"The ordinary person senses the greatness of the odds against him even without thought or analysis, and he adapts his attitudes unconsciously. A huge passivity has settled on industrial society. For people carried about in mechanical vehicles, earning their living by waiting on machines, listening much of the waking day to canned music, watching packaged movie entertainment and capsulated news, for such people it would require an exceptional degree of awareness and an especial heroism of effort to be anything but supine consumers of processed goods." - Marshall McLuhan

"Skill exceeding 10 can't be taught, and it can't be imitated, it's on a whole other plane. Those around you will sense that you're strong for sure, but they won't be able to pinpoint exactly what's different, or wherein your strength lies. The majority of people can't even tell the difference. If you can reach that point, you won't lose at that game. When you work harder than anyone to attain levels in excess of 10, it gives you an absolute, unwavering sense of confidence.

Even an amateur can understand what makes a 10 strong; they can see how using a particular special move, repeating a certain combo, perfecting a certain guard makes someone stronger. That kind of strength can be put into words and analyzed." - Daigo Umehara, The Will to Keep Winning