Carol S. Dweck Quotes about Growth

In a growth mindset, challenges are exciting rather than threatening. So rather than thinking, oh, I'm going to reveal my weaknesses, you say, wow, here's a chance to grow.

What did you learn today? What mistake did you make that taught you something? What did you try hard at today?

This point is . . . crucial,” writes Dweck. “In the fixed mindset, everything is about the outcome. If you fail — or if you’re not the best — it’s all been wasted. The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of the outcome.

You’re in charge of your mind. You can help it grow by using it in the right way.

The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it's not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset.

Test scores and measures of achievement tell you where a student is, but they don't tell you where a student could end up.

Becoming is better than being

Did I win? Did I lose? Those are the wrong questions. The correct question is: Did I make my best effort?” If so, he says, “You may be outscored but you will never lose.

Teaching is a wonderful way to learn.

Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going.

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

...when people already know they're deficient, they have nothing to lose by trying.

Vowing, even intense vowing, is often useless. The next day comes and the next day goes. What works is making a vivid, concrete plan.

A company that cannot self-correct cannot thrive.

So what should we say when children complete a task—say, math problems—quickly and perfectly? Should we deny them the praise they have earned? Yes. When this happens, I say, “Whoops. I guess that was too easy. I apologize for wasting your time. Let’s do something you can really learn from!

Choosing a partner is choosing a set of problems. There are no problem-free candidates.

The whole point of marriage is to encourage your partner's development and have them encourage yours.

It’s for you to decide whether change is right for you right now. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But either way keep the growth mindset in your thoughts then when you bump up against obstacles you can turn to it, it will always be there for you showing you a path into the future.

This is hard. This is fun.

More and more research is suggesting that, far from being simply encoded in the genes, much of personality is a flexible and dynamic thing that changes over the life span and is shaped by experience.

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

Wow, that's a really good score. You must have worked really hard.