This research paper packs a wisdom of a great book in 16 pages. Very accessible and highly recommended. Some of my favorite quotes: "What we call talent is no

This research paper packs a wisdom of a great book in 16 pages. Very accessible and highly recommended. Some of my favorite quotes: "What we call talent is no more than a projected reification of particular things done: hands placed correctly in the water, turns crisply executed, a head held high rather than low in the water. Through the notion of talent, we transform particular actions that a human being does into an object possessed, held in trust for the day when it will be revealed for all to see." "The features of the sport which the “C” swimmer finds unpleasant, the top-level swimmer enjoys. What others see as boring—swimming back and forth over a black line for two hours, say—they find it peaceful, even meditative, often challenging, or therapeutic." "Olympic Champions don’t just do much more of the same things that summer-league country-club swimmers do. They don’t just swim more hours, or move their arms faster, or attend more workouts. … Instead, they do things differently. Their strokes are different, their attitudes are different, their group of friends are different." There are many more gems like that, but I can't find a text-only version of this paper anywhere.