Daniel H. Pink > Quotes

“Control leads to compliance; autonomy leads to engagement.”
― Daniel H. Pink

“Greatness and nearsightedness are incompatible. Meaningful achievement depends on lifting one's sights and pushing toward the horizon.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“The ultimate freedom for creative groups is the freedom to experiment with new ideas. Some skeptics insist that innovation is expensive. In the long run, innovation is cheap. Mediocrity is expensive—and autonomy can be the antidote.”   TOM KELLEY General Manager, IDEO”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“People can have two different mindsets, she says. Those with a “fixed mindset” believe that their talents and abilities are carved in stone. Those with a “growth mindset” believe that their talents and abilities can be developed. Fixed mindsets see every encounter as a test of their worthiness. Growth mindsets see the same encounters as opportunities to improve.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“The monkeys solved the puzzle simply because they found it gratifying to solve puzzles. They enjoyed it. The joy of the task was its own reward.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“As Carol Dweck says, “Effort is one of the things that gives meaning to life. Effort means you care about something, that something is important to you and you are willing to work for it. It would be an impoverished existence if you were not willing to value things and commit yourself to working toward them.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“While complying can be an effective strategy
for physical survival, it's a lousy one for personal fulfillment. Living a satisfying life requires more than simply meeting the demands of those in
control. Yet in our offices and our classrooms we have way too much compliance and way too little engagement. The former might get you
through the day, but only the latter will get you through the night.”
― Daniel H. Pink

“we have three innate psychological needs—competence, autonomy, and relatedness. When those needs are satisfied, we’re motivated, productive, and happy.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“The problem with making an extrinsic reward the only destination that matters is that some people will choose the quickest route there, even if it means taking the low road. Indeed, most of the scandals and misbehavior that have seemed endemic to modern life involve shortcuts.”
― Daniel Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“I say, 'Get me some poets as managers.' Poets are our original systems thinkers. They contemplate the world in which we live and feel obligated to interpret, and give expression to it in a way that makes the reader understand how that world runs. Poets, those unheralded systems thinkers, are our true digital thinkers. It is from their midst that I believe we will draw tomorrow's new business leaders."

--Sidney Harman, CEO Multimillionaire of a stereo components company”
― Daniel H. Pink, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

“To sell well is to convince someone else to part with resources—not to deprive that person, but to leave him better off in the end.”
― Daniel H. Pink, To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others

“One source of frustration in the workplace is the frequent mismatch between what people must do and what
people can do. When what they must do exceeds their capabilities, the result is anxiety. When what they must do falls short of their capabilities,
the result is boredom. But when the
match is just right, the results can be glorious. This is the essence of flow.”
― Daniel H. PInk

“Design. Story. Symphony. Empathy. Play. Meaning. These six senses increasingly will guide our lives and shape our world.”
― Daniel H. Pink, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

“children who are praised for “being smart” often believe that every encounter is a test of whether they really are. So to avoid looking dumb, they resist new challenges and choose the easiest path. By contrast, kids who understand that effort and hard work lead to mastery and growth are more willing to take on new, difficult tasks.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“This is what it means to serve: improving another’s life and, in turn, improving the world.”
― Daniel H. Pink, To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others

“Asking “Why?” can lead to understanding. Asking “Why not?” can lead to breakthroughs.”
― Daniel H. Pink, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

“When the reward is the activity itself--deepening learning, delighting customers, doing one's best--there are no shortcuts.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“Anytime you're tempted to upsell someone else, stop what you're doing and upserve instead.”
― Daniel H. Pink, To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others

“Management isn’t about walking around and seeing if people are in their offices,” he told me. It’s about creating conditions for people to do their best work.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“coffee-then-nap combination known as the “nappuccino.”
― Daniel H. Pink, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

“Newtonian physics runs into problems at the subatomic level. Down there--in the land of hadrons, quarks, and Schrödinger's cat--things gent freaky. The cool rationality of Isaac Newton gives way to the bizarre unpredictability of Lewis Carroll.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“change is inevitable, and when it happens, the wisest response is not to wail or whine but to suck it up and deal with it.”
― Daniel H. Pink, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

“Goals that people set for themselves and that are devoted to attaining mastery are usually healthy. But goals imposed by others--sales targets, quarterly returns, standardized test scores, and so on--can sometimes have dangerous side effects.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate and to connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.”
― Daniel H. Pink, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

“For artists, scientists, inventors, schoolchildren, and the rest of us, intrinsic motivation—the drive do something because it is interesting, challenging, and absorbing—is essential for high levels of creativity.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“Living a satisfying life requires more than simply meeting the demands of those in control. Yet in our offices and our classrooms we have way too much compliance and way too little engagement. The former might get you through the day, but the latter will get you through the night.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“In the new world of sales, being able to ask the right questions is more valuable than producing the right answers. Unfortunately, our schools often have the opposite emphasis. They teach us how to answer, but not how to ask.”
― Daniel H. Pink, To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others

“We leave lucrative jobs to take low-paying ones that provide a clearer sense of purpose.”
― Daniel H. Pink, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

“Afternoons are the Bermuda Triangles of our days. Across many domains, the trough represents a danger zone for productivity, ethics, and health.”
― Daniel H. Pink, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing