The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
Tag Tag Motivation
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Circles · 1841

Quotes

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.”

Helen Keller · Optimism, 1903 · Primary source

“It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail.”

Albert Einstein · Autobiographical Notes, 1949 · Primary source

“Hope of gain lessens pain.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“So convenient a thing is it to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.”

Benjamin Franklin · The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, 1771-1790 · Primary source

“Power is the goal of all ambition.”

Ian Fleming · Live and Let Die, 1954 · Primary source

“If you want to change behaviors, you have to change motivations.”

Charlie Munger · Poor Charlie’s Almanack, 2005 · Primary source

“Just as food eaten without caring for it is turned into loathsome nourishment, so study without a taste for it spoils memory, by retaining nothing which it has taken in.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“Just as eating against one’s will is injurious to health, so study without a liking for it spoils the memory, and it retains nothing it takes in.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.”

Thomas Jefferson · Letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith, 1825 · Primary source

“Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome.”

Charlie Munger · No reliable source

Related Tags

Decision-making 35 Purpose 31 Curiosity 19 Effort 18 Ambition 17 Commitment 17 Achievement 15 Understanding 15 Hope 12 Aspiration 12 Power 11 Attention 11 Optimism 9 Reasoning 8 Behaviour 7 Memory 7 Self-deception 6 Bias 6 Intellectual freedom 5 Incentives 5 Rote learning 3 Hardship 3 Rationalisation 3 Status 3 Reward 2 Enthusiasm 2 Organisational design 2 Study 2 Personal conduct 2 Compulsion in schooling 1 Dominance 1 Unintended consequences 1 Willingness 1 Attitude 1