. The Faraway Nearby. New York: Viking, 2013; p. 176-177. 

via: Commonplace Book 2013-2014, 2014, p.81. 

Quotes: unknown

"Progress isn't about being perfect. It's about being better than you were yesterday." 

–– unknown 

Source: The Brain Coach, Instagram Stories, Tuesday November 12, 2024.

via: Sketchbook N 14, 2024, p. 35. 

Quotes: Jerry Saltz

"Artists: It is only by working that your work can lead you to its own further shores." 

–– Jerry Saltz (b. 1951), American author, art critic, journalist  

Source: Jerry Saltz, Instagram, April 23, 2023 

via: Sketchbook 33, 2023, p. 24.

Quotes: Epictetus

"Devote the rest of your life to making progress."

–– Epictetus (50-135 A.D.), Greek stoic philosopher 

Quotes: W. S. Merwin

"I needed my mistakes in their own order to get me here." 

–– W. S. (William Stanley) Merwin (1927-2019), American poet

Source: W. S. Merwin, from "Wild Oats" in The Moon Before Morning via Artpropelled.

via: Art Alternatives Knapsack Sketchbook 2017-2018 d, 2017, p. 20. 

Quotes: George Bernard Shaw

 "A man ... progresses in all things by making a fool of himself." 

–– George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Irish playwright, critic, and social activist 

via: Sketchbook 31, 2021, p. 120.

Quotes: Frank Zappa

"Without deviations from the norm, progress is not possible."

–– Frank Zappa (1940-1993) American musician, composer and bandleader 

via: Sketchbook 31, 2019, p. 59.

Quotes: Neale Donald Walsch

"It is okay to be at a place of struggle. Struggle is just another word for growth. Even the most evolved beings find themselves in a place of struggle now and then. In fact, struggle is a sure sign to them that they are expanding; it is their indication of real and important progress. The only one who doesn't struggle is the one who doesn't grow. So if you are struggling right now, see it as a terrific sign –– celebrate your struggle." 

–– Neale Donald Walsch (b. 1943), American writer, actor, speaker 

via: Sketchbook A, 2017, p. 47.

Women's quotes: Indira Gandhi

"Whenever you take a step forward, you are bound to disturb something." 

–– Indira Gandhi (1917-1984), Indian politician and former Prime Minister of India