Edward L. Deci Quotes

“Rather than waiting for the world to give them what they want, people can become more proactive in making things happen for themselves.”

“Rewards can deliver a short-term boost — just as a jolt of caffeine can keep you cranking for a few more hours.

But the effect wears off — and, worse, can reduce a person's longer-term motivation to continue the project.”

“Sure, money motivates, but that’s not the point. The point is that while money is motivating people, it is also undermining their intrinsic motivation and, as we would later discover, having a variety of other negative effects as well.
”

“The starting place for change is accepting oneself and taking interest in one’s inner world.”

“Underlying a strong emphasis on extrinsic strivings is a tenuous hold on one’s self. Those extrinsic goals bring attention to what one has rather than who one is.”

“When individuals are strongly extrinsically oriented, they lack a firm foundation for well-being.”

“When money is used as an external reward for some activity, the subjects lose intrinsic interest for the activity.”

“When people are truly interested in why they do something, and personally committed to making a change, blame is irrelevant.”

“They needed the numbers, so they directed their creativity and resourcefulness toward getting those numbers, rather than toward effective performance.”