Richard Pink > Quotes

“No one can hate themselves into a version of themselves that they like”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“I was constantly torn between my desperate need to achieve my “gifted child” potential and my personal shame over the fact I couldn’t make my bed, do my washing, or take care of my finances. When you stack years of feeling like a failure on top of each other, you get a person with rock-bottom self-esteem.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“CONVERCOASTER: jumping topics mid-conversation, much like a rollercoaster”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“It’s only by being honest that we can begin to accept these parts of ourselves, and allow others to accept them too.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“INTERHEAD: when you feel like you have 100 internet browser tabs open in your brain at once”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“You are not useless for having a neurodevelopmental condition. You just have it. You have the symptoms of it. And you will sometimes struggle because of it. You deserve help and support with your struggles.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD lies and how to stop believing them

“How about I put you on trial for your lack of creativity, special interests, and empathy? How about I roll my eyes at you when you can’t write a book, or start a creative business, or immediately know what is going on under the stoic expression of a loved one? It wouldn’t be fair, would it? To judge you as a failure because you don’t possess the same skills as me?”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD lies and how to stop believing them

“My attention loves challenge, novelty, and unfortunately, it thrives on stress.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“So many adults are now figuring out that they have ADHD and suddenly realising why life has been so hard. And they’re mourning the life they could have had. Grieving the hard years they have had to fight to make it through. It’s an important part of the process. And so is dreaming. And hoping—that their talents, interests, creativity and potential can be realised.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD lies and how to stop believing them

“Accepting that an ADHD partner is going to piss you off sometimes is actually extremely healthy. There is nothing wrong with getting frustrated. It’s how we deal with the frustration.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD lies and how to stop believing them

“(Says she will do X) + (forgets to do X) + (thinks of something else to do instead) = very happy until she remembers about X again, in which case she will have crippling anxiety.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“You see, we ADHDers have this rare ability to fail over and over again and never lose hope. To keep believing the next one is going to work. When people have that kind of persistence, well, the chances of something working eventually are pretty goddamn high.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“You work really hard in your own way. You are a lot more capable than the world has made you believe.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them

“So, although I know the wandering hippie of Rox’s mind will always take the scenic route, I’m always there with a map back home, via the path that needs to be walked.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why adults with ADHD are so ashamed and what we can do to help

“You cannot stop ADHD symptoms by trying harder. In fact, the added pressure will often make those symptoms worse. The only things that help are acceptance and support.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them

“Hyperfocus is an extremely intense ability to focus on a particular subject, for a duration of time that cannot be estimated. It appears on a whim, and turns off whenever it chooses.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“Our safety and our happiness should be number 1 on our list of priorities. Not our productivity.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them

“It’s time to let hyperfocus just be a thing that you do, rather than something that must be tamed in order for you to feel lovable.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“although I know the wandering hippie of Rox’s mind will always take the scenic route, I’m always there with a map back home, via the path that needs to be walked.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“can sometimes struggle with things others find easy, and that’s okay. I work really hard in my own way.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them

“Notivation means having no motivation for a low-dopamine task.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them

“need rest to maximise my productivity when motivation strikes, and I am capable of huge amounts of work when I am focusing.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them

“What would life look like if you stopped believing you needed fixing, and instead fixed your environment, your self-talk, and your view of yourself? We”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them

“Compassion and non-judgement will bring about more positive change than shame and judgement ever will.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“My problems were: Symptoms of a neurodevelopmental condition. Not a personal failure.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them

“Newsflash: shaming yourself, or allowing others to shame you, will never actually help you get better. You can’t shame yourself, or be shamed, into being more functional.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“They swoop in to take the blame for everything before someone else has the chance to reject them and their behaviour.”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them

“When we feel loved, despite all the things we see as flaws? Well, that’s where the real healing happens.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“Trying to reason with someone who is triggered will only hurt both of you.”
― Richard Pink, Dirty Laundry: Why Adults with ADHD Are So Ashamed and What We Can Do to Help

“What if all the energy you spent on desperately trying to fix yourself was spent on trying to nurture your natural gifts?”
― Richard Pink, Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them