I was cleaning out some files this weekend and found an old page from my website back in the day (2001). It’s a bunch of quotes from Phillip Tosido’s book: Zen Guitar, Mick Goodrick’s: The Advancing Guitarist & other miscellaneous sources:

“Combat discouragement with your desire to learn.”

Poetic imperfection

A bird does not ask, “Is my song pretty?”

“I don’t think you can ever do your best. Doing your best is a process of trying to do your best.” -Townes Van Zandelt

“Do what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, & Do it that way every time.”

“Ready, fire, aim.” -make adjustments after the launch -Hal Crook

“If you can talk you can sing, If you can walk you can dance.”

“After playing a wrong note accidentally, play the same note again like you really mean it.”

“From one thing, know then thousand things.” -Samurai Maxim

“Music can teach you everything you need to know.”

“To tune means to be in harmony.”

“Katsu – roar of a person who knows what it means to be alive.”

“When things fall apart, make art.”

“How you react to the unexpected reveals your true spirit.”

“You must develop comfort in good habits. You need not try to change everything you find wrong with yourself – start with one new habit: “Do one thing the right way one time.” When the next moment comes, make the same commitment. If you do this the bad habits will take care of themselves.”

“With practice our muscles develop their own intelligence, to the point where thought and action occur simultaneously. Our skill becomes natural.”

“Every single problem that you have in your life is the seed of an opportunity for some greater benefit.”

“In a hundred-mile march, ninety is about the half-way point.”

“Trees do not grow to the sky, but their roots continue to grow.”

“The key is not to think of doing things right every time; the thought seems too overwhelming. Just do it right one time; this time, right now. That’s all you have to worry about.”