QuoteProject
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.
Carol S. Dweck
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Effort is essential for success; it defines and cultivates talent rather than reflects a lack of it.

Carol S. Dweck highlights two contrasting mindsets regarding effort and talent. In one mindset, effort is viewed negatively, suggesting that inherent talent should suffice for success, thus negating the value of hard work. Conversely, in the second mindset, effort is celebrated as a crucial element in achieving success, demonstrating that perseverance and dedication can shape intelligence and skill.

Themes

EffortTalentSuccessMindsetIntelligence

In practice

Example use cases

During a motivational seminar on personal development.

More from Carol S. Dweck

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
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?'
Carol S. DweckRead
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.
Carol S. DweckRead
Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going.
Carol S. DweckRead
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.
Carol S. DweckRead
Business leaders who openly acknowledge people's concerns about becoming obsolete and who invest resources in workers' growth can help create a nation of learners - and perhaps resolve some of the political chaos that's bubbling around us.
Carol S. DweckRead

Similar quotes

When you learn to say yes to yourself, you will be able to say no to others, with love.
Alan CohenRead
Meditation is the way in which we come to feel our basic inseparability from the whole universe, and what that requires is that we shut up.
Alan WattsRead
Remember, until you become a buddha you have wasted your life. Buddhahood is your flowering, your fragrance. A tree is fulfilled when it blooms, and a man is fulfilled when he releases the fragrance of buddhahood, when he becomes luminous; then he comes to know who he is. In knowing that, all is known. In knowing that, God is known. In knowing that, truth is achieved - you become the truth, and truth liberates. Truth is freedom.
RajneeshRead
Whatever happens in your life, joyful or painful, do not be swept away by reactivity. Be patient with yourself and don't lose your sense of perspective.
Pema ChodronRead
That man is wisest who, like Socrates, realizes that his wisdom is worthless
PlatoRead
It is only doubt that creates.
H. L. MenckenRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Carol S. Dweck | QuoteProject