75 Quotes by Adam Grant
Adam Grant is an American organizational psychologist and bestselling author. He is known for his research on work motivation, job design, and leadership, and has written several books, including Give and Take, Originals, and Think Again. Grant is also a popular speaker and podcast host, and has been recognized as one of the world's top management thinkers by Thinkers50. His work focuses on the importance of collaboration, creativity, and innovation in the workplace, and he has advised numerous organizations on how to foster a culture of innovation and engagement. (Bio)
Adam Grant Quotes
It's ironic that when you go through a tragedy, you appreciate more. You realize how fragile life is and that there are so many things to still be thankful for. (Meaning)
From a motivation perspective, helping others enriches the meaning and purpose of our own lives, showing us that our contributions matter and energizing us to work harder, longer, and smarter. (Quote Meaning)
Productive givers focus on acting in the long-term best interests of others, even if it's not pleasant. They have the courage to give the critical feedback we prefer not to hear, but truly need to hear. They offer tough love, knowing that we might like them less, but we'll come to trust and respect them more. (Meaning)
Power frees us from the chains of conformity. (Quote Meaning)
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. (Meaning)
When people are depending on us, we end up finding strength we didn't know we had. (Quote Meaning)
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. (Meaning)
In life, there's no such thing as an unmitigated good. (Quote Meaning)
Anything worth doing was worth doing early. (Meaning)
Takers believe in a zero-sum world, and they end up creating one where bosses, colleagues and clients don't trust them. Givers build deeper and broader relationships - people are rooting for them instead of gunning for them. (Meaning)
We all have thoughts and feelings that we believe are fundamental to our lives but that are better left unspoken. (Quote Meaning)
When you develop a reputation for being responsive and generous, an ever-expanding mountain of requests will come your way. (Meaning)
When you're good at controlling your own emotions, you can disguise your true feelings. When you know what others are feeling, you can tug at their heartstrings and motivate them to act against their own best interests. (Quote Meaning)
Conformity is dangerous. (Meaning)
When it comes to landing a good job, many people focus on the role. Although finding the right title, position, and salary is important, there's another consideration that matters just as much: culture. (Meaning)
People often believe that character causes action, but when it comes to producing moral children, we need to remember that action also shapes character. (Quote Meaning)
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. (Meaning)
Takers are self-serving in their interactions. It's all about what can you do for me. (Quote Meaning)
To get important work done, most leaders organize people into teams. They believe that when people collaborate toward a common goal, great things can happen. Yet in reality, the whole is often much less than the sum of the parts. (Meaning)
Kids who evolve into creative adults tend to have a strong moral compass. (Quote Meaning)
If you want your children to bring original ideas into the world, you need to let them pursue their passions, not yours. (Meaning)
Originals are nonconformists, people who not only have new ideas but take action to champion them. They are people who stand out and speak up. Originals drive creativity and change in the world. They're the people you want to bet on. (Quote Meaning)
Saying no frees you up to say yes when it matters most. (Meaning)
To get real diversity of thought, you need to find the people who genuinely hold different views and invite them into the conversation. (Quote Meaning)
The mark of higher education isn't the knowledge you accumulate in your head. It's the skills you gain about how to learn. (Meaning)
Authenticity is a virtue. But just as you can have too little authenticity, you can also have too much. (Quote Meaning)
When making decisions about people, stop confusing experience with evidence. Just as owning a car doesn't make you an expert on engines, having a brain doesn't mean you understand psychology. (Meaning)
I can't tell you that if you bring in a bunch of weird and different people, then a bunch of good things will happen. But I can tell you that if you hire a bunch of similar people and promote only the ones who are most similar, a bunch of bad things are likely to happen. (Quote Meaning)
Geniuses don't have better ideas than the rest of us. They just have more of them. (Meaning)
From a relationship perspective, givers build deeper and broader connections. (Quote Meaning)
If you want to find out if someone's a taker, it's not actually that useful to know what they've accomplished. What you want to want to know is how they explain them. (Meaning)
Tweeting has taught me the discipline to say more with fewer words. (Quote Meaning)
Successful givers secure their oxygen masks before coming to the assistance of others. Although their motives may be less purely altruistic, their actions prove more altruistic, because they give more. (Meaning)
Instead of assuming that emotional intelligence is always useful, we need to think more carefully about where and when it matters. (Quote Meaning)
Authenticity means erasing the gap between what you firmly believe inside and what you reveal to the outside world. (Meaning)
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. (Quote Meaning)
If you want to be a generous giver, you have to watch out for selfish takers. (Meaning)
The most promising ideas begin from novelty and then add familiarity. (Quote Meaning)
We all have original ideas. Even if we don't see ourselves as supercreative or as wild nonconformists, we have insights every day about how the world around us could be better. (Quote Meaning)
When trying to innovate, most people stop after 10-15 possibilities, failing to recognize that their first ideas are usually the most obvious ones. (Meaning)
When takers talk about mistakes, they're usually quick to place the blame on other people. Givers are more likely to say 'Here's the mistake I made; I learned the following from it. Here are the steps I'm taking to make sure I don't let people down in the future.' (Quote Meaning)
Bragging about yourself violates norms of modesty and politeness - and if you were really competent, your work would speak for itself. (Meaning)
Procrastinating is a vice when it comes to productivity, but it can be a virtue for creativity. (Quote Meaning)
The most meaningful way to succeed is to help other people succeed. (Meaning)
Focus attention and energy on making a difference in the lives of others, and success might follow as a by-product.
People tend to have one of three 'styles' of interaction. There are takers, who are always trying to serve themselves; matchers, who are always trying to get equal benefit for themselves and others; and givers, who are always trying to help people.
The more I help out, the more successful I become. But I measure success in what it has done for the people around me. That is the real accolade.
The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed.
Procrastinate strategically... Procrastination may be the enemy of productivity but it can be a valuable resource for creativity.
Being a giver is not good for a 100-yard dash, but it’s valuable in a marathon.
If we want a better original idea, we must generate our own before we screen others' suggestions.
Dissenting opinions are useful even when they're wrong. So instead of speaking to highly agreeable audiences, target suggestions to people with a history of originality.
Good guys are most likely to finish last, but also most likely to finish first.
Enemies make better allies than frenemies.
When you're dealing with an ambivalent relationship, you're constantly on guard, grappling with questions of trust.
Negative relationships are unpleasant but predictable.
By admitting your inadequacies, you show that you're self-aware enough to know your areas for improvement - and secure enough to be open about them. (Quote Meaning)
― Adam Grant Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
