---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: would be printed in green ink, and the…"
description: "\"“would be printed in green ink, and the participants were asked to say “green”).”\" — Dan Ariely"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/dan-ariely-1899_say-green_would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-pa_2330529.png"
---

#  would be printed in green ink, and the participants were…

![“would be printed in green ink, and the participants were asked to say “green”).” quote by Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/dan-ariely-1899_say-green_would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-pa_2330529.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/dan-ariely-1899_say-green_would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-pa_2330529.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/dan-ariely-1899_say-green_would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-pa_2330529.png)

> ““would be printed in green ink, and the participants were asked to say “green”).””

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Participants were asked to say “green” after seeing green ink, illustrating how subtle cues shape behavior and language.

**In simple terms:** Small cues can influence what we say and do.

Key Takeaway

Notice and design cues to guide behavior.

Themes

behavioral economics influence cues language

Mood

analytical practical

Type

psychological educational

When to use this quote

- marketing
- education
- public policy
- user experience design

Key Concepts

priming social psychology decision making

Questions to Reflect On

- What cues affect your daily choices?
- Can you design a cue to improve a habit?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on cues may reduce autonomy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“It was my mother who bought me green ink for the first time, along with the fountain pen she gave me as a gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-my-mother-who-bought-me-green-ink-for-the-first-time-along/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [And an equation is the same whether it's written in red or green ink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/and-an-equation-is-the-same-whether-it-s-written-in-red-or-green-ink/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [“Wen people ask me what my favorite color is I say green Because I don't know what to call it This color the sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-alene/wen-people-ask-me-what-my-favorite-color-is-i-say-green-because-i-don/)

[Catherine Alene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-alene/)

> [If you're old and you lose, they say you're outmoded. If you're young and you lose, they say you're green. So don't lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-re-old-and-you-lose-they-say-you-re-outmoded-if-you-re-young/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The way I get that green they say I be Green Goblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/the-way-i-get-that-green-they-say-i-be-green-goblin/)

[Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/)

## More by Dan Ariely

> [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [ “\[..\] we human beings are ready and willing to steal something that does not explicitly reference monetary value - that is, something that lacks… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/we-human-beings-are-ready-and-willing-to-steal-something-that-does/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [It is true that from a behavioral economics perspective we are fallible, easily confused, not that smart, and often irrational. We are more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-is-true-that-from-a-behavioral-economics-perspective-we-are/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [“Contrafreeloading,” a term coined by the animal psychologist Glen Jensen, refers to the finding that many animals prefer to earn food rather than simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/contrafreeloading-a-term-coined-by-the-animal-psychologist-glen/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [One of the big lessons from behavioral economics is that we make decisions as a function of the environment that we're in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/one-of-the-big-lessons-from-behavioral-economics-is-that-we-make/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [Not all debt is bad. From time to time we should get into debt when there's a good reason for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/not-all-debt-is-bad-from-time-to-time-we-should-get-into-debt-when/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [“This result suggests that cheating is not driven by concerns about standing out. Rather, it shows that our sense of our own morality is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/this-result-suggests-that-cheating-is-not-driven-by-concerns-about/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [“ONE OF THE main differences between standard and behavioral economics involves this concept of “free lunches.” According to the assumptions of standard economics, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/one-of-the-main-differences-between-standard-and-behavioral-economics/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [Money is all about opportunity cost. Every time you spend on something, that's something you can't spend on something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/money-is-all-about-opportunity-cost-every-time-you-spend-on-something/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [The people that lend you money basically give you an answer based on the risk that they are willing to take. But just because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/the-people-that-lend-you-money-basically-give-you-an-answer-based-on/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [“Upton Sinclair once noted, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/upton-sinclair-once-noted-it-is-difficult-to-get-a-man-to-understand/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [If you get people to feel that they are putting something, that they are creating it and so on, their love for the project…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-get-people-to-feel-that-they-are-putting-something-that-they/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [If I gave you now, $10 as a gift, how happy would you be? Would you be happy, is the marginal $10, the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-i-gave-you-now-10-as-a-gift-how-happy-would-you-be-would-you-be/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [Imagine you have six loans, small to huge. People want to close loans and because of that, they try to pay off the small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/imagine-you-have-six-loans-small-to-huge-people-want-to-close-loans/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [“he started by selling his Porsche Boxster and buying a Toyota Prius in its place.4 “I don’t want to live the life of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/he-started-by-selling-his-porsche-boxster-and-buying-a-toyota-prius/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

[Explore all 198 Dan Ariely quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

## More Say Green quotes

> [“Wen people ask me what my favorite color is I say green Because I don't know what to call it This color the sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-alene/wen-people-ask-me-what-my-favorite-color-is-i-say-green-because-i-don/)

[Catherine Alene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-alene/)

> [If you're old and you lose, they say you're outmoded. If you're young and you lose, they say you're green. So don't lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-re-old-and-you-lose-they-say-you-re-outmoded-if-you-re-young/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The way I get that green they say I be Green Goblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/the-way-i-get-that-green-they-say-i-be-green-goblin/)

[Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/)

Browse all 4 Say Green quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“would be printed in green ink, and the participants were asked to say “green”).”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dan Ariely"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-participants-were-asked-to-say/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Say Green"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-participants-were-asked-to-say/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/dan-ariely-1899_say-green_would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-pa_2330529.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/dan-ariely-1899_say-green_would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-pa_2330529.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/dan-ariely-1899_say-green_would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-pa_2330529.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“would be printed in green ink, and the participants were asked to say “green”).” — Dan Ariely",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Dan Ariely",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“would be printed in green ink,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-participants-were-asked-to-say/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/would-be-printed-in-green-ink-and-the-participants-were-asked-to-say/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
