Education Quote by Dan Ariely
““feeling so far is that standardized testing and performance-based salaries are likely to push education from social norms to market norms. The United States already spends more money per student than any other Western society. Would it be wise to add more money? The same consideration applies to testing: we are already testing very frequently, and more testing is unlikely to improve the quality of education. I suspect that one answer lies in the realm of social norms. As we learned in our experiments, cash will take you only so far—social norms are the forces that can make a difference in the long run. Instead of focusing the attention of the teachers, parents, and kids on test scores, salaries, and competition, it might be better to instill in all of us a sense of purpose, mission, and pride in education. To do this we certainly can’t take the path of market norms. The Beatles proclaimed some time ago that you “Can’t Buy Me Love” and this also applies to the love of learning—you can’t buy it; and if you try, you might chase it away.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: TED Talk on Education and Social Norms, 2015
Excessive testing and pay‑for‑performance shift education toward market values, undermining intrinsic motivation; social norms, purpose, and pride are more effective drivers of learning.
In simple terms: Money and tests can’t buy love for learning; purpose and pride matter more.
Focus on purpose and pride, not scores or salaries.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- school policy reform
- teacher training
- parent engagement
- student self‑esteem
- community building
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can schools cultivate purpose and pride?
- What social norms best support learning?
Increasing funding or testing alone may not improve outcomes without cultural change.