--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One very common thing is that often very…" description: "\"One very common thing is that often very brilliant children stop working because they're praised so often that it's what they want to live as - brillia..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/carol-s-dweck-3250_child_one-very-common-thing-is-that-often-very_612582.png" --- # One very common thing is that often very brilliant… ![“One very common thing is that often very brilliant children stop working because they're praised so often that it's what they want to live as - brilliant - not as someone who ever makes mistakes. It really stunts their motivation.” quote by Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/carol-s-dweck-3250_child_one-very-common-thing-is-that-often-very_612582.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/carol-s-dweck-3250_child_one-very-common-thing-is-that-often-very_612582.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/carol-s-dweck-3250_child_one-very-common-thing-is-that-often-very_612582.png) > “One very common thing is that often very brilliant children stop working because they're praised so often that it's what they want to live as - brilliant - not as someone who ever makes mistakes. It really stunts their motivation.” [Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excessive praise for brilliance can lock children into a fixed identity, stunting growth and resilience. **In simple terms:** Too much praise can hinder development. Key Takeaway Encourage effort over innate talent. Themes growth identity motivation Mood reflective educational Type motivational psychological When to use this quote - education - parenting - coaching - talent development Key Concepts fixed mindset self‑esteem learning theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance praise with challenge? - What signs show a child is stuck in a fixed mindset? A Different Perspective Overpraise may create fear of failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm not a superhero, but I try to live brilliant in life. At this moment, it's our destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syuqaira/i-m-not-a-superhero-but-i-try-to-live-brilliant-in-life-at-this/) Syuqaira > [I had two brilliant children and one genius. Elon could figure out things when he was very young and was always advanced for his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maye-musk/i-had-two-brilliant-children-and-one-genius-elon-could-figure-out/) [Maye Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maye-musk/) > [All over China, parents tell their children to stop complaining and to finish their quadratic equations and trigonometric functions because there are sixty-five million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/all-over-china-parents-tell-their-children-to-stop-complaining-and-to/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [If you want to see what children can do, you must stop giving them things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-douglas/if-you-want-to-see-what-children-can-do-you-must-stop-giving-them/) [Norman Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-douglas/) > [Adolescence begins when children stop asking questions-because they know all the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/adolescence-begins-when-children-stop-asking-questions-because-they/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [Until the children stop crying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-yunusa/until-the-children-stop-crying/) [Mohammed Yunusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-yunusa/) > [Bore children, and they stop reading. 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Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) > [I suffered too much and I want to stop the suffering of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phan-thi-kim-phuc/i-suffered-too-much-and-i-want-to-stop-the-suffering-of-other-people/) [Phan Thi Kim Phuc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phan-thi-kim-phuc/) > [Stop baby shaming people to make us feel like there's something wrong with us if we don't want children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannie-mai/stop-baby-shaming-people-to-make-us-feel-like-there-s-something-wrong/) [Jeannie Mai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannie-mai/) > [“Stop asking yourself how or why and tell yourself you can." - Charmainism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-smith-ladd/stop-asking-yourself-how-or-why-and-tell-yourself-you-can-charmainism/) [Charmaine Smith Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-smith-ladd/) > [If you're in a meeting and a man talks loudly over you, rather than copying that behaviour and normalising it, what you could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/if-you-re-in-a-meeting-and-a-man-talks-loudly-over-you-rather-than/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) > [When I'm on a stage, it's just me, singing a song with words that I wrote and I believe in. And if I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dacus/when-i-m-on-a-stage-it-s-just-me-singing-a-song-with-words-that-i/) [Lucy Dacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dacus/) > [Even after years of observing, a new picture of Uranus from Keck Observatory can stop me in my tracks and make me say, 'Wow!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/even-after-years-of-observing-a-new-picture-of-uranus-from-keck/) [Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/) > [My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/my-parents-were-not-musical-and-they-were-not-effervescent-people/) [Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/) ## More by Carol S. Dweck > [“you aren’t a failure until you start to blame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-dweck/you-aren-t-a-failure-until-you-start-to-blame/) [Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) > [“tune in to the messages you’re sending. Are they messages that say: You have permanent traits and I’m judging them? Or are they messages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-dweck/tune-in-to-the-messages-you-re-sending-are-they-messages-that-say-you/) [Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) > [A company that cannot self-correct cannot thrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-dweck/a-company-that-cannot-self-correct-cannot-thrive/) [Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) > [...when people already know they're deficient, they have nothing to lose by trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-dweck/when-people-already-know-they-re-deficient-they-have-nothing-to-lose/) [Carol S. 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What will I do next time I'm in this situation?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-dweck/what-can-i-learn-from-this-what-will-i-do-next-time-i-m-in-this/) [Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) > [When we praise children for their intelligence, we tell them that this is the name of the game: Look smart; don't risk making mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-dweck/when-we-praise-children-for-their-intelligence-we-tell-them-that-this/) [Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) > [We're not saying people don't need fuel for strenuous work; they just don't need it constantly. People have many more resources at hand than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-dweck/we-re-not-saying-people-don-t-need-fuel-for-strenuous-work-they-just/) [Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) > [“What on earth would make someone a nonlearner? Everyone is born with an intense drive to learn. 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Even superior.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-dweck/when-people-with-the-fixed-mindset-opt-for-success-over-growth-what/) [Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) > [I'm such an egghead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-s-dweck/i-m-such-an-egghead/) [Carol S. Dweck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) [Explore all 135 Carol S. Dweck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-s-dweck/) ## More Child quotes > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? 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