236 Quotes by Carol S. Dweck

Malcolm Gladwell, the author and New Yorker writer, has suggested that as a society we value natural, effortless accomplishment over achievement through effort. We endow our heroes with superhuman abilities that led them inevitably toward their greatness.

I don’t mind losing as long as I see improvement or I feel I’ve done as well as I possibly could.

But isn’t potential someone’s capacity to develop their skills with effort over time? And that’s just the point. How can we know where effort and time will take someone? Who.

For twenty years, my research has shown that the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.

Mia, what is the most important thing for a soccer player to have?” With no hesitation, she answered, “Mental toughness.

What can I learn from this? What will I do next time I’m in this situation?

This low-effort syndrome is often seen as a way that adolescents assert their independence from adults, but it is also a way that students with the fixed mindset protect themselves. They view the adults as saying, “Now we will measure you and see what you’ve got.” And they are answering, “No you won’t.” John Holt, the great educator, says that these are the games all human beings play when others are sitting in judgment of them.

Yet it’s been clear to me for a long time that different students handle depression in dramatically different ways. Some let everything slide. Others, though feeling wretched, hang on. They drag themselves to class, keep up with their work, and take care of themselves – so that when they feel better, their lives are intact.

The idea of trying and still failing – of leaving yourself without excuses – is the worst fear within the fixed mindset, and it haunted and paralyzed her. She had even stopped bringing her violin to her lesson!