Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Trying Quotations

The rules themselves are clear enough, and within everyone’s reach. But many forces, both within ourselves and in the environment, stand in the way. It is a little like trying to lose weight: everyone knows what it takes, everyone wants to do it, yet it is next to impossible for so many.

Often we don't have a good notion of what our talents are, because we have never had a chance to try them out.

Try to be surprised by something every day.

Try to be inspired by something every day. Try to inspire at least one person every day.

It is by being fully involved with every detail of our lives, whether good or bad, that we find happiness, not by trying to look for it directly.

Produce as many ideas as possible. Try to produce unlikely ideas.

I have a naive trust in the universe - that at some level it all makes sense, and we can get glimpses of that sense if we try.

We cannot deny the facts of nature, but we should certainly try to improve on them.