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
I was very invested in being smart and thought to be smart was more important than accomplishing anything in life.
Interpretation
Success should not be measured solely by intelligence but by accomplishments and growth.
In this quote, Carol S. Dweck reflects on her past belief that being perceived as intelligent was paramount, overshadowing the importance of actual achievements and learning from experiences. She highlights a common misconception that intelligence alone leads to success, emphasizing the need to value accomplishments and personal development over mere intellectualism.
In practice
During a keynote speech about personal development, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of striving for achievements rather than just measuring intelligence.
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.
Sanity is madness put to good use.
Knowledge that does not generate achievement is a pale and bloodless thing, unworthy of mankind.
One time, when I was very little, I climbed a tree and ate these green, sour apples. My stomach swelled and became hard like a drum, it hurt a lot. Mother said that if I'd just waited for the apples to ripen, I wouldn't have become sick. So now, whenever I really want something, I try to remember what she said about the apples.
How would it be possible if salvation were ready to our hand, and could without great labor be found, that it should be by almost all men neglected? But all things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.
It is becoming clear that the old platitudes can no longer be maintained, and that if we wish to improve our morals we must first improve our knowledge.
There is only one you. God wanted you to be you. Don't you dare change just because you're outnumbered!
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