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    “The misery that oppresses you lies not in your profession but in yourself!  What man in the world would not find his situation intolerable if he chooses a craft, an art, indeed any form of life, without experiencing an inner calling?  Whoever is born with a talent, or to a talent, must surely find in that the most pleasing of occupations!  Everything on this earth has its difficult sides!  Only some inner drive—pleasure, love—can help us overcome obstacles, prepare a path, and lift us out of the narrow circle in which others tread out their anguished, miserable existences!” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, via Mastery

      “You are born with a particular makeup and tendencies that mark you as a piece of fate.  It is who you are to the core.  Some people never become who they are; they stop trusting in themselves; they conform to the tastes of others, and they end up wearing a mask that hides their true nature.  If you allow yourself to learn who you really are by paying attention to that voice and force within you, then you can become what you were fated to become—an individual, a Master.” ~ Robert Greene, Mastery

        “You possess a kind of inner force that seeks to guide you toward your Life’s Task—what you are meant to accomplish in the time that you have to live.  In childhood this force was clear to you.  It directed you toward activities and subjects that fit you natural inclinations, that sparked a curiosity that was deep and primal.  In the intervening years, the force tends to fade in and out as you listen more to parents and peers, to the daily anxieties that wear away at you.  This can be the source of your unhappiness—your lack of connection to who you are and what makes you unique.  The first move toward mastery is always inward—learning who you really are and reconnecting with that innate force.  Knowing it with clarity, you will find your way to the proper career path and everything else will fall into place.  It is never too late to start this process.” ~ Robert Greene, Mastery

          “In moving toward mastery, you are bringing your mind closer to reality and to life itself.  Anything that is alive is in a continual state of change and movement.  The moment that you rest, thinking that you have attained the level you desire, a part of your mind enters a phase of decay.  You lose your hard-earned creativity and others begin to sense it.  This is a power and intelligence that must be continually renewed or it will die.” ~ Robert Greene, Mastery

            “You must see your attempt at attaining mastery as something extremely necessary and positive.  The world is teeming with problems, many of them of our own creation.  To solve them will require a tremendous amount of effort and creativity.  Relying on genetics, technology, magic, or being nice and natural will not save us.  We require the energy not only to address practical matters, but also to forge new institutions and orders that fit our changed circumstances.  We must create our own world or we will die from inaction.” ~ Robert Greene, Mastery

              “In our culture we tend to equate thinking and intellectual powers with success and achievement.  In many ways, however, it is an emotional quality that separates those who master a field from the many who simply work at a job.  Our levels of desire, patience, persistence, and confidence end up playing a much larger role in success than sheer reasoning powers.  Feeling motivated and energized, we can overcome almost anything.  Feeling bored and restless, our minds shut off and we become increasingly passive.” ~ Robert Greene, Mastery

                “Everyone holds his fortune in his own hands, like a sculptor the raw material he will fashion into a figure.  But it’s the same with that type of artistic activity as with all others: We are merely born with the capability to do it.  The skill to mold the material into what we want must be learned and attentively cultivated.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, via Mastery