How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
When I said that I was not prepared to give up being world welterweight champion for Miss Bornstein, amid a lot of tapping and tamping and staring into space over the rusty roof, he announced that the quality of my love was certainly worth a dozen long-stemmed roses a week but fell short of a whole garden. (13.108)
This is just one example of how focused Peekay is because he's willing to sacrifice, among many other things, his love for his teacher for his ultimate goal.
Quote #5
My mind was permanently focused on a single fixed point, the welterweight championship of the world. I thought about it so often, reaffirmed my determination so frequently, that hardly an hour of my life passed when it wasn't in my thoughts. (17.55)
No wonder Peekay never has any girlfriends. He's got a one-track mind, and his dream is much more important than any passing fancy. He's going places, and he knows that he's got to plan to get there, even if it means losing out on many other interesting activities.
Quote #6
I was seldom concerned with winning a particular fight; instead I was cultivating the habit of winning. (17.56)
What do you think about this philosophy? Could it work for goals besides boxing? And when winning becomes your overall goal, do you think that it spills over into other areas of life?