382 Quotes by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

the self expands through acts of self forgetfulness.

The most important step in emancipating oneself from social controls is the ability to find rewards in the events of each moment.

The solution is to gradually become free of societal rewards and learn how to substitute for them rewards that are under one's own powers. This is not to say that we should abandon every goal endorsed by society; rather, it means that, in addition to or instead of the goals others use to bribe us with, we develop a set of our own.

Pleasure is an important component of the quality of life, but by itself it does not bring happiness. Pleasure helps to maintain order, but by itself cannot create a new order in consciousness.

People without an internalized symbolic system can all too easily become captives of the media.

If there is one word that makes creative people different from others, it is the word complexity. Instead of being an individual, they are a multitude. Like the color white that includes all colors, they tend to bring together the entire range of human possibilities within themselves. Creativity allows for paradox, light, shadow, inconsistency, even chaos -and creative people experience both extremes with equal intensity.

Pain and pleasure occur in consciousness and exist only there

If you're alone with nothing to do, the quality of your experience really plummets.

Take charge of your schedule. Make time for reflection and relaxation.