William Holroyd

“Ownership is not limited to material things. It can also apply to points of view. Once we take ownership of an idea — whether it’s about politics or sports — what do we do? We love it perhaps more than we should. We prize it more than it is worth. And most frequently, we have trouble letting go of it because we can’t stand the idea of its loss. What are we left with then? An ideology — rigid and unyielding.”
― Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“Maybe we feel meaning only when we deal with something bigger. Perhaps we hope that someone else, especially someone important to us, will ascribe value to what we've produced? Maybe we need the illusion that our work might one day matter to many people. That it might be of some value in the big, broad world out there [...]? Most likely it is all of these. But fundamentally, I think that almost any aspect of meaning [...] can be sufficient to drive our behaviour. As long as we are doing something that is somewhat connected to our self image, it can fuel our motivation and get us to work much harder.”
― Dan Ariely, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves

“People are willing to work free, and they are willing to work for a reasonable wage; but offer them just a small payment and they will walk away.”
― Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

“...[T]he distance Boston drivers generally maintain from the car in front of them is visible only with a good microscope.”
― Dan Ariely, The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home