If we study what is merely average, we will remain merely average.

The line argues that our models and benchmarks shape our outcomes: if we only analyze “average” performance, we tend to reproduce it rather than surpass it. Implicitly, it endorses studying outliers—exceptional practices, mindsets, and environments—to learn what drives excellence. In the register of positive psychology and performance research often associated with Achor, the quote also critiques a common institutional habit (in schools, workplaces, and training) of teaching to the mean: optimizing for adequacy rather than mastery. Its significance lies in reframing improvement as an aspirational, comparative practice—choose exemplars carefully, because what you normalize becomes what you become.