If you want to kill an idea without being identified as the assassin, suggest that the legal department take a look at it.
Scott AdamsRead
Nothing defines humans better than their willingness to do irrational things in the pursuit of phenomenally unlikely payoffs. This is the principle behind lotteries, dating, and religion.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humans often act irrationally in hopes of achieving extraordinary outcomes, which reflects our nature.
In this quote, Scott Adams highlights a fundamental aspect of human behavior: our tendency to engage in irrational actions when seeking out highly improbable rewards. This impulse is evident in various facets of life, such as gambling, seeking love, or even religious faith, suggesting that our motivations often transcend logical reasoning as we chase after dreams that seem nearly unattainable.
Themes
IrrationalityHuman BehaviorHopeRiskUnlikely Outcomes
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about taking risks, one could reference this quote to illustrate the nature of pursuing dreams.
More from Scott Adams
All quotes →My failed corporate career became the fodder for the 'Dilbert' comic. Once it became clear I would not be climbing any higher on the corporate ladder, it freed me to mock managers without worrying that it would stall my career. Most failures create some sort of unplanned freedom. I took full advantage of mine.
Scott AdamsRead
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
Scott AdamsRead
What does it mean to be yourself?” he asked. “If it means to do what you think you ought to do, then you’re doing that already. If it means to act like you’re exempt from society’s influence, that’s the worst advice in the world; you would probably stop bathing and wearing clothes. The advice to ‘be yourself’ is obviously nonsense. But our brains accept this tripe as wisdom because it is more comfortable to believe we have a strategy for life than to believe we have no idea how to behave.
Scott AdamsRead
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