the mistakes—all the mistakes—were left on the cutting-room floor in favor of the highlight reel.

It’s the sense of superiority and certainty that exceeds the bounds of confidence and talent.

Only then did she enter politics. In her fifties, she became chancellor.

There’s no one to perform for. There is just work to be done and lessons to be learned, in all that is around us.

Narrative is when you look back at an improbable or unlikely path to your success and say: I knew it all along.

What he means is that behind every goal is the drive to be happy and fulfilled—but when egotism takes hold, we lose track of our goal and end up somewhere we never intended.

Maybe you’re sitting in a remedial high school class, maybe you’re on hold, maybe it’s a trial separation, maybe you’re making smoothies while you save up money, maybe you’re stuck waiting out a contract or a tour of duty.

up-and-coming must endure the abuses of the entrenched.

You cannot get better if you’re convinced you are the best.