Daniel H. Pink Quotes

“Control leads to compliance; autonomy leads to engagement.”

“Asking 'Why?' can lead to understanding. Asking 'Why not?' can lead to breakthroughs.”

“Change is inevitable, and when it happens, the wisest response is not to wail or whine but to suck it up and deal with it.”

“Design. Story. Symphony. Empathy. Play. Meaning. These six senses increasingly will guide our lives and shape our world.”

“Empathy is an essential part of living a life of meaning.”

“Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate and to connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.”

“For artists, scientists, inventors, schoolchildren, and the rest of us, intrinsic motivation — the drive do something because it is interesting, challenging, and absorbing — is essential for high levels of creativity.”

“Goals that people set for themselves and that are devoted to attaining mastery are usually healthy. But goals imposed by others – sales targets, quarterly returns, standardized test scores, and so on – can sometimes have dangerous side effects.”

“Greatness and nearsightedness are incompatible. Meaningful achievement depends on lifting one's sights and pushing toward the horizon.”

“Have you ever seen a six-month-old or a three-year-old who’s not curious and self-directed? I haven’t. That’s how we are out of the box.”

“Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.”

“Intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity; controlling extrinsic motivation is detrimental to creativity.”

“Management isn’t about walking around and seeing if people are in their offices. It’s about creating conditions for people to do their best work.”

“The monkeys solved the puzzle simply because they found it gratifying to solve puzzles. They enjoyed it. The joy of the task was its own reward.”

“We leave lucrative jobs to take low-paying ones that provide a clearer sense of purpose.”

“When the reward is the activity itself – deepening learning, delighting customers, doing one's best – there are no shortcuts.”

“Pitches that rhyme are more sublime.”

“This is what it means to serve: improving another’s life and, in turn, improving the world.”

“To sell well is to convince someone else to part with resources — not to deprive that person, but to leave him better off in the end.”

“We often understand something better when we see it in comparison with something else than when we see it in isolation.”

“99 percent of us cannot multitask.”

“Afternoons are the Bermuda Triangles of our days. Across many domains, the trough represents a danger zone for productivity, ethics, and health.”

“Breaks are not a sign of sloth but a sign of strength.”

“Decisions and negotiations, should be conducted earlier in the day.”

“Frequent short breaks are more effective than occasional ones.”

“High performers, its research concludes, work for fifty-two minutes and then break for seventeen minutes.”

“If we stick with a task too long, we lose sight of the goal.”

“Jobs that are demanding but don’t offer autonomy burn us out.”