Adam Grant Quotes
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We all have thoughts and feelings that we believe are fundamental to our lives but that are better left unspoken.
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I'm a procrastinator. Yes, that's an actual term. You know that panic you feel a few hours before a big deadline when you haven't done anything yet? I just feel that a few months ahead of time.
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Bragging about yourself violates norms of modesty and politeness - and if you were really competent, your work would speak for itself.
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I have lots of micro-goals of trying to get things done, whatever the amount of time available.
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Once people take ownership over the decision to receive feedback, they're less defensive about it.
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From a motivation perspective, helping others enriches the meaning and purpose of our own lives, showing us that our contributions matter and energizing us to work harder, longer, and smarter.
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In the eyes of many people, giving doesn't count unless it's completely selfless. In reality, though, giving isn't sustainable when it's completely selfless.
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To get important work done, most leaders organize people into teams. They believe that when people collaborate toward a common goal, great things can happen. Yet in reality, the whole is often much less than the sum of the parts.
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If we want people to vote, we need to make it a larger part of their self-image.
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When making decisions about people, stop confusing experience with evidence. Just as owning a car doesn't make you an expert on engines, having a brain doesn't mean you understand psychology.
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Leaders who master emotions can rob us of our capacities to reason. If their values are out of step with our own, the results can be devastating.
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Conformity is dangerous.
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Being a nice person is about courtesy: you're friendly, polite, agreeable, and accommodating. When people believe they have to be nice in order to give, they fail to set boundaries, rarely say no, and become pushovers, letting others walk all over them.
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The mark of higher education isn't the knowledge you accumulate in your head. It's the skills you gain about how to learn.
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No one wants to hear everything that's in your head. They just want you to live up to what comes out of your mouth.
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I have two rules for a great book: make me think and make me smile.
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Saying no frees you up to say yes when it matters most.
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I believe that the most meaningful way to succeed is to help other people succeed.
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Originals are nonconformists, people who not only have new ideas but take action to champion them. They are people who stand out and speak up. Originals drive creativity and change in the world. They're the people you want to bet on.
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Kids who evolve into creative adults tend to have a strong moral compass.
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If an organization values innovation, you can assume it's safe to speak up with new ideas, leaders will listen, and your voice matters.
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When a salesperson truly cares about you, trust forms, and you're more likely to buy, come back for repeat business, and refer new customers.
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Complex tasks are often better handled in the back of our mind, and that's often true of creative tasks - when you have something complex to deal with in writing or research or responding to an email. I'll start working, put it aside, and sometimes I'll wake up the next morning with a solution, or I'll find one when I exercise.
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It's true that every leader needs followers. We can't all be nonconformists at every moment, but conformity is dangerous - especially for an entity in formation.