--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is great. But what I’m grasping at…" description: "\"“This is great. But what I’m grasping at is an idea about a subtler goal. This thinking owes a lot to conversations with Manjula Waldron of Ohio State ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_goals_this-is-great-but-what-i-m-grasping-at-i_766745.jpg" --- # This is great. But what I’m grasping at is an idea about a… ![“This is great. But what I’m grasping at is an idea about a subtler goal. This thinking owes a lot to conversations with Manjula Waldron of Ohio State University, an engineering professor who also happens to be a hospital chaplain. This feels embarrassingly Zen-ish for me to spout, being a short…” quote by Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_goals_this-is-great-but-what-i-m-grasping-at-i_766745.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_goals_this-is-great-but-what-i-m-grasping-at-i_766745.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/robert-m-sapolsky-1166_goals_this-is-great-but-what-i-m-grasping-at-i_766745.jpg) > ““This is great. But what I’m grasping at is an idea about a subtler goal. This thinking owes a lot to conversations with Manjula Waldron of Ohio State University, an engineering professor who also happens to be a hospital chaplain. This feels embarrassingly Zen-ish for me to spout, being a short, hypomanic guy with a Brooklyn accent, but here goes: Maybe the goal isn’t to maximize the contrast between a low baseline and a high level of activation. Maybe the idea is to have both simultaneously. Huh? Maybe the goal would be for your baseline to be something more than the mere absence of activation, a mere default, but to instead be an energized calm, a proactive choice. And for the ceiling to consist of some sort of equilibrium and equanimity threading through the crazed arousal. I have felt this a few times playing soccer, inept as I am at it, where there’s a moment when, successful outcome or not, every physiological system is going like mad, and my body does something that my mind didn’t even dream of, and the two seconds when that happened seemed to take a lot longer than it should have. But this business about the calm amid the arousal isn’t just another way of talking about “good stress” (a stimulating challenge, as opposed to a threat). Even when the stressor is bad and your heart is racing in crisis, the goal should be to somehow make the fraction of a second between each heartbeat into an instant that expands in time and allows you to regroup. There, I have no idea what I’m talking about, but I think there might be something important lurking there. Enough said.”” [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage explores seeking a balanced state where calm and activation coexist, turning high arousal into a sustained, manageable flow rather than a brief spike. **In simple terms:** Aim for energized calm and steady focus even under stress. Key Takeaway Cultivate steady calm amid excitement. Themes psychology stress management mindfulness performance balance Mood reflective inquisitive analytical Type philosophical practical inspirational When to use this quote - sports competition - public speaking - high‑stakes negotiations - emergency response - creative brainstorming Key Concepts neurobiology flow state arousal regulation equanimity proactive baseline Questions to Reflect On - How can you practice maintaining calm while staying alert? - What routines help turn brief stress spikes into longer, usable periods? A Different Perspective Achieving this balance may be unrealistic for everyone; it requires training and may not work under extreme trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Ohio state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ohio-state/) [Ohio state university](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ohio-state-university/) [Playing soccer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-soccer/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Serenity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serenity/) [Way of talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-talking/) ## Related quotes > [“The simple thing behind many failures in life is to give up on the goal, thinking that all paths have been exhausted when there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-simple-thing-behind-many-failures-in-life-is-to-give-up-on-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The goal is to move the thinking that we do every day to the feeling that we often ignore and don't pay attention to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ha-campbell/the-goal-is-to-move-the-thinking-that-we-do-every-day-to-the-feeling/) [Kim Ha Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ha-campbell/) > [“But dogmatism—or the inclination "to identify the goal of our thinking with the point at which we have become tired of thinking"—is so natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-strauss/but-dogmatism-or-the-inclination-to-identify-the-goal-of-our-thinking/) [Leo Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-strauss/) > [Here is the truth: While at the University of Florida, and now at The Ohio State University, I have always followed proper reporting protocols…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urban-meyer/here-is-the-truth-while-at-the-university-of-florida-and-now-at-the/) [Urban Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urban-meyer/) > [On November 28, 2016, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, an 18-year-old legal resident of the United States whose family was originally from Somalia, used a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/on-november-28-2016-abdul-razak-ali-artan-an-18-year-old-legal/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The most frightening interview I've ever done was with Dr. Lonnie Thompson of The Ohio State University on the subject of global warming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kurtis/the-most-frightening-interview-i-ve-ever-done-was-with-dr-lonnie/) [Bill Kurtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kurtis/) > [Ohio State University puts out some very fine football players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dorsey/ohio-state-university-puts-out-some-very-fine-football-players/) [John Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dorsey/) > [The Ohio State University has a rich - if quiet - heritage of the arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-gee/the-ohio-state-university-has-a-rich-if-quiet-heritage-of-the-arts/) [Gordon Gee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-gee/) > [I have a story here, and it dovetails with this. 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This feels embarrassingly Zen-ish for me to spout, being a short, hypomanic guy with a Brooklyn accent, but here goes: Maybe the goal isn’t to maximize the contrast between a low baseline and a high level of activation. Maybe the idea is to have both simultaneously. Huh? Maybe the goal would be for your baseline to be something more than the mere absence of activation, a mere default, but to instead be an energized calm, a proactive choice. And for the ceiling to consist of some sort of equilibrium and equanimity threading through the crazed arousal. I have felt this a few times playing soccer, inept as I am at it, where there’s a moment when, successful outcome or not, every physiological system is going like mad, and my body does something that my mind didn’t even dream of, and the two seconds when that happened seemed to take a lot longer than it should have. But this business about the calm amid the arousal isn’t just another way of talking about “good stress” (a stimulating challenge, as opposed to a threat). Even when the stressor is bad and your heart is racing in crisis, the goal should be to somehow make the fraction of a second between each heartbeat into an instant that expands in time and allows you to regroup. There, I have no idea what I’m talking about, but I think there might be something important lurking there. Enough said.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert M. 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