“Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it's because you've started to think of failure.”

“The pressure of adversity is the most powerful sustainer of accountability. It's as though everything you do is multiplied by 50 in order to surpass those with a head-start. I was never capable of slacking when at the threshold of failure.”

“And just when you start thinking that you've accepted who you are, that changes, too. Because who you are is not permanent.”

“Or in other words, it's the substance you've got when you start that determines the outcome.”

“When was the last time you used the words 'teach me'? Maybe not since you started first grade? Here's an irony about school: The daily grind of tests, homework, and pressures sometimes blunts rather than stimulates a thirst for knowledge.”

“I think holidays create so much pressure because people feel they should be having a good time. But you shouldn't. ”