Notes and Quotes on Mastery by Robert Greene

One of my favorite books on mastery is by Robert Greene. Below are some of the quotes/notes from the book:

• If we keep practicing, we gain fluency.
• The road to mastery requires patience.
• Concentrated practice over time cannot fail but produce results.
• In order to master a field, you must love the subject and feel a profound connection to it.
• You are not tied to a particular position; your loyalty is not to a career or a company. You are committed to your Life’s Task, to giving it full expression.
• The greatest mistake you can make in the initial months of your apprenticeship is to imagine that you have to get attention, impress people, and prove yourself.
• Impress people in these first months because of the seriousness of your desire to learn, not because you are trying to rise to the top before you are ready.
• Begin with one skill that you can master, and that serves as a foundation for acquiring others. Avoid trying to learn several skills at a time. Develop your powers of concentration, and don’t try to multitask. (See a related concept in the One Thing)
• Initial stages of learning a skill invariably involve tedium. Accept it and embrace it. The pain and boredom we experience in the initial stage of learning a skill toughen our minds.