Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Quotes

I want to see, that's all. This is my life. I want to see.

To some extent, I'm mildly surprised by every new piece, by the precise path that my interest takes.

Sometimes you watch yourself, and you think, 'Oh, wow.'

Even if you don't feel appreciation, just look. Feel what you feel; take an interest and be curious.

Ironically, being a coach on 'The Voice' and spending time with those kids, Xenia and Dia especially, I learned a lot about myself. It reminded me how lucky I am that this happened for me, and it kind of lit the spark inside me again for my love of music.

Part of my therapy is to write.

I think that being perceptive and having interests is nothing but an asset.

When I got large enough to go to work, while employed I was reflecting on many things that would present themselves to my imagination; and whenever an opportunity occurred of looking at a book, when the school-children were getting their lessons, I would find many things that the fertility of my own imagination had depicted to me before.

If you really want to know yourself, start by writing a book.

When I write notes in my journal, I'm just trying to scribble down as much as possible. Later on, I decide whether to follow some of those first impressions or whether to abandon them.

There is something so hopeful about a diary, a journal, a new notebook, which Joan Didion and Virginia Woolf both wrote about. A blog. Perhaps we all are waiting for someone to discover us.

When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still exist and I know they are mine, and it's all part of making sense of who I am.

I love life. I'm fascinated by human behavior because that feeds back into my work.

It seems to me that it's every man's obligation to make what contribution he can. You live each day as best you can. That, to me, is what makes life interesting.

It is not easy to find something that will intrigue and bind your interest and enthusiasm. This you must seek for yourself.

A diary means yes indeed.

I try and journal every day, and that's where a lot of my lyric comes from.

The writer should never be ashamed of staring. There is nothing that does not require his attention.

Curiosity is the best motive for writing: curiosity about the world at large, or about oneself.

I think I write about things that are mysterious to me.

I read less of everything now. With only fond memories of others' work, it will be interesting to give my own journal writing a try now.

I always try to put myself in the way of surprise as much as possible. My ambition is to keep challenging myself. I like that journey of discovery.

I used to love writing in my journal.

I meet people in my daily life, people who seem to experience some change and some growth on a personal level, and that gives me hope.

The dream is to keep surprising yourself, never mind the audience.