As a child, you respond physically, tactically. You're delighted by sound, you're delighted by recognizing something. It's like hide and seek. Is it there? Is it not there? Is it this note? Is it not this note? It's one fantastic game.
Yo-Yo MaRead
You must have a reason to be in the places to which you go, and you must do only things that you really care about.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of purpose and passion in our actions and choices.
Yo-Yo Ma's quote underscores the significance of intentionality in our lives. It suggests that one should approach each new experience or environment with a clear reason, ensuring that we engage in activities that resonate with our values and interests. This alignment between where we go and what we do with what we care about ultimately leads to a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
Themes
PurposePassionIntentionalityValuesFulfillment
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about finding one's career path.
More from Yo-Yo Ma
All quotes βThere's a part of me that's always charging ahead. I'm the curious kid, always going to the edge.
Yo-Yo MaRead
I think that peace is, in many ways, a precondition of joy.
Yo-Yo MaRead
I think anybody who goes away finds you appreciate home more when you return.
Yo-Yo MaRead
When we enlarge our view of the world, we deepen our understanding of our own lives.
Yo-Yo MaRead
I learn something not because I have to, but because I really want to. That's the same view I have for performing. I'm performing because I really want to, not because I have to bring bread back home.
Yo-Yo MaRead
Similar quotes
Expect the best; convert problems into opportunities; be dissatisfied with the status quo; focus on where you want to go, instead of where you're coming from; and most importantly, decide to be happy, knowing it's an attitude, a habit gained from daily practice, and not a result or payoff.
Denis WaitleyRead
I was nearly 40 when I started. I had no fear that I wasn't going to write. I knew it was just delayed. Then, my goodness, I never stopped.
Jane GardamRead
The key that unlocks energy is desire. It's also the key to a long and interesting life. If we expect to create any drive, any real force within ourselves, we have to get excited.
Earl NightingaleRead
Sometimes when you are the closest to your breakthrough the pressure is the greatest. You have come too far to give up now!
Joyce MeyerRead
You can't go out and practice average on Wednesday, average on Thursday, okay on Friday and then expect to play well on Sunday.
Tom BradyRead
I've written about 2,000 short stories; I've only published 300 and I feel I'm still learning. Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as a writer. Ray Bradbury, 1967 interview (Doing the Math - that means for every story he sold, he wrote six "un-publishable" ones. Keep typing!)
Ray BradburyRead