{"id":38149,"date":"2021-06-07T16:28:37","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T20:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=38149"},"modified":"2021-06-14T10:22:08","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T14:22:08","slug":"flow-book-quotes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/flow-book-quotes\/","title":{"rendered":"Flow: Book Quotes by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are the best Flow <\/em>book quotes by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi? How can these quotes help deepen your understanding of the book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though we live longer and have more material wealth than ever, many people feel anxious rather than happy. In Flow<\/em>, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi offers advice on what flow is and how to cultivate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the best Flow <\/em>book quotes by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Best Flow <\/em>Book Quotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although we live longer today and have more material wealth than ever, many people feel anxious rather than happy. In Flow<\/em>, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi offers an antidote. People are happiest when they feel in control of their inner thoughts and feelings<\/a> and experience a \u201cflow state\u201d: a sense of enjoyment, purpose, and meaning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are the best Flow <\/em>book <\/em>quotes by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cContrary to what we usually believe, moments like these, the best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times\u2014although such experiences can also be enjoyable, if we have worked hard<\/strong> to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person\u2019s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience<\/a> is thus something that we make happen.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Csikszentmihalyi is saying that people are happy when they feel a sense of control<\/a> over their thoughts and feelings. When this happens, we experience a \u201cflow\u201d state: We enjoy ourselves, we feel a sense of purpose<\/a> and meaning, and other things don\u2019t seem to matter as much. Csikszentmihalyi also refers to these states as \u201coptimal experiences,\u201d glimpses into a life we wish we could live all the time. For example, an artist immersed in creating a beautiful painting is experiencing flow (an \u201coptimal experience\u201d). It can also happen when you gain important insight during tough times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf all the virtues we can learn no trait is more useful, more essential for survival, and more likely to improve the quality of life<\/a> than the ability to transform adversity into an enjoyable challenge.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Everyone encounters challenges and obstacles to their health and happiness<\/a>, some of which are so severe that they make living difficult. And yet, many people who experience difficult circumstances survive and thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn the job people feel skillful and challenged, and therefore feel more happy, strong, creative, and satisfied. In their free time people feel that there is generally not much to do and their skills are not being used, and therefore they tend to feel more sad, weak, dull, and dissatisfied. Yet they would like to work less and spend more time in leisure.”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The more regularly a person was in flow, the more likely they were to report a high quality of experience. When in flow, they described feeling \u201cactive,\u201d \u201ccreative,\u201d \u201cconcentrated,\u201d \u201cmotivated,\u201d and \u201cstrong.\u201d In contrast, people experiencing apathy\u2014facing a below-average number of challenges and using a below-average number of skills\u2014described feeling, \u201cdull,\u201d \u201cdissatisfied,\u201d \u201cpassive,\u201d and \u201cweak.\u201d People were apathetic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n