Adam Grant
Organizational psychologist and professor at the Wharton School. Author of Give and Take, Originals, Think Again and Hidden Potential, host of the Re:Thinking podcast, and writer of the GRANTED newsletter.
Adam Grant did not write this page.
We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.
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Our reading
Chronic people pleasing stems from a need for others' approval, not genuine concern for them.
Their wordsThe root of chronic people pleasing is not concern for others. It's concern for their acceptance and approval.
↗The Truth About People Pleasingadamgrant.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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Attachment theorybehavioural science
Their wordsPeople pleasing is based on insecure attachment. We become people pleasers when we discover that others only value us when we're cooperative to the point of being submissive and deferential.
↗The Truth About People Pleasingadamgrant.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsSaying no is not selfish; it's an act of self-preservation. Setting boundaries is not about letting others down-it's about standing up for yourself.
↗The Truth About People Pleasingadamgrant.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece
- 6 weeks earlier
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Our reading
Fear of others' negative judgment is a significant risk factor for anxiety and depression.
Their wordsAnd this fear of judgment is a significant risk factor for anxiety and depression.
↗There’s More to the Mental Health Crisis Than Smartphones and Social Mediaadamgrant.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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Our reading
Smartphones and social media amplify the youth mental health crisis but are not its root cause.
Their wordsModern technology may be an amplifier, but it isn't the root cause.
↗There’s More to the Mental Health Crisis Than Smartphones and Social Mediaadamgrant.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsPerfectionism stems from unreasonably demanding expectations and unduly harsh criticism.
↗There’s More to the Mental Health Crisis Than Smartphones and Social Mediaadamgrant.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece
- 5 days earlier
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Their wordsNew research reveals that the higher women's IQs, the less they're liked-and the more they're undermined by coworkers.
↗The Must-Read Articles of the Monthadamgrant.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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creativityAI and human skillAI writingideas vs execution
Their wordsalthough students' personal statements seem more creative because they use more varied words, they actually feature less original ideas. AI writing produces an illusion of creativity.
↗The Must-Read Articles of the Monthadamgrant.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Their wordswhat really drives leaders to resist remote work isn't productivity concern. It's ego. Ordering people in is a power and status move. Leaders want to be worshiped at the office altar.
↗The Must-Read Articles of the Monthadamgrant.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece
- 13 days earlier
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Our reading
Feeling unable to help with a problem is a major risk factor for burnout and learned helplessness.
Their wordsThere's extensive evidence that feeling unable to help is a major risk factor for burnout and learned helplessness.
↗Silence Is Not Necessarily Violenceadamgrant.substack.com 1st of 5 in this piece
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behavioural scienceattitude change
Their wordsWe know from decades of research that blaming and shaming only leads people to get defensive, dig in their heels, or tune you out altogether.
↗Silence Is Not Necessarily Violenceadamgrant.substack.com 2nd of 5 in this piece
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Their wordsHave the courage to share important ideas and rigorous evidence even when people find them upsetting, and do the right thing especially when no one is watching.
↗Silence Is Not Necessarily Violenceadamgrant.substack.com 3rd of 5 in this piece
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Their wordsArgue like you’re right and listen like you’re wrong. Have the humility to know what you don’t know and the curiosity to pursue knowledge and wisdom.
↗Silence Is Not Necessarily Violenceadamgrant.substack.com 3rd of 5 in this piece
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Their wordsMost of our divides aren't due to opposing values. They're due to different views on how to live similar values.
↗Silence Is Not Necessarily Violenceadamgrant.substack.com 3rd of 5 in this piece
- 1 day earlier
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Their wordsthe world is already too divided and I want to be a force for unity.
↗I Didn’t Post About Your Causeadamgrant.substack.com 1st of 2 in this piece
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Their wordsI'm not an activist and empty words are usually just slacktivism.
↗I Didn’t Post About Your Causeadamgrant.substack.com 2nd of 2 in this piece
- 2 weeks earlier
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Our reading
Emotion regulation is about choosing how to respond, not about controlling what one feels.
Psychotherapybehavioural science
Their wordsEmotion regulation is not about controlling what you feel. It's about choosing how you respond.
↗The Allure of Narcissistic Leaders and the Forgotten Joy of Being Ordinaryadamgrant.substack.com 1st of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsWise people don't suppress emotion-they find constructive ways to express it.
↗The Allure of Narcissistic Leaders and the Forgotten Joy of Being Ordinaryadamgrant.substack.com 2nd of 3 in this piece
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humilitymanagementbehavioural science
Their wordsPeople are more drawn to arrogant leaders in an uncertain world, because they mistake swagger for strength and skill.
↗The Allure of Narcissistic Leaders and the Forgotten Joy of Being Ordinaryadamgrant.substack.com 3rd of 3 in this piece
- 15 months earlier
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Their wordsFiction is also better for enhancing empathy than watching TV and movies. Across 70 experiments, novels did more to boost concern for and understanding of others.
- 2 years earlier
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Their wordsConfident humility is being secure enough in your expertise and strengths to admit your ignorance and weaknesses. In Think Again, I highlighted evidence that confidence without humility breeds blind arrogance, and humility without confidence yields debilitating doubt.
↗A Key to Better Leadership: Confident Humilityknowledge.wharton.upenn.edu
- 3 years earlier
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Their wordsIt doesn't matter how much empathy you feel for your group if it leads you to devalue other groups. We need more rational compassion: reflective concern for people different from us. You don't have to share their feelings to care about their feelings.
↗GRANTED: A more nuanced view of empathy, confidence, and culture fitadamgrant.substack.com
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Their wordsProcrastination may be the enemy of productivity, but it can be a resource for creativity.
↗Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World (WH Allen, 2017; first published 2016)archive.org All 5 from this book
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Their wordsOriginality is not a fixed trait. It is a free choice.
↗Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World (WH Allen, 2017; first published 2016)archive.org All 5 from this book
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Their wordsPractice makes perfect, but it doesn’t make new.
↗Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World (WH Allen, 2017; first published 2016)archive.org All 5 from this book
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Their wordsIt turns out that you should be wary of being the first mover, because it’s often riskier to act early than late.
↗Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World (WH Allen, 2017; first published 2016)archive.org All 5 from this book
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Their wordsOriginals are people who take the initiative to make their visions a reality.
↗Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World (WH Allen, 2017; first published 2016)archive.org All 5 from this book