QuoteProject
We all have thoughts and feelings that we believe are fundamental to our lives but that are better left unspoken.
Adam Grant
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Some thoughts and feelings are so personal that sharing them may not be beneficial.

This quote by Adam Grant highlights the complexity of human emotions and thoughts, suggesting that while we may hold certain beliefs about our inner lives as vital, articulating them may not serve us well. It invites reflection on the importance of discretion and the potential consequences of voicing our deepest feelings and thoughts, acknowledging that silence can sometimes be a healthier choice for our well-being.

Themes

ThoughtsFeelingsUnspokenCommunicationDiscretion

In practice

Example use cases

During a team meeting, to emphasize the importance of confidentiality about personal issues.

More from Adam Grant

No one wants to hear everything that's in your head. They just want you to live up to what comes out of your mouth.
Adam GrantRead
In the eyes of many people, giving doesn't count unless it's completely selfless. In reality, though, giving isn't sustainable when it's completely selfless.
Adam GrantRead
When you procrastinate, you're more likely to let your mind wander. That gives you a better chance of stumbling onto the unusual and spotting unexpected patterns.
Adam GrantRead
We have many identities, and we can't be authentic to them all. The best we can do is be sincere in our efforts to earn the values we claim.
Adam GrantRead
You want people who choose to follow because they genuinely believe in ideas, not because they're afraid to be punished if they don't. For startups, there's so much pivoting that's required that if you have a bunch of sheep, you're in bad shape.
Adam GrantRead
Procrastinating is a vice when it comes to productivity, but it can be a virtue for creativity.
Adam GrantRead

Similar quotes

It’s always about, somehow, finding a part of myself that is relevant, and then turning the volume up on that particular part. So, I am all of the characters I've ever played, and I am none of them at the same time.
Tom HiddlestonRead
The court is the bureaucracy of the law. If you bureaucratise popular justice then you give it the form of a court.
Michel FoucaultRead
Do not struggle. Go with the flow of things, and you will find yourself at one with the mysterious unity of the Universe.
ZhuangziRead
If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves.
Howard ZinnRead
Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best have gone to their eternal rest.
Edgar Allan PoeRead
We benefit, intellectually and personally, from the interplay between different selves, from the balance between long-term contemplation and short-term impulse. We should be wary about tipping the scales too far. The community of selves shouldn't be a democracy, but it shouldn't be a dictatorship, either.
Paul BloomRead

A little wisdom, now and then

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