Adam Grant Quotations

Last year, when I got that stress fracture and I was out for a while, I got really down on myself. My attitude became horrible. It wasn't a good time for me, and I wasn't good for the team.

Enemies make better allies than frenemies.

Negative relationships are unpleasant but predictable.

Most people believe that great leaders are distinguished by their ability to give compelling answers. This profound book shatters that assumption, showing that the more vital skill is asking the right questions…. Berger poses many fascinating questions, including this one: What if companies had mission questions rather than mission statements? This is a book everyone ought to read—without question.

When you're dealing with an ambivalent relationship, you're constantly on guard, grappling with questions of trust.

When you put off a task, you buy yourself time to engage in divergent thinking rather than foreclosing on one particular idea...

Good guys are most likely to finish last, but also most likely to finish first.

Being a giver is not good for a 100-yard dash, but it’s valuable in a marathon.

The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed.

If we create networks with the sole intention of getting something, we won’t succeed. We can’t pursue the benefits of networks; the benefits ensue from investments in meaningful activities and relationships.

If we want a better original idea, we must generate our own before we screen others' suggestions.

Dissenting opinions are useful even when they're wrong. So instead of speaking to highly agreeable audiences, target suggestions to people with a history of originality.

Procrastinate strategically...Procrastination may be the enemy of productivity but it can be a valuable resource for creativity.

This is what I find most magnetic about successful givers: they get to the top without cutting others down, finding ways of expanding the pie that benefit themselves and the people around them. Whereas success is zero-sum in a group of takers, in groups of givers, it may be true that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

People tend to have one of three 'styles' of interaction. There are takers, who are always trying to serve themselves; matchers, who are always trying to get equal benefit for themselves and others; and givers, who are always trying to help people.

Focus attention and energy on making a difference in the lives of others, and success might follow as a by-product.

The more I help out, the more successful I become. But I measure success in what it has done for the people around me. That is the real accolade.

Every time we interact with another person at work, we have a choice to make: do we try to claim as much value as we can, or contribute value without worrying about what we receive in return?

To be honest, sometimes a rock worm feels like cheating because it's fishing a worm. It is a fantastic pattern that I've done really well on this winter.

A scud is another one of my other winter flies. On the Reef it is the fly.

It's best to try and get it when the river's coming down a bit. When it's warm enough for the fish to move but not warm enough for the snow to melt, the fishing can be fantastic.

But we are not thinking about those things right now. We just want to focus on getting better every single day. We want to play loose, hard and smart in the regional tournament.

These flies hatch in the early spring and late fall. It's a dry fly that is usually fished pretty small. They're really beautiful bugs.

This is a great pattern because you can dead drift a hot head leech, and toward the end of the cast, you can throw it on a swing. The fish will take it both ways because leeches tumble down the river and swim. It gives you a long drift.

The main principles for trout fishing are food and cover. If fish can get under the (ice) shelf and feel protected, they will eat more aggressively.