Adam Grant
@AdamMGrant
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Organizational psychologist @Wharton . #1 NYT bestsellers: HIDDEN POTENTIAL, THINK AGAIN. Podcasts: Re:Thinking & WorkLife @TEDTalks . Diver.
Philadelphia, USA
Joined January 2013
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Pinned Tweet
One of the clearest signs of learning is rethinking your assumptions and revising your opinions.
21 things I rethought in 2021: a thread...
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I’m seeing a growing number of students complain: “My grade doesn’t reflect the effort I put into the course.”
Public service announcement: You don’t get an A for effort. You earn it for excellence.
Success is measured by the level of mastery you show, not how hard you work.
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We pay too much attention to the most confident voices—and too little attention to the most thoughtful ones.
Certainty is not a sign of credibility. Speaking assertively is not a substitute for thinking deeply.
It's better to learn from complex thinkers than smooth talkers.
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Impostor syndrome: “I don't know what I'm doing. It's only a matter of time until everyone finds out."
Growth mindset: "I don't know what I'm doing yet. It's only a matter of time until I figure it out."
The highest form of self-confidence is believing in your ability to learn.
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Being an introvert is not about where you get your energy. It's how you handle stimulation.
Introverts are energized by people too. We’re just easily exhausted by loud parties, close talkers, and endless houseguests.
I'm not antisocial. I'm pro-quiet.
#worldintrovertday
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What’s the worst career advice you’ve ever received?
Mine:
(1) Don’t waste your time helping others
(2) Drop 90% of your projects, because you can only do one at a time
(3) Don’t write a book
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63 studies: women who assert their ideas, make direct requests, and advocate for themselves are liked less.
They're also less likely to get hired—and it hasn't improved over time.
It's 2021. When will we stop punishing dominant women for violating outdated gender stereotypes?
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The suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade are chilling reminders of the stigma that still surrounds mental illness.
Depression is a medical condition. We need to create a world where people are as comfortable seeking care for their minds as they are for their bodies.
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Resting is not a waste of time. It's an investment in well-being.
Relaxing is not a sign of laziness. It's a source of energy.
Breaks are not a distraction. They're a chance to refocus attention.
Play is not a frivolous activity. It's a path to connection and creativity.
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To fight Zoom fatigue, give people the freedom to turn their cameras off.
New experiment: videos off reduces exhaustion and boosts engagement—especially for women and newcomers.
Cameras off doesn't reflect disengagement. It helps to prevent burnout and promote attention.
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When a man argues with an umpire, it’s passion.
When a woman does it, it’s a meltdown.
When a black woman does it, it’s a penalty.
#DoubleStandards
#USOpen
#Serena
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Too many people spend their lives being dutiful descendants instead of good ancestors.
The responsibility of each generation is not to please their predecessors. It's to improve things for their offspring.
It's more important to make your children proud than your parents proud.
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In toxic cultures, people prove their intelligence by tearing others down.
In healthy cultures, people use their intelligence to build others up.
Knowledge and expertise are not weapons to wield. They're resources to share.
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In toxic cultures, being a workaholic is normalized and sacrificing sleep is glorified. The best way to get ahead is to burn out.
In healthy cultures, quality of life is expected and having a life is celebrated. You're encouraged to put your well-being above your work.
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Wisdom doesn’t come from experience. It comes from reflecting on experience.
Between ages 25 and 75, the correlation between age and wisdom is zero.
Gaining insight and perspective is not about the number of years you've lived. It's about the number of lessons you've learned.
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The best cure for loneliness is not more frequent interaction. It's more meaningful interaction.
Many people enjoy solitude. They can spend up to ~75% of their time alone without feeling isolated.
What matters most for well-being is the quality of connections, not the quantity.
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A company isn't a family. Parents don't fire their kids for low performance or furlough them in hard times.
A better vision for a workplace is a community—a place where people bond around shared values, feel valued as human beings, and have a voice in decisions that affect them.
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The hallmark of an open mind is not letting your ideas become your identity.
If you define yourself by your opinions, questioning them is a threat to your integrity.
If you see yourself as a curious person or a lifelong learner, changing your mind is a moment of growth.
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Showing red vs. blue maps leads people to see America as more divided—and judge people more by their state's stereotypes.
Data: purple maps of state proportions are more accurate, and reduce perceived polarization and stereotypes.
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Your worth is not defined by what you achieve or acquire. It’s a question of who you become and how you contribute to others.
Self-esteem should come from character, not success or status. The highest accomplishment is to be a person of generosity, curiosity, and integrity.
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Writing isn't what you do after you have an idea. It's how you develop an inkling into an insight.
Turning thoughts into words sharpens reasoning. What's fuzzy in your head is clear on the page.
"I'm not a writer" shouldn't stop you from writing. Writing is a tool for thinking.
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Personality is how you respond on a typical day. Character is how you show up on your worst day.
It's easy to demonstrate fairness, integrity, and generosity when things are going well.
The real question is whether you stand by those values when the deck is stacked against you.
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Don't confuse being a fast talker with being a deep thinker. Speaking quickly signals confidence, not complexity.
Don't mistake volume for expertise. Speaking loudly reflects conviction, not credibility.
Sometimes the best ideas come from the least assertive voice in the room.
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Success is not about competition-- it's about contribution.
My new
@TEDTalks
on givers and takers:
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Women's qualifications are less likely to be mentioned by men.
Study of 300+ intros of MD/PhD presenters:
Men introduced 72% of men as Dr. but only 49% of women as Dr.
Women introduced speakers as Dr. regardless of gender.
Respecting women shouldn't be this hard.
#DrJillBiden
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How quickly someone answers you is rarely a sign of how much they care about you.
Delayed replies to emails, texts, and calls are often symptoms of being overwhelmed.
Unless it's urgent, the true test of a relationship isn't the speed of response. It's the quality of attention.
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Your success as a parent is not determined by whether your kids get into elite schools or prestigious professions.
The real test of parenting is not what children achieve, but who they become—and how they treat others.
#ThursdayThoughts
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Impostor syndrome isn't a disease. It's a normal response to internalizing impossibly high standards.
Doubting yourself doesn't mean you're going to fail. It usually means you're facing a new challenge and you're going to learn.
Feeling uncertainty is a precursor to growth.
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If you think you have to be an asshole to be successful, you might be an asshole.
There's a big difference between being demanding and being demeaning.
Great leaders don't undermine people—they elevate them.
#FridayFeeling
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Instead of telling kids not to play video games, adults should play too.
Compared to kids who don’t play, those who play 3 hrs/day have better working memory & impulse control. Experiments show cognitive benefits for adults too.
Video games are a form of exercise for the brain.
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When groups meet to brainstorm, good ideas are lost. People bite their tongues due to conformity pressure, noise, and ego threat.
A better approach is brainwriting: generate ideas separately, then meet to assess and refine.
Group wisdom begins with individual creativity.
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Progress isn’t always about getting better. Sometimes it’s about bouncing back.
Success is not only the peaks you reach—it’s the valleys you conquer. Every experience of enduring adversity and overcoming obstacles is a meaningful accomplishment.
Resilience is a form of growth.
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A busy life is not a symbol of status. It's a symptom of trying to do too much for too many people.
A full calendar brings a surplus of stress and a shortage of energy. Reflecting and relaxing should be top priorities.
Unscheduled time isn't wasted. It's invested in well-being.
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Great minds don’t think alike. They challenge each other to think differently.
The people who teach you the most are the ones who share your principles but not your thought processes.
Converging values draw you to similar questions. Diverging views introduce you to new answers.
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In unhealthy cultures, people see rest as taking your foot off the gas pedal. You don't stop until you've pushed yourself to the brink of exhaustion.
In healthy cultures, people see rest as a vital source of fuel. You take regular breaks to maintain energy and avoid burnout.
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When you follow a leader, consider what would lead you to withdraw your support.
If the answer is nothing, your integrity is in jeopardy. Your highest loyalty belongs to principles, not people.
No leader deserves unconditional love. Commitment is earned through character.
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The first rule of leadership: put your mission above your ego.
The second rule of leadership: if you don't care about your people, they won't care about your mission.
The third rule of leadership: if someone has to tell you the first two rules, you're not ready to lead yet.
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Criticizing is fast and easy. Creating is slow and difficult.
The two hours you spent on a book or movie usually took two years to produce.
Anyone can tear down someone else's work. The true test of insight is whether you can help them improve it or build something of your own.
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Bad bosses punish time off. They see vacations as a lack of dedication to work.
Good bosses grant time off. They see vacations as a source of energy for work.
Great bosses insist on time off. They see vacations as a right, not a reward—they care about your life beyond work.
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It's impossible to please everyone. The question is whether you're disappointing the right people.
Part of setting healthy boundaries is deciding who you're willing to let down—and who has the right to make you feel guilty.
Not everyone deserves power over your emotions.
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A balanced argument doesn’t weigh two sides equally. It weighs the strongest evidence more heavily.
Critical thinking isn't about representing every view. It's about recognizing your biases, and giving serious consideration to facts that contradict your hopes and beliefs.
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When you only listen to the smartest person in the room, you miss out on discovering what the rest of the room is smart about.
Everyone you meet knows something you don’t—and has wisdom from experiences you haven’t lived.
Every conversation is a chance to learn something new.
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Being a critical thinker is about more than challenging other people's assumptions. It also requires you to rethink your own views.
The top 22 ideas about life, work, and well-being that you enjoyed rethinking with me in 2022...
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Finland has the world’s best education system. Instead of standardized tests, they focus on joy in learning.
Kids get 15 minutes of outdoor recess every hour. Why?
“The work of a child is to play.”
#SundayThoughts
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Women who stand up for themselves get penalized.
51 studies: a woman who negotiates for herself fears—and faces—backlash as selfish & aggressive.
If she negotiates for others, suddenly she seems caring.
I want to live in a world that celebrates women advocating for themselves.
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Writing is more than a vehicle for communicating ideas. It's a tool for crystallizing ideas.
Writing exposes gaps in your knowledge and logic. It pushes you to articulate assumptions and consider counterarguments.
One of the best paths to sharper thinking is frequent writing.
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"I'm just being honest" is a poor excuse for being rude.
Candor is being forthcoming in what you say. Respect is being considerate in how you say it.
Being direct with the content of your feedback doesn't prevent you from being thoughtful about the best way to deliver it.
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In toxic relationships, you're forced to choose between honesty and loyalty. You bite your tongue to protect their ego.
In healthy relationships, honesty is an expression of loyalty. You speak your mind to help them grow.
When you have real trust and respect, candor shows care.
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Constantly claiming to be a victim is not a sign of virtue. It's a strategy for narcissists and psychopaths to get ahead.
Data: people who regularly signal victimhood are more willing to lie, cheat, and steal.
Beware those who air personal grievances like every day is Festivus.
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Changing your mind doesn't mean you've abandoned your principles. It may mean you've learned something.
It's better to contradict yourself and be accused of hypocrisy than to stick to your guns and sacrifice your integrity.
The hallmark of integrity is honesty, not consistency.
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Politeness is not the same as kindness.
Being polite is saying what makes people feel good today. Being kind is doing what helps people get better tomorrow.
In polite cultures, people withhold disagreement and criticism. In kind cultures, people speak their minds respectfully.
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From afar, we admire talent. Up close, what counts most is character.
You can impress people with your skills, but you earn their trust by standing for something greater than yourself.
There is no higher achievement than treating others kindly and living with integrity.
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Parents try to teach values in conversation, but children learn more by observation.
No matter what we say, kids discover what matters to us by watching what we do. Where we focus tells them what we prize.
A key to being a good role model is paying attention to your attention.
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The most important quality in a mentor, teacher, or coach is not how much they know. It's how much they care.
Caring is more than taking pride in your success. It's feeling joy as you progress.
The people you want in your corner are the ones who celebrate your growth.
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The clearest sign of intellectual chemistry isn't agreeing with someone. It's enjoying your disagreements with them.
Harmony is the pleasing arrangement of different tones, voices, or instruments, not the combination of identical sounds.
Creative tension makes beautiful music.
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On major life decisions, the purpose of seeking advice is not to get answers. It’s to gain perspective.
No one knows what's best for you. They can only share what makes sense to them.
The most important question to ask is not what you should do. It's what you might be missing.
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In burnout cultures, people are judged by the sacrifices they make. Hobbies, vacations, and even family time are viewed as distractions to penalize.
In healthy cultures, people are judged by the commitments they keep. Interests outside work are seen as passions to celebrate.
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Impostor syndrome is a paradox:
-Others believe in you
-You don't believe in yourself
-Yet you believe yourself instead of them
If you doubt yourself, shouldn't you also doubt your judgment of yourself?
When multiple people believe in you, it might be time to believe them.
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Productivity is overrated. What counts most is the quality of output, not the quantity.
People may be impressed by the volume you produce, but impact depends on the value you create.
Success isn't about getting more things done. It's about doing more worthwhile things well.
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The loudest voices rarely represent the majority. They're usually speaking for the extremes.
You won't understand the views of a group until you've invited the quieter voices into the discussion.
Don't mistake silence for disengagement. It's often a sign of deep reflection.
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No minds were changed, and everyone in this country is now dumber for having listened to it
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Being a lifelong learner isn’t about taking pride in your knowledge. It's about having the humility to know what you don’t know.
My top 23 insights from 2023 🧵
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Burnout isn't due to a lack of motivation. It's caused by a shortage of capacity.
There are more interesting people and projects than hours in the day. The key question isn't whether you have interest. It's whether you have bandwidth.
Enthusiasm is boundless. Time is finite.
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The world could use more people who think like scientists... or at least more critical thinkers.
#ThinkAgain
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A sign of intellect is the ability to change your mind in the face of new facts.
A mark of wisdom is refusing to let the fear of admitting you were wrong stop you from getting it right.
The joy of learning something new eventually exceeds the pain of unlearning something old.
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"Quiet quitting" isn't laziness. Doing the bare minimum is a common response to bullshit jobs, abusive bosses, and low pay.
When they don't feel cared about, people eventually stop caring.
If you want them to go the extra mile, start with meaningful work, respect, and fair pay.
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Changing your mind is not a sign of losing integrity. It's often a mark of gaining wisdom.
Realizing you were wrong doesn't mean you lack judgment. It means you lacked knowledge.
Opinions are what you think today. Growth comes from staying open to revising your views tomorrow.
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In grad school, on my first major paper, I wanted to include 2 undergraduates as coauthors.
An advisor told me it was a mistake.
I agreed, and coauthored the paper with 5 undergraduates instead.
Sharing credit with others takes nothing away from you.
#FridayMotivation
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Leadership is not about pulling people to follow your path. It's about shining enough light for them to find their own route.
Bosses aim to wield power. They issue commands to maintain control.
Leaders strive to empower. They delegate authority to unleash potential.
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The true leader in a group is rarely the person who talks the most. It's usually the person who listens best.
Listening is more than hearing what’s said. It’s noticing and surfacing what isn’t said.
Inviting dissenting views and amplifying quiet voices are acts of leadership.
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Downplaying your achievements is not the antidote to appearing arrogant.
Humility is acknowledging your weaknesses, not denying your strengths. Generosity is elevating others, not diminishing yourself.
Owning your success doesn't make you a narcissist—it makes you a role model.
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The holidays shouldn’t be a time to recharge. They should be a time to celebrate.
If work is exhausting people to the point that they’re using their time off to recover, you might have a burnout culture.
A healthy organization doesn’t leave people drained in the first place.
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In job interviews and college admissions, we focus too much on what candidates have accomplished, and too little on what obstacles they've overcome.
The true measure of people's potential is not the height of the peak they've reached, but how far they've climbed to get there.
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You can’t judge people only by how they treat you. The true test of character is how they treat those they don't like or need.
Even if someone is kind to you, proceed with caution if they’re consistently unkind to others.
Selective civility is a sign of deep-seated hostility.
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My new favorite defense of the Oxford comma. Long live the Oxford comma!
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Insecure people pretend to know things they don't. They dismiss expertise from others.
Secure people admit what they don't know. They defer to expertise in others.
Proactive people take the initiative to learn what they don't know. They acquire expertise from others.
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In cutthroat cultures, people kiss up and kick down. They protect themselves by currying favor with people in power and exploiting those without it.
In supportive cultures, people speak up and support down. They protect people without power by raising problems to those with it.
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Déjà blue, n. The sinking feeling of depression at realizing that half the country is willing to forgo competence and character in the most important job on earth
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In toxic cultures, people get promoted for results even if they destroy relationships. Abuse is a price to pay for high performance.
In healthy cultures, no level of individual excellence justifies undermining people. You’re not a high performer if you don't elevate others.
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It's not your job to fix a toxic workplace from the bottom.
If leaders at the top aren't committed to change, the best way to stay sane is to shield yourself and support your team.
Your responsibility is to protect your well-being, your career, and the people you care about.
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Signs of an open mind:
Listening to opinions that make you think hard, not just views that make you feel good
Choosing friends based on the decency of their behavior, not the similarity of their beliefs
Seeing disagreement as a chance to learn, not a threat to your ego
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Toxic positivity is pressuring people to look on the bright side. They have to suppress anxiety, anger, sadness, and grief.
Healthy support is shielding people from the dark side. You invite them to express their pain, and show them they're not alone and won't feel it forever.
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It takes curiosity to learn. It takes courage to unlearn.
Learning requires the humility to admit what you don't know today.
Unlearning requires the integrity to admit that you were wrong yesterday.
Learning is how you evolve. Unlearning is how you keep up as the world evolves.
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The highest compliment from someone who disagrees with you is not “You were right.” It’s “You made me think.”
Good arguments help us recognize complexity where we once saw simplicity.
The ultimate purpose of debate is not to produce consensus. It’s to promote critical thinking.
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It's easier to fill gaps in competence than gaps in character.
Even if people have strong experience, it's a mistake to hire or promote them if they have weak values.
Knowledge and skills can be learned. Principles like integrity, humility, and generosity are tougher to teach.
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Balance rarely comes from increasing efficiency. It usually involves reducing responsibilities.
The more priorities we have, the harder they are to juggle. It's better to do a few things well than be overwhelmed by many.
A key to avoiding burnout is deciding what doesn't…
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The people who are nice to you aren’t always being kind to you.
Saying what you want to hear is nice. People sugarcoat feedback to make you feel good today.
Sharing what you need to hear is kind. People speak honestly to help you do better tomorrow.
Candor is an act of care.
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A sign of emotional intelligence is moving from “You made me feel” to “This is how I reacted.”
Our emotions aren’t caused by other people’s actions. They’re shaped by our interpretations.
Blaming others gives them power over our feelings. Taking responsibility empowers us.
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Strong relationships don’t need agreement. They need alignment.
Agreement is having identical opinions. Alignment is having shared values.
Agreement is taking the same path. Alignment is heading in the same direction.
Closeness is a matter of commitment, not consensus.
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What the world needs more than sympathy and empathy is compassion.
Sympathy: I'm sorry you're in pain
Empathy: I feel your pain
Compassion: I'll do whatever I can to alleviate your pain
You don't have to feel other people's feelings. You just have to care about their feelings.
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Don’t mistake silence for apathy. When people are quiet, they’re often busy thinking and learning.
Extraverts like to process ideas by talking them through. Introverts prefer to reflect before they speak.
I'm not disengaged. I'm listening to your views and formulating mine.
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Don't confuse experience with expertise. Having faced a problem doesn't guarantee that you've mastered the solution.
Don't mistake expertise for wisdom. Having deep knowledge doesn't guarantee that you know when it applies.
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We're too eager to bet on people who overestimate themselves—and too hesitant to invest in those who underestimate themselves.
It's easier to build up confidence than to tear down arrogance.
The people with the most potential are the ones who know they have a lot to learn.
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The sweet spot of worrying about other people's opinions is caring enough to learn from them, but not so much that you conform to them.
It takes humility to rethink your views in the face of disapproval. It takes integrity to put your personal values above social approval.
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Your work does not define your worth.
A career is what you do—it doesn’t have to reflect who you are. Making a job part of your identity is an option, not an obligation.
Your impact in the world doesn’t depend on how you make a living. It derives from how you live your values.
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