“All of us face barriers—physical, financial, temporal—every day. Some are unquestionably real. But others are plainly artificial—expectations about how well a given system can function, or how much change is too much, or what kinds of behaviors are acceptable. The… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share Image
“The next time you encounter such a barrier, imposed by people who lack your imagination and drive and creativity, think hard about ignoring it. Solving a problem is hard enough; it gets that much harder if you’ve decided beforehand it… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share Image
“Here is the broader point: whatever problem you're trying to solve, make sure you're not just attacking the noisy part of the problem that… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“Human beings, for all our accomplishments, can be fragile animals. Most of us don't take criticism well at all.” — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“The ECLS data do show, for instance, that a child with a lot of books in his home tends to test higher than a… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“In a complex world where people can be atypical in an infinite number of ways, there is great value in discovering the baseline. And… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“Morning robberies yield far more than afternoon robberies . . .' - When to Rob a Bank: A Rouge Economist's Guide to the World… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“The more complex a problem is, the harder it is to capture good feedback. You can gather a lot of facts, and that may… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“[...]if you are hoping to damage opponents' mental health, go ahead and tell them how inferior or dim-witted or nasty they are. But even… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“If asked how we'd behave in a situation that pits a private benefit against the greater good, most of us won't admit to favoring… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“The impulse to investigate can only be set free if you stop pretending to know answers that you don't. Because the incentives to pretend… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“From 2002 to 2008, the United States was fighting bloody wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; among active military personnel, there were an average 1,643… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“But if you are hell-bent on persuading someone, or if your back is truly against the wall, you might as well give it your… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“Just because you're great at something doesn't mean you're good at everything.” — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“For until you can admit what you don't yet know, it's virtually impossible to learn what you need to.” — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“Sometimes in life, going straight up the middle is the boldest move of all.” — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
“When it comes to solving problems, one of the best ways to start is by putting away your moral compass. Why? When you are… — Steven D. Levitt Copy Share
