Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Hungarian-American · 1934–2021
Psychologist who identified and named the state of "flow" — the condition of complete absorption in an intrinsically rewarding activity — and transformed our understanding of happiness, creativity, and optimal experience.
Wikipedia ↗“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times — although such experiences can also be enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”
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“Control of consciousness determines the quality of life.”
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“It is when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather than for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were. When we choose a goal and invest ourselves in it to the limits of our concentration, whatever we do will be enjoyable. And once we have tasted this joy, we will redouble our efforts to taste it again.”
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“Repression is not the way to virtue. When people restrain themselves out of fear, their lives are by necessity diminished. Only through freely chosen discipline can life be enjoyed and still kept within the bounds of reason.”
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“Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide feedback to the person's skills, it usually begins to be intrinsically rewarding.”
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“A person who is never bored and never anxious, enjoying every moment of what life brings, would be said to be leading a creative life. Creativity does not depend on inherited talent or on environment; it results from a personal decision to pay attention to what is happening.”
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