Productive givers focus on acting in the long-term best interests of others, even if it's not pleasant. They have the courage to give the critical feedback we prefer not to hear, but truly need to hear. They offer tough love, knowing that we might like them less, but we'll come to trust and respect them more.

— Adam Grant

Rather than looking outward in an attempt to predict the outcome, you turn inward to your identity. You base the decision on who you are--or who you want to be.

— Adam Grant

Reasoning does create a paradox: it leads both to more rule following and more rebelliousness. By explaining moral principles, parents encourage their children to comply voluntarily with rules that align with important values and to question rules that don’t. Good explanations enable children to develop a code of ethics that often coincides with societal expectations; when they don’t square up, children rely on the internal compass of values rather than the external compass of rules.

— Adam Grant

Some of the greatest moments in human history were fueled by emotional intelligence.

— Adam Grant

Takers believe in a zero-sum world, and they end up creating one where bosses, colleagues and clients don't trust them. Givers build deeper and broader relationships - people are rooting for them instead of gunning for them.

— Adam Grant

The culture of a workplace - an organization's values, norms and practices - has a huge impact on our happiness and success.

— Adam Grant

The mark of higher education isn't the knowledge you accumulate in your head. It's the skills you gain about how to learn.

— Adam Grant

The more important argument against grade curves is that they create an atmosphere that's toxic by pitting students against one another. At best, it creates a hyper-competitive culture, and at worst, it sends students the message that the world is a zero-sum game: Your success means my failure.

— Adam Grant

When a salesperson truly cares about you, trust forms, and you're more likely to buy, come back for repeat business, and refer new customers.

— Adam Grant

When medical students focus on helping others, they're able to weather the slings and arrows of long hours and devastating health outcomes: they know their colleagues and patients are depending on them.

— Adam Grant