"Selectivity is an operation necessarily adopted by the organism to keep it from being overwhelmed with irrelevant sensations and comprehensions(4)."

"[E]xperience depends on the way we invest phychic energy—on the structure of attention(14).""

"[W]e can experience pleasure without any investment of psychic energy, whereas enjoyment happens only as a result of unusual investments of attention.…It is possible to enjoy a tennis game, a book, or a conversation unless attention is fully concentrated on the activity(15)."

"There’s an old Zen story: a student said to Master Ichu, ‘Please write for me something of great wisdom.’ Master Ichu picked up his brush and wrote one word: ‘Attention.’ The student said, ‘Is that all?’ The master wrote, ‘Attention. Attention.’ The student because irritable. ‘That doesn’t seem profound or subtle to me.’ In response, Master Ichu wrote simply, ‘Attention. Attention. Attention.’ In frustration, the student demanded, ‘What does this word attention mean?’ Master Ichu replied, ‘Attention means attention(44).’"