The germ of an idea doesn't make the sculpture that stands up... so the next stage is hard work
Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiRead
Even without success, creative persons find joy in a job well done. Learning for its own sake is rewarding.
Interpretation
True fulfillment comes from the creative process rather than the end result.
This quote emphasizes that the joy of creativity and the act of learning should not solely be tied to success or recognition. Instead, finding satisfaction in the effort and dedication put into a task, regardless of its outcome, enriches the creative experience and contributes to personal growth.
In practice
During a workshop on artistic expression, this quote could serve to inspire participants to embrace the creative process.
The germ of an idea doesn't make the sculpture that stands up... so the next stage is hard work
It is not the skills we actually have that determine how we feel but the ones we think we have.
To know oneself is the first step toward making flow a part of one's entire life. But just as there is no free lunch in the material economy, nothing comes free in the psychic one. If one is not willing to invest psychic energy in the internal reality of consciousness, and instead squanders it in chasing external rewards, one loses mastery of one's life, and ends up becoming a puppet of circumstances.
To live means to experience-through doing, feeling, thinking. Experience takes place in time, so time is the ultimate scarce resource we have. Over the years, the content of experience will determine the quality of life. Therefore one of the most essential decisions any of us can make is about how one's time is allocated or invested.
It is as if evolution has built a safety device in our nervous system that allows us to experience full happiness only when we are living at 100%-when we are fully using the physical and mental equipment we have been given.
Our jobs determine to a large extent what our lives are like. Is what you do for a living making you ill? Does it keep you from becoming a more fully realized person? Do you feel ashamed of what you have to do at work? All too often, the answer to such questions is yes. Yet it does not have to be like that. Work can be one of the most joyful, most fulfilling aspects of life. Whether it will be or not depends on the actions we collectively take.
Peter had a genius for imitation; but he lacked true genius, which is creative and makes all from nothing.
There are few virtuous women who are not bored with their trade.
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
When we disclaim praise, it is only showing our desire to be praised a second time.
What distinguishes the majority of men from the few is their inability to act according to their beliefs.
Nefertiti is lovely, but we should use our wit and will to look beyond that beautiful face to discover and to enjoy a more satisfying narrative - the story of mankind, not just of man.
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