I wrote several articles criticizing psychoanalysis, but the analysts weren't listening to my objections. So I finally quit after practicing it for six years.
Albert EllisRead
Psychologists and economists love to talk about the notion of two selves: present self and future self. It's a nice way to explain the tendency to have one preference about the future, but a very different preference when the future becomes the present.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the discrepancy between our present and future selves, illustrating how our preferences can change over time.
In this quote, Daniel Goldstein discusses the concept of the 'present self' and the 'future self,' emphasizing how individuals often make choices that align with their aspirations for the future, yet when those future moments become the present, their preferences may shift. This reflects the complexities of human decision-making and the struggle to align immediate desires with long-term goals, often leading to conflict and regret.
Themes
Present SelfFuture SelfDecision MakingPreferencesPsychology
In practice
Example use cases
In a talk about long-term planning, one could use this quote to illustrate the importance of aligning short-term actions with long-term goals.
Similar quotes
We like to think there is this core of human nature – that good people can't do bad things, and that good people will dominate over bad situations. Infact, when we look at the Stanford prison studies, that we put good people in an evil place, and we saw who won. Well, the sad message in this, is in this case is the evil place won over the good people.
Philip ZimbardoRead
The truth is, bad things don't affect us as profoundly as we expect them to. That's true of good things, too. We adapt very quickly to either.
Daniel GilbertRead
The fact is that people are good, Give people affection and security, and they will give affection and be secure in their feelings and their behavior.
Abraham MaslowRead
Self-justification, therefore, is not only about protecting high self-esteem; it's also about protecting low self-esteem if that is how a person sees himself.
Elliot AronsonRead
While we somehow understand revenge on an intuitive level between individuals, I do suspect that companies, assuming that people are rational, completely miss and underestimate the motivation people have for revenge.
Dan ArielyRead