65
" Why do teenagers make bad decisions?” he asks, not waiting for an answer “Because all the neurons are there, but they are not fully insulated. Until the whole circuit is insulated, that circuit, although capable, will not be instantly available to alter impulsive behavior as it's happening. Teens understand right and wrong, but it takes them time to figure it out. "
― Daniel Coyle , The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else
70
" Q: Why is targeted, mistake-focused practice so effective? A: Because the best way to build a good circuit is to fire it, attend to mistakes, then fire it again, over and over. Struggle is not an option: it's a biological requirement. Q: Why are passion and persistence key ingredients of talent? A: Because wrapping myelin around a big circuit requires immense energy and time. If you don't love it, you'll never work hard enough to be great. "
― Daniel Coyle , The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else
72
" Banks listed the conventional-wisdom explanations for the Renaissance: Prosperity, which provided money and markets to support art Peace, which provided the stability to seek artistic and philosophical progress Freedom, which liberated artists from state or religious control Social mobility, which allowed talented poor people to enter the arts The paradigm thing, which brought new perspectives and mediums that created a wave of originality and expression. "
― Daniel Coyle , The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else
74
" First, Dweck gave every child a test that consisted of fairly easy puzzles. Afterward the researcher informed all the children of their scores, adding a single six-word sentence of praise. Half of the kids were praised for their intelligence (“You must be smart at this”), and half were praised for their effort (“You must have worked really hard”). The kids were tested a second time, but this time they were offered a choice between a harder test and an easier test. Ninety percent of the kids who'd been praised for their effort chose the harder test. A majority of the kids who'd been praised for their intelligence, on the other hand, chose the easy test. Why? “When we praise children for their intelligence,” Dweck wrote, “we tell them that's the name of the game: look smart, don't risk making mistakes.” The third level of tests was uniformly harder; none of the kids did well. However, the two groups of kids—the praised-for-effort group and the praised-for-intelligence group—responded very differently to the situation. “[The effort group] dug in and grew very involved with the test, trying solutions, testing strategies,” Dweck said. “They later said they liked it. But the group praised for its intelligence hated the harder test. They took it as proof they weren't smart. "
― Daniel Coyle , The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else
75
" But the message from Dweck and the hotbeds is clear: high motivation is not the kind of language that ignites people. What works is precisely the opposite: not reaching up but reaching down, speaking to the ground-level effort, affirming the struggle. Dweck's research shows that phrases like “Wow, you really tried hard,” or “Good job, dude,” motivate far better than what she calls empty praise. "
― Daniel Coyle , The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else
79
" Growing skill, as we've seen, requires deep practice. But deep practice isn't a piece of cake: it requires energy, passion, and commitment. In a word, it requires motivational fuel, the second element of the talent code. "
― Daniel Coyle , The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else
80
" Great teachers focus on what the student is saying or doing,” he says, “and are able, by being so focused and by their deep knowledge of the subject matter, to see and recognize the inarticulate stumbling, fumbling effort of the student who's reaching toward mastery, and then connect to them with a targeted message. "
― Daniel Coyle , The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else