Psychology

If I finish a marathon at 4.02 (which is the fastest I've ever ran a marathon in my life), what is the first thing that occurs to me? Oh that was so close to 3.59, I wonder if I could do it. Then as soon as you imagine yourself crossing the line at 3.59 boom, you're in wonderhell because everything that you do, every time that you run you're like 'if I could just keep that up for 25 more miles that could be 3.59'. So as soon as you see it, you can't unsee it.

Every time we achieve some version of success, whether you've sold that first company or maybe you've just sold your first tube of lipstick or your first consulting contract, every time we achieve some version of success we see another version of ourselves that we didn't even know was possible. We as humans wonder what else potential we have to explore.

I spent 20 years in executive search, and I was hired by my clients to call 'the most successful people' in the world. Bold face names in bold face organisations. It was my job to recruit them away on behalf of my clients- it would sound difficult right? I would call super successful people and try to get them to do something different. However it wasn't that hard, because despite all the success, which is why I was calling them, they were not very happy which is why they were calling me back.

Our brains are not wired to think statistically or in terms of probabilities. That's sad because whole industries have emerged to exploit this reality – top of the list, casinos. The whole point of the scientific method is to do all you can to prevent yourself from thinking something is true that is not.

Renowned Astrophysicist & Director of Hayden Planetarium

The fact that you and I are alive is against stupendous odds. One day we will die, and that's sad, but there are people who will never die because they were never born. We're the lucky ones, we get to die. You can only die if you were alive.

Renowned Astrophysicist & Director of Hayden Planetarium

I don't care about legacy – not because I'm not thinking of legacy, but because I'm thinking about how to make the greatest positive difference in the current moment I'm living in, and not obsessing about how I'll be looked back on. You're setting yourself up for misery if you focus too much on legacy honestly, but if you try and make a positive difference in the current moment of your life, you're doing the right thing.

You can have your best day and your worst day on the same day. There's so much happening at once, and everything happens so fast… the emotional highs and lows are tense.

This might sound strange, but I've never been 'afraid.' I've certainly been nervous- very nervous- but I've never been afraid. That's what has allowed me to come back from injuries- I'm not afraid of the consequences. I know the risks, I accept the risks, but I'm not afraid of the risks.

Olympic Alpine Skier with Most World Cup Wins by Female Athlete

It's only a failure if you don't learn from your mistakes, right? I was always able to find some way of making every adversity into something positive, even if I was physically no longer the athlete I was, I became mentally stronger. I used every adversity and changed it into something positive.

Olympic Alpine Skier with Most World Cup Wins by Female Athlete

Success are not determined by who is the smartest in the room- it's determined by who's willing to make the sacrifices to succeed. When most people have an adversity they think, 'oh, I can't do this anymore…. I'm not good enough…' what we are taught to think is, 'oh hey, there's a brick wall, what's my way through, over, around or under it…'

Olympic Alpine Skier with Most World Cup Wins by Female Athlete

My 90 seconds with Picabo changed my life. You'd be surprised how many kids have parents and peers around there who tell them they can't, I want to tell them they can.

Olympic Alpine Skier with Most World Cup Wins by Female Athlete

Deep fakes, are probably the most chilling example to me of it, as if you take a politician's face and you use deep fake technology to slightly change it in ways that are imperceptible to the politician and to you, the observer, but that make the face just change enough to make your brain trust and like that image of that person.

Neuroethicist & Duke Law professor specializing in neurorights and genetics policy

All you have to do is walk through an airport, for example, and notice that it is very difficult to navigate through it. You will encounter humans (almost statue like) who are glued – looking at their mobile phones, unaware of what is happening around them, because they are addicted to their technology. That is by design that people are addicted to technology.

Neuroethicist & Duke Law professor specializing in neurorights and genetics policy

Mill has this thoughtful chapter on freedom of thought, but it is all based on the assumption that you have the ability to think freely inside your mind and that part can't be penetrated. We are very porous now, and it isn't just through neurotechnology, it is through all modes of technology that are designed to interpret and change our cognitive and effective functioning.

Neuroethicist & Duke Law professor specializing in neurorights and genetics policy

My wife Freada coined a phrase, distance travelled. We're very interested in where somebody started in life, and what hurdles and barriers they have already overcome in their journey – and how that grit has got them to where they are now. That's an indicator of resilience, persistence, and many other character traits that are significant in terms of entrepreneurial success.

Founder of Lotus Development Corporation & Digital Pioneer

I fell in love with the process first – they sometimes call it the grind. I fell in love with movement, with training, with everything between the competitions – and falling in love with that was instrumental to me because now, when things don't go right, and I feel vulnerable or emotional, I can dip into that state.

Professional surfer and multiple-time world championship competitor