If you’ve read any of his books, then you know you must read them all.
If you haven’t, you must know that his books take time. They are dense and long. But they are worth the effort.
It’s A LOT of information. Yet, this book is likely a compendium of all the other books on this, or similar, topics.
Want to become a master at something? Read this book to dominate the principles of mastery.
Flow: 4/5
Actionability: 5/5
Mindset: 5/5
Some Of My Highlights:
“Masters return to this childlike state, their works displaying degrees of spontaneity and access to the unconscious, but at a much higher level than the child.”
“The human visual system is not built for scanning, as a cow’s it, but for depth of focus.”
“The human that depended on focused attention for its survival now becomes the distracted scanning animal, unable to think in depth, yet unable to depend on instincts.”
“Today we have the kind of access to information and knowledge that past Masters could only dream about.”
“The first move toward mastery is always inward – learning who you really are and reconnecting with that innate force.”
“Lorenzo complied and sent to Rome all of the best Florentine artists, excluding Leonardo.”
“Just as a well-filled day brings blessed sleep, so a well-employed life brings a blessed death.” – Leonardo da Vinci
“What we lack most in the modern world is a sense of a larger purpose to our lives.”
“Some 2,600 years ago the ancient Greek poet Pindar wrote, ‘Become who you are by learning who yo are.'”
“Most strange for his age, the boy loved to practice; at night his parents had to drag him away from the piano.”
“Every time you change careers or acquire new skills, you reenter this phase of life.”
“Before it is too late you must learn the lessons and follow the path established by the greatest Masters, past and present – a kind of Ideal Apprenticeship that transcends all fields.”
“One day, his father rebuked him with words Charles [Darwin] would never forget: ‘You care for nothing but shootings, dogs, and rat-catching, and you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family.”
“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.” – Leonardo da Vinci
“This part of their lives – a largely self-directed apprenticeship that lasts some five to ten years – receives little attention because it does not contain stories of great achievement or discovery.”
“This has a simple consequence: you must choose places of work and positions that offer the greatest possibilities for learning.”
“The greatest mistake you can make in the initial months of your apprenticeship is to imagine that you have to get the attention, impress people, and prove yourself.”
“These procedural and political rules may be dysfunctional or counterproductive, but your job is not to moralize about this or complain, but merely to understand them, to get a complete lay of the land.”
“Too many people believe that everything must be pleasurable in life, which makes them constantly search for distractions and short-circuits the learning process. The pain is a kind of challenge your mind presents – will you learn how to focus and move past the boredom, or like a child will you succumb to the need for immediate pleasure and distraction?”
“You will know when your apprenticeship is over by the feeling that you have nothing left to learn in this environment.”
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.”
“Even if it is only as a side activity, you should find a way to work with your hands, or to learn more about the inner workings of the machines and pieces of technology around you.”