Carol S. Dweck
B.Oct 17, 1946-Present
Psychologist

Carol S. Dweck Hand-Picked Quotes

Carol S. Dweck is a renowned psychologist known for her research in the field of psychology, particularly in the areas of personality, social, and developmental psychology. Her most influential work revolves around the concept of "mindsets," a theory she developed to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning.

Dweck's research focuses on two types of mindsets: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. Individuals with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities, intelligence, and talents are fixed traits. They think they have a certain amount of intelligence, and that's that. In contrast, individuals with a growth mindset believe that their abilities and intelligence can be developed with time, effort, and dedication.

Her book, "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success," published in 2006, brings this groundbreaking idea to a wider audience. In it, Dweck argues that adopting a growth mindset can foster a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. The book has been widely influential, impacting not only psychology but also education, business, and sports.

Dweck's contributions have been recognized with numerous awards and honors. Her work has made a significant impact on how educators and parents think about and foster learning and development in children. Her research has also influenced corporate leaders to cultivate a growth mindset in their organizations to enhance employee motivation and productivity.

Read MoreRead Less
In the words of Carol S. Dweck:
Important achievements require a clear focus, all-out effort, and a bottomless trunk full of strategies. Plus allies in learning.
The mindset ideas were developed as a counter to the self-esteem movement of blanketing everyone with praise, whether deserved or not.
You can't just declare that you have a growth mindset. Growth mindset is hard.
I don’t mind losing as long as I see improvement or I feel I’ve done as well as I possibly could.
Praising children’s intelligence harms their motivation and it harms their performance.
This knowledge that you might have to really reorganize and redefine yourself and build new skills is really important.
Vowing, even intense vowing, is often useless. The next day comes and the next day goes. What works is making a vivid, concrete plan.
Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going.
Children love this idea that their brain is like a muscle that gets stronger as they use it.
You’re in charge of your mind. You can help it grow by using it in the right way.
The hallmark of successful people is that they are always learning new things.
Praise your child explicitly for how capable they are of learning rather than telling them how smart they are.
With a fixed mindset, you're so worried about how smart or talented you are, you don't take on challenges. You don't try new things.
The best thing parents can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.
The whole point of marriage is to encourage your partner's development and have them encourage yours.
Test scores and measures of achievement tell you where a student is, but they don't tell you where a student could end up.
I was very invested in being smart and thought to be smart was more important than accomplishing anything in life.
Exceptional people convert life's setbacks into future successes.
The loudest voices both in the U.S. and abroad often are those that preach hatred and exclusion. But hatred and exclusion will not bring employment.
Choosing a partner is choosing a set of problems. There are no problem-free candidates.
No matter what your current ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.
Research shows that normal young children misbehave every three minutes.
Everybody who's been successful has gotten lots of help and input from many, many people.
You don't know what your abilities are until you make a full commitment to developing them.
We want to design interventions to teach people how to harness their considerable willpower.
It is not always people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest.
More Quotes