Matthew Syed quotes:

The practice sessions of aspiring champions have a specific and never-changing purpose: Progress. Every second of every minute of every hour, the goal is to extend one's mind and body, to push oneself beyond the outer limits of one's capacities, to engage so deeply in the task that one leaves the training session, literally, a changed person.

Mere experience, if it is not matched by deep concentration, does not translate into excellence.

Progress is built, in effect, upon the foundations of necessary failure. That is the essential paradox of expert performance.

When two peoples share a common passion: they are capable of empathising with each other's misery.

World-class performance comes by striving for a target just out of reach, but with a vivid awareness of how the gap might be breached. Over time, through constant repetition and deep concentration, the gap will disappear, only for a new target to be created, just out of reach once again.