Carlsen: “That was the difference between me and other kids. They would go to Chess practice, they would maybe even do their homework—but they weren’t living and breathing the game in the way that I was. I think about it all the time. I’m thinking about it while I’m sitting on this chair. Like I’m still analysing a game that I played today. It never goes completely out of my mind. And I think a lot of very good chess players do that, but casual chess players, no.”

Rogan: “So maybe the thing is discipline vs. Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm causes obsession and enjoyment which probably leads to better retention of information. just pure discipline for the sake of ‘I have to do the work in order to get better’, you’re missing this enjoyment, this enthusiasm for it that you manage to keep”

Carlsen: “I think so. This is definitely the way that works for me. I think for anybody, if you want to be great at something, you have to be obsessed with it. And it has to come from within.”

"While an excess of self-regard is often counterproductive in its effects on cognition, it can cause some weird successes from overconfidence that happens to cause success. This factor accounts for the adage:

Never underestimate the man who overestimates himself."

“I remind myself regularly: You are better than you think. Successful people are not supermen. Success does not require superhuman intelligence, it is not about luck, and there is no mystery. Successful people are just ordinary people who believe in themselves and affirm what they do. Never, never sell yourself cheaply.”

‘Whether on stage or in the studio, James Brown demanded excellence from himself and those around him. Known as the “Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” he was a perfectionist in every sense of the word. He’d be in rehearsals for hours, sometimes eight, ten, twelve hours straight. He didn’t believe in taking breaks. James Brown believed in grinding until they got it right. It wasn’t just about performing; it was about creating an experience. His shows were legendary for their energy, precision, and charisma. He had a simple rule: if you couldn’t keep up, you didn’t belong on that stage.

But behind the spectacle was a tireless work ethic. James Brown wasn’t just rehearsing for hours—he was pushing himself to physical limits, dancing, singing, and commanding the stage night after night, year after year. He would dock band members pay if they missed a note or weren’t tight with the rhythm. It was tough, but it made them one of the greatest bands in the world. There was no room for mediocrity.’

In 1973, Brown was supposed to record an album with his label. But they wanted a softer, radio-friendly sound—not the hard-hitting funk he was perfecting. They rejected his new track, The Payback, saying it was “too black, too intense, too funky.” Brown didn’t argue. He took the master tapes, walked out, and released it himself. The Payback became one of his biggest hits, topping the R&B charts and cementing his status as the Godfather of Funk. The very sound they rejected became the foundation of hip-hop decades later. He didn’t let a label tell him what was “too much.” He trusted his sound, trusted his vision, and proved them all wrong.

‘It’s really important to be able to uncondition yourself, to be able to take your habits apart and say, “Okay, this is a habit I probably picked up when I was a toddler trying to get my parent’s attention. Now I’ve reinforced it and reinforced it, and I call it a part of my identity. Does it still serve me? Does it make me happier? Does it make me healthier? Does it make me accomplish whatever I set out to accomplish?”’

“I think most people have one top idea in their mind at any given time. That's the idea their thoughts will drift toward when they're allowed to drift freely. And this idea will thus tend to get all the benefit of that type of thinking, while others are starved of it. Which means it's a disaster to let the wrong idea become the top one in your mind.”

“To be successful at anything, the truth is—you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t. Consistent, determined, and willing to work for it. No shortcuts.”

“If my mental health was a priority, I wouldn't be as successful as I am. And that's just a sad fact. Like, I obviously never would have buried myself alive for seven days, seven days of solitary confinement, seven days on a desert island, seven days blah, blah. Being able to consistently suffer over long periods is arguably one of the deepest Moats. Like, there's a reason no one makes videos like me, like, not even close, because no one wants to live the life I live. I think there was one year I was flying, like 200 days I was on a plane. I mean, it was a fuck fest. But, you know, when I wake up tomorrow and I'm gonna be pretty fucking tired and feel like shit, something I always tell myself is 'how you feel right now, is why no one else does what you want to do or does what you do. And if you push through this, that's just more of a reason why no one will ever be who you are'. And so I think being able to push through unhappiness and do things you don't want to do consistently year after year over the course of a decade is the ultimate advantage. I mean, I think we'll hit a billion subscribers, and I don't think anyone will be anywhere near close. Because once you make a couple million dollars, why would you live the life I live? Like, why? Why would you not take weekends off? Why would you not just film locally, even if it means less views so you can be on the right time schedule? Why would you not, you know, prioritize your sanity and that kind of stuff. It makes no sense, but that's why no one else does it.”

“I get happier about the harder it is because I know nobody will follow”

“People want this to be cut and dry. They want this to be easy. They want it to be quick. They want it to be painless. There's nothing easy, quick and painless about being fucking great at building anything in life, creating anything in life, becoming anything in life. You are going to suffer. It is going to be hard. It is going to take all of your energy. It's going to kick you in the fucking face 1000 times. You're going to be demoralized. You're going to be frustrated, you're going to be angry, you're going to be bitter. Sometimes. This is why it's so important to build yourself into someone who can execute regardless of what your mood is, regardless of what your circumstances are, because if you can execute when things are fucked up and everybody else bails and everybody else quits, what kind of advantage does that give you over the long haul. It gives you a tremendous advantage. And if you could become the kind of person that cannot be fucking stopped by outside circumstances or going through a tough time or being in a bad mood or being unmotivated, how can anyone fucking beat that?”