--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The right kind of practice is not a…" description: "\"The right kind of practice is not a matter of hours. Practice should represent the utmost concentration of brain. It is better to play with concentrati..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/leopold-auer-49195_active_the-right-kind-of-practice-is-not-a-matt_1740562.jpg" --- # The right kind of practice is not a matter of hours… ![“The right kind of practice is not a matter of hours. Practice should represent the utmost concentration of brain. It is better to play with concentration for two hours than to practice eight without. I should say that four hours would be a good maximum practice time-I never ask more of my…” quote by Leopold Auer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/leopold-auer-49195_active_the-right-kind-of-practice-is-not-a-matt_1740562.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/leopold-auer-49195_active_the-right-kind-of-practice-is-not-a-matt_1740562.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/645/leopold-auer-49195_active_the-right-kind-of-practice-is-not-a-matt_1740562.jpg) > “The right kind of practice is not a matter of hours. Practice should represent the utmost concentration of brain. It is better to play with concentration for two hours than to practice eight without. I should say that four hours would be a good maximum practice time-I never ask more of my pupils-and that during each minute of the time the brain be as active as the fingers.” [Leopold Auer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-auer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective practice depends on focused mental effort, not sheer duration; short, concentrated sessions outperform long, distracted ones. **In simple terms:** Focused practice beats long, unfocused sessions. Key Takeaway Prioritize concentration over time. Themes practice focus learning efficiency Mood determined analytical Type educational motivational When to use this quote - music lessons - sports training - language study - exam preparation - skill acquisition Key Concepts deliberate practice neuroplasticity cognitive load Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure full mental engagement during practice? - What distractions reduce your concentration? A Different Perspective Long, unfocused practice can lead to burnout and diminishing returns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Active](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Eight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eight/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Hours Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours-practice-492398/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Maximum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maximum/) [Maximum Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maximum-practice-1516387/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-concentration-1516388/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Practice Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice-time-600277/) [Pupils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pupils/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Ten Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-thousand/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [In order to be a world-class expert in anything, be it audiology, drama, music, art, gymnastics, whatever, one needs to have a minimum of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/in-order-to-be-a-world-class-expert-in-anything-be-it-audiology-drama/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [If you practice with your head, two hours is plenty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-auer/if-you-practice-with-your-head-two-hours-is-plenty/) [Leopold Auer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-auer/) > [When I was young, I liked to spend hours and hours on the practice court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-wawrinka/when-i-was-young-i-liked-to-spend-hours-and-hours-on-the-practice/) [Stan Wawrinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-wawrinka/) > [“A skillful football player is a product of hours of practice”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/a-skillful-football-player-is-a-product-of-hours-of-practice/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [I train for six days in a week for eight to ten hours of practice per day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-v-sindhu/i-train-for-six-days-in-a-week-for-eight-to-ten-hours-of-practice-per/) [P. V. Sindhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-v-sindhu/) > [It's not about the number of hours you practice, it's about the number of hours your mind is present during the practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobe-bryant/it-s-not-about-the-number-of-hours-you-practice-it-s-about-the-number/) [Kobe Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobe-bryant/) > [I think people don't realize how many hours of practice goes into becoming a musician and getting better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeli-sande/i-think-people-don-t-realize-how-many-hours-of-practice-goes-into/) [Emeli Sande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeli-sande/) > [It is not the hours of practice that matter...it's what you put into the hours that counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/it-is-not-the-hours-of-practice-that-matter-it-s-what-you-put-into/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [I was never afraid of getting up early and practice for many hours. I often go to practice very early during winter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-wawrinka/i-was-never-afraid-of-getting-up-early-and-practice-for-many-hours-i/) [Stan Wawrinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-wawrinka/) > [It takes about 6 hours of practice a day for quite a few years to become a professional juggler. I started when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-raz/it-takes-about-6-hours-of-practice-a-day-for-quite-a-few-years-to/) [Jeff Raz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-raz/) > [I grew up playing the guitar. I started when I was nine, and by the time I was nine and a half or ten,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pass/i-grew-up-playing-the-guitar-i-started-when-i-was-nine-and-by-the/) [Joe Pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-pass/) > [Big-time college ball is a business, and they work you to death. You're in the gym at 7 A. M., got classes all morning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrann-mathieu/big-time-college-ball-is-a-business-and-they-work-you-to-death-you-re/) [Tyrann Mathieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrann-mathieu/) > [A couple of hours of practice is worth ten sloppy rounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-didrikson-zaharias/a-couple-of-hours-of-practice-is-worth-ten-sloppy-rounds/) [Babe Didrikson Zaharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-didrikson-zaharias/) > [“When you watch an accomplished professional in any field, you are looking at innumerable hours of practice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/when-you-watch-an-accomplished-professional-in-any-field-you-are/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [It isn't the hours that you put in at practice that count. It's the way you spend those minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-lema/it-isn-t-the-hours-that-you-put-in-at-practice-that-count-it-s-the/) [Tony Lema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-lema/) ## More by Leopold Auer > [Practice with your fingers and you need all day. Practice with your mind and you will do as much in 1 1/2 hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-auer/practice-with-your-fingers-and-you-need-all-day-practice-with-your/) [Leopold Auer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-auer/) > [If you practice with your head, two hours is plenty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-auer/if-you-practice-with-your-head-two-hours-is-plenty/) [Leopold Auer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-auer/) > [The thumb does not have very a important role when shifting from one position to another. There is too much said, as it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-auer/the-thumb-does-not-have-very-a-important-role-when-shifting-from-one/) [Leopold Auer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-auer/) > [A worker without genius is better than a genius who won't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-auer/a-worker-without-genius-is-better-than-a-genius-who-won-t-work/) [Leopold Auer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-auer/) > [Art begins where technique ends. There can be no real art development before one's technique is firmly established. And a great deal of technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-auer/art-begins-where-technique-ends-there-can-be-no-real-art-development/) [Leopold Auer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-auer/) > [Too many students who are technically quite far advanced do not properly interpret the technically less difficult pieces they play, because they regard them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-auer/too-many-students-who-are-technically-quite-far-advanced-do-not/) [Leopold Auer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-auer/) [Explore all 7 Leopold Auer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-auer/) ## More Active quotes > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I eat healthy most of the time. 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Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/pete-townsend-for-me-was-a-huge-influence-because-essentially-they/) [Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/) > [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Few, if any, creatures are equally active all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/few-if-any-creatures-are-equally-active-all-night/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [You need to enjoy yourself and just get into the routine of keeping fit and enjoying being active. That's always easier once you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/you-need-to-enjoy-yourself-and-just-get-into-the-routine-of-keeping/) [Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/) [Browse all 2,212 Active quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The right kind of practice is not a matter of hours. Practice should represent the utmost concentration of brain. It is better to play with concentration for two hours than to practice eight without. 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