183 Quotes by Dan Ariely

The danger of expecting nothing is that, in the end, it might be all we’ll get.

Most transactions have an upside and a downside, but when something is FREE! we forget the downside. FREE! gives us such an emotional charge that we perceive what is being offered as immensely more valuable than it really is. Why? I think it’s because humans are intrinsically afraid of loss.

By the time we comprehend and digest information, it is not necessarily a true reflection of reality. Instead, it is our representation of reality, and this is the input we base our decisions on. In essence we are limited to the tools nature has given us, and the natural way in which we make decisions is limited by the quality and accuracy of these tools.

I do believe that an improved understanding of the multiple irrational forces that influence us could be a useful first step toward making better decisions.

In a modern democracy, he said, people are beset not by a lack of opportunity, but by a dizzying abundance of it.

The people that lend you money basically give you an answer based on the risk that they are willing to take. But just because a bank is willing to take a particular risk doesn’t mean that that is the right amount for me to spend.

As it turns out, we are caring social animals, but when the rules of the game involve money, this tendency is muted.

It is helpful to think of people as having two fundamental motivations: the desire to see ourselves as honest, good people, and the desire to gain the benefits that come from cheating – on our taxes or on the football field.

We are all very good at rationalizing our actions so that they are in line with our selfish motives.