I spend hours playing chess because I find it so much fun. The day it stops being fun is the day I give up.
Interpretation
Finding joy in an activity is crucial for continued engagement.
This quote by Magnus Carlsen emphasizes that the enjoyment derived from playing chess is what motivates him to dedicate hours to it. It suggests that when the joy fades, so does his commitment, highlighting the importance of happiness in pursuing a passion.
In practice
Use this quote to inspire students before a school chess tournament.
There wasn't any particular player I modeled my game after. I tried to learn from everyone and create my own style. I studied past players... Truth be told I never had a favorite player. It's just not my nature to go around idolizing people. I just go try to learn.
Maybe if I didn't have the talent in chess I'd find the talent in something else. The only thing I know is that I have talent in chess, and I'm satisfied with that.
Self-confidence is very important. If you don't think you can win, you will take cowardly decisions in the crucial moments, out of sheer respect for your opponent. You see the opportunity but also greater limitations than you should. I have always believed in what I do on the chessboard, even when I had no objective reason to. It is better to overestimate your prospects than underestimate them.
Without the element of enjoyment, it is not worth trying to excel at anything.
Some people think that if their opponent plays a beautiful game, it's okay to lose. I don't. You have to be merciless.
For me right now I think being the world number one is a bigger deal than being the world champion because I think it shows better who plays the best chess. That sounds self-serving but I think it's also right.
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.
Of mortals there is no one who is happy. If wealth flows in upon one, one may be perhaps luckier than one's neighbor, but still not happy.
Continuity of purpose is one of the most essential ingredients of happiness in the long run, and for most men that comes chiefly through their work.
Happiness is an imaginary condition, formerly attributed by the living to the dead, now usually attributed by adults to children, and by children to adults.
Think, Travel, Celebrate, Charm, Decorate, Dress, Live - colorfully
If you want to be happy, try only to please God, not people.
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