At first glance, rowing seems like the simplest of sports: blades go one way, boat goes the other. Pure, uncomplicated, elegant. But just as we're seduced by its beautiful simplicity, we all eventually become obsessed with its complex parts - and there are plenty of complex parts to keep us entertained. We've all got something to learn, whether it's mastering the set in a single after sweeping for eight years or lowering our erg scores just before the dawn of spring. Indeed, perhaps if we had it all figured out we wouldn't keep coming back for more.

Kate Siber

Every stroke must be your best stroke, otherwise, you’re just a waste of a seat on the boat. Anyone who cheats the stroke, cheats their boat.

Mastery is knowing that it means nothing if you can't do it again and again. Mastery is not just the same as excellence, though. It's not the same as success, which I see as an event, a moment in time, and a label that the world confers upon you. Mastery is not a commitment to a goal but to a constant pursuit. What gets us to do this, what get us to forward thrust more is to value the near win.

Sarah Lewis

Rowing is built upon trust and trust upon confidence in one another's integrity.

Robert South

Rowing is a never-ending cycle of breaking ourselves down to get better results to break ourselves down again to beat those results.

Faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.

Hunter S. Thompson

It's to take risks, to push it, to see how far it can go, to see how much you can do. Sometimes it's going to come up a little bit short but if it's done in the right context you learn from that and realize 'this is how far I can go and how far I can't gamble beyond this. But I can push it to this point.' But if you never push it to that point, then I don't think you ever really know how far it can go. Again, that's what practice is for.

Bill Belichick New England Patriots Head Coach