Isaac > Isaac's Quotes

“We all have blind spots in our knowledge and opinions. The bad news is that they can leave us blind to our blindness, which gives us false confidence in our judgment and prevents us from rethinking. The good news is that with the right kind of confidence, we can learn to see ourselves more clearly and update our views. In driver’s training we were taught to identify our visual blind spots and eliminate them with the help of mirrors and sensors. In life, since our minds don’t come equipped with those tools, we need to learn to recognize our cognitive blind spots and revise our thinking accordingly.”
― Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

“We laugh at people who still use Windows 95, yet we still cling to opinions that we formed in 1995.”
― Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

“Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. —George Bernard Shaw”
― Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

“After all, the purpose of learning isn’t to affirm our beliefs; it’s to evolve our beliefs.”
― Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

“those who can’t . . . don’t know they can’t. According to what’s now known as the Dunning-Kruger effect, it’s when we lack competence that we’re most likely to be brimming with overconfidence.”
― Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

“Who you are should be a question of what you value, not what you believe. Values are your core principles in life—they might be excellence and generosity, freedom and fairness, or security and integrity.”
― Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

“When you’re wrong, it’s not something to be depressed about. Say, ‘Hey, I discovered something!”
― Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

“What evidence would change your mind?” If the answer is “nothing,” then there’s no point in continuing the debate. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it think.”
― Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

“Convincing other people to think again isn’t just about making a good argument—it’s about establishing that we have the right motives in doing so. When we concede that someone else has made a good point, we signal that we’re not preachers, prosecutors, or politicians trying to advance an agenda. We’re scientists trying to get to the truth. “Arguments are often far more combative and adversarial than they need to be,” Harish told me. “You should be willing to listen to what someone else is saying and give them a lot of credit for it. It makes you sound like a reasonable person who is taking everything into account.”
― Adam M. Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

“Quick Review of Core Behavior Patterns Reds are quick and more than happy to take command if needed. They make things happen. However, when they get going, they become control freaks and can be hopeless to deal with. And they repeatedly trample on people’s toes. Yellows can be amusing, creative, and elevate the mood regardless of who they’re with. However, when they are given unlimited space, they will consume all the oxygen in the room, they won’t allow anyone into a conversation, and their stories will reflect reality less and less. The friendly Greens are easy to hang out with because they are so pleasant and genuinely care for others. Unfortunately, they can be too wishy-washy and unclear. Anyone who never takes a stand eventually becomes difficult to handle. You don’t know where they really stand, and indecision kills the energy in other people. The analytical Blues are calm, levelheaded, and think before they speak. Their ability to keep a cool head is undoubtedly an enviable quality for all who aren’t capable of doing that. However, Blues’ critical thinking can easily turn to suspicion and questioning those around them. Everything can become suspect and sinister.”
― Thomas Erikson, Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”
― Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
― Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

“Returning from work feeling inspired, safe, fulfilled and grateful is a natural human right to which we are all entitled and not a modern luxury that only a few lucky ones are able to find.”
― Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

“we have to focus on making good decisions, not perfect decisions. A good decision is one that moves you in the direction you want to go.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“Confident is not the same as comfortable.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

“Getting better at relationships does not mean learning how to get the other person to do or be what you want them to be. In couples therapy, you can work on your relationship together. But you can also work on your relationships by understanding your own individual needs and patterns and the cycles you tend to get stuck in.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“If we don’t do the work to develop self-acceptance, we set ourselves up to live a life in which we may need constant reassurance, get trapped in jobs we hate or relationships that cause us harm, or find ourselves living with resentment.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“When you are low on energy, the chance of exercising goes down, along with your mood. Low mood gives you the urge to do the things that make mood worse.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

“Feeling down is more likely to reflect unmet needs than a brain malfunction.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“The one person you most need the approval of is you.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“Focus on making good decisions, not perfect ones. ‘Good enough’ steers you towards real change. Perfectionism causes decision-making paralysis, whereas improving your mood demands that you make decisions and take action. Keep changes small and sustainable. When someone is down, we show them kindness because we know it is what they need. So, if you are committed to managing your mood and overall mental health, commit to practising self-compassion.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“When anxiety is triggered, you start breathing more quickly. This is your body’s way of getting in extra oxygen to fuel the survival response. You feel as though you cannot catch your breath. So you breathe faster with rapid, shallow breaths, then you have an excess of oxygen in your system. If you slow your breathing down, you can calm the body and, in turn, slow your breathing. Not only this, but if you can extend the outbreath so that it is longer or more vigorous than the inbreath, this helps to slow your heart rate down. When the pounding heart comes down, so does the anxiety response. Some people like to count the breaths when doing an extended outbreath, such as breathing in for a count of 7 and out for a count of 11, or a variation that works for you.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“Dealing with emotion is much the same as standing in the waves. When we try to stop feelings in their tracks, we easily get knocked off our feet and find ourselves in trouble, struggling to catch a breath and work out which way is up. When we allow the emotion to wash over us, it rises, peaks and descends, taking its natural course.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“When stress becomes sustained over long periods, our brain tends towards more habitual behaviours that demand less energy. Our ability to control our impulses, remember information and make decisions becomes impaired. Over time, our immune system is affected.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“In the short term, adrenaline gives our immune function a boost to help fight bacterial and viral infections. But in the longer term, over-production of adrenaline and abnormal patterns of cortisol are linked with shorter life expectancy (Kumari et al., 2011). When adrenaline is repeatedly propping up our immune system through chronic stress and then we stop and the adrenaline goes down, so does the immune system. This is why you often hear of people who work incredibly hard around the clock for months on end and when they finally stop to take a holiday they almost immediately fall ill.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“Thoughts are not facts. They are guesses, stories, memories, ideas and theories.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“Try writing down those thoughts and narratives. What can they tell you about what you are afraid of? What behaviours tend to follow a strong emotion? Do those behaviours help you in the short-term? What is their longer-term impact? Ask a trusted friend to go over the story with you and help you identify any biases or misunderstandings. Explore with them the different perspectives you might have.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“There are thousands of potential alternatives to the story my mind has offered as an explanation for this.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“Individuals take home just one task at a time and focus on that. We can only focus on one thing at a time and we only have limited ability to do things that we don’t feel like doing.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist

“So what does help when positive change demands that we resist temptation? One of the biggest factors is managing stress. The physiology of self-control is optimal when stress is low and heart-rate variability is high.”
― Julie Smith, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: An International Bestselling Guide to Mental Health and Emotional Resilience from a Clinical Psychologist