Mastery Quotes

Mastery is not dispensed on the podium of quitters, but purchased on the counter of consistent application of self-willing can do spirit and an outstanding endurance to persevere with persistent endurance till the end!

~ Israelmore Ayivor

The master initiate of any craft appears magical to the uninitiated.

~ Bryant Mcgill

The fearful seek to serve themselves by mastering the world, while the fearless seek to serve the world by mastering themselves.

~ Eric Micha'el Leventhal

There is no higher calling than service to your fellow man, and to do so through your own personal mastery of a craft is a gift enjoyed by few. Cultivate this gift, and give it away.

~ Chris Matakas

Jiu Jitsu gives me an ideal to strive toward. Technical mastery lies on an infinite continuum and completion of this skill is impossible. Every time I train I have something that I can improve upon, and this will hold true for each and every training session that lies between me and my grave.

~ Chris Matakas

I would more appropriately define mastery as the technical ability possible within the constraints of your particular existence. It must be noted that this is a subjective definition, and that this degree of mastery would be individual to each of us.

~ Chris Matakas

Mastery is not a function of genius or talent. It is a function of time and intense focus applied to a particular field of knowledge. But there is another element, an X factor that Masters inevitably possess, that seems mystical but that is accessible to us all. Whatever field of activity we are involved in, there is generally an accepted path to the top. It is a path that others followed, and because we are conformist creatures, most of us opt for this conventional route. But Masters have a strong inner guiding system and a high level of self-awareness. What has suited others in the past does not suit them, and they know that trying to fit into a conventional mold would only lead to a dampening of spirit, the reality they seek eluding them. And so inevitably, these Masters, as they progress on their career paths, make a choice at a key moment in their lives: they decide to forge their own route, one that others will see as unconventional, but that suits their own spirit and rhythms and leads them closer to discovering the hidden truths of their objects of study. This key choice takes self-confidence and self-awarenes–the X factor that is necessary for attaining mastery...

~ Robert Greene

I believe the real reason we pursue anything in life is not for the thing itself, but for who we become on the way to its accomplishment. We strive to accomplish things in the attempt to mold ourselves. The greatest benefits Jiu Jitsu will have in your life will have nothing to do with Jiu Jitsu. It is this simple understanding that allows me to persist in my study. Even on the rare days when I may not have a burning desire to practice Jiu Jitsu, I am reminded that my practicing Jiu Jitsu is more accurately my practicing to become a better human being. The lessons I learn on the mat will serve me in every area of life-- personal development, relationships, business, and the like.

~ Chris Matakas

I believe we must pursue mastery for who we become along the way in its achievement. When we progress in Jiu Jitsu, that newfound experience and wisdom transcends into all areas of our lives. We use Jiu Jitsu as the vehicle for growth, but that growth radiates over all of human activity. Someone who devotes time and energy in learning this skill is learning far more than how to subdue an opponent. The student learns persistence, perseverance, pattern recognition, problem solving, and most importantly, learning how to learn. In the arena of life, these virtues are far more valuable than any guard pass.

~ Chris Matakas

He (Anwar Sadat) records that he was almost loathe to leave his prison cell because it was there that he realized that real success is success with self. It’s not in having things, but in having mastery, having victory over self.

~ Stephen R. Covey

We must strive to become more daily. We must honestly assess our weaknesses and overcome them. We must work toward the highest possible version of ourselves. This is a worthy use of our time, but it is only when we do so with the ultimate aim of service to our fellow man that we really connect with something greater than ourselves. To contribute to the world in a positive way, this is the gift of life.

~ Chris Matakas

You can only arrive at mastery by practicing the techniques you have learned, facing challenges and apprehending them, using to the fullest the tools you have been taught, until they shatter in your hands and you are left in the midst of wreckage absolute... I cannot create masters. I have never known how to create masters. Go, then, and fail... You have been shaped into something that may emerge from the wreckage, determined to remake your Art. I cannot create masters, but if you had not been taught, your chances would be less. The higher road begins after the Art seems to fail you; though the reality will be that it was you who failed your Art.

~ Eliezer Yudkowsky

... Odette seemed a fascinating and desirable woman, the attraction which her body held for him had aroused a painful longing to secure the absolute mastery of even the tiniest particles of her heart.

~ Marcel Proust

Be the master of your personal internal universe.

~ Steven Redhead

I can think of no more worthwhile aim than pursuing mastery in this craft while transcending one's own limitations.

~ Chris Matakas

By becoming a black belt, you will become whatever it is you wanted to be in the first place, and Jiu Jitsu will have served its aim.

~ Chris Matakas

we must remember that the end of personal mastery is service to others.

~ Chris Matakas

In my own life, I have always viewed personal mastery as simply a medium through which I become capable of providing more service toward my fellow man.

~ Chris Matakas

Darkness and anger, when combined, are their own master.

~ S.r. Ford

Begging is much more difficult than it looks. Contrary to popular belief, it’s a high art form that takes years of dedicated practice to master.

~ Sol Luckman

Let Life race you out beyond your own boundaries over and over again until you are comfortable with watching the Map of Normal's edge disappear behind you.Let Life show you that it is safe to exceed your own expectations and reputation--and prove that the only danger in following her into the wilderness is a loss of your own fear.This is when we gain the warrior's heart, the master's eye, and the student's mind. After that, Life holds our hand in every adventure and shows us things not possible before.

~ Jacob Nordby

We must not learn to try harder. The key is to learn how not to try in the first place.

~ Chris Matakas

Any advanced student will tell you the best way to recover guard is simply not to get your guard passed in the first place.

~ Chris Matakas

Imagine a true master of the art, someone with complete skill in every aspect of Jiu Jitsu. This master would not force anything. He would simply allow the roll to take whatever form it does, and in every position would act in the most efficient way based off what the circumstance dictates, and not what he himself prefers.

~ Chris Matakas

It appears, at least from my perspective, that each and every position in Jiu Jitsu regardless of the seeming complexity is really governed by no more than a handful of minimum viable products. Pursue to understand these essentials, and you will see that complexity is a myth perpetuated by lack of understanding, and it is this understanding which is possible for each of us.

~ Chris Matakas

A distaste for the new is not always fear of the unknown, but sometimes ambition. Some people don't like the new way simply because they never got a chance to master the old way.

~ Criss Jami

America is the world's top war-master, the most sophisticated killer-culture in history.

~ Bryant Mcgill

All of the great mastermind thinkers throughout history have known that we become our thoughts.

~ Bryant Mcgill

The older you get the more you realize that just because someone has an important job doesn't necessarily mean that they do it responsibly, or are even good at it. There are many 'D' students running around with high social status gained from their seemingly important positions. Integrity and proficiency are not a given. These qualities can only be proven over time.

~ Gary Hopkins

Patience, my friend; Once again, I say, Patience. In an era 'plagued' with speed, doggedness of character and drudgery of persistence is the only guarantee to mastery.

~ Ufuoma Apoki

Acquire several skills and find at least one that you can master, and that earns you respect.

~ Bryant Mcgill

Manhood is patience. Mastery is nine time patience

~ Ursula K. Le Guin

The master tools of success are invitation, patience, time, gentleness, cooperation and surrender.

~ Bryant Mcgill

I have always found that effort is most easily produced when performed for the benefit of something external to ourselves.

~ Chris Matakas

... In a ROWE* people don't have schedules.They show up when they want.They don't have to be in the office at certain time, or anytime.They just have to get their work done.How they do it ?When they do it ?Where they do it ?It's totally up to them.Meetings & this kind of environments are Optional.What happens ... ?Almost across the board !- Productivity goes up- Worker Engagement goes up- Worker Satisfaction goes up- Turnovers goes down- Autonomy .. Mastery .. Purpose -these are the building blocks of new way of doing things.______________________________________________________________*ROWE: results-only work environment

~ Daniel H. Pink

I never realized it was all a game,until I started winning.

~ Eric Micha'el Leventhal

Being alone will show you who you really are, and if you cannot get-on positively as the sole master of your space in that room alone, then you can absolutely forget about it after you add another person.

~ Bryant Mcgill

Being like a rock wall is when a master of martial arts suddenly becomes like a rock wall, inaccessible to anything at all, immovable.

~ Miyamoto Musashi

Life is a game and you are the player. As you master the game, so you also create it.

~ Jay Woodman

Having no applicable skills, in any possible area whatsoever, effectively makes me the master of redundancy. But that info is obsolete, like my insults dictionary, which I stole.

~ Will Advise