Just because some people can do something with little or no training, it doesn't mean that others can't do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training.
Carol S. DweckRead
What did you try hard at today?
Interpretation
This quote encourages self-reflection on effort and learning.
Carol S. Dweck's quote prompts individuals to evaluate their daily efforts and challenges. By asking what one has tried hard at, it emphasizes the importance of striving for growth, resilience, and continuous learning, framing hard work as a key to personal development rather than just focusing on outcomes.
In practice
In a motivational speech about perseverance, one could use this quote to inspire listeners to evaluate their daily efforts.
Just because some people can do something with little or no training, it doesn't mean that others can't do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training.
Some students start thinking of their intelligence as something fixed, as carved in stone. They worry about, 'Do I have enough? Don't I have enough?'
In one world, effort is a bad thing. It, like failure, means you're not smart or talented. If you were, you wouldn't need effort. In the other world, effort is what makes you smart or talented.
Our message to parents is to focus on the process the child engages in, such as trying hard or focusing on the task - what specific things they're doing rather than, 'You're so smart. You're so good at this.' Although it's never too late to change, what you do early matters.
Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going.
I loved everything. I loved sciences and I loved humanities. But ultimately, I felt that in the humanities, you know, you're writing about things that already exist. But in the sciences, you're discovering things that no one has known before. Ultimately I chose psychology because it seemed to combine science with things that I liked to think about.
Instead of being afraid of the challenge and failure, be afraid of avoiding the challenge and doing nothing
Set yourself earnestly to see what you are made to do, and then set yourself earnestly to do it.
Shake off your blunders. How will you know your limits without an occasional failure? Never quit. Your turn will come.
Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction.
I work everyday, but every day is a holiday for me because I enjoy my work.
Take the word for it of a man who has made his way inch by inch, and does not believe that we'll wake up to find our work done because we've lain all night a-dreaming of it; anything worth doing is devilish hard to do!
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