---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When it's easy to make money, you have no…"
description: "\"When it's easy to make money, you have no incentive to think about development of talent.\" — Malcolm Gladwell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/malcolm-gladwell-348_development_when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no_214598.png"
---

#  When it's easy to make money, you have no incentive to…

![“When it's easy to make money, you have no incentive to think about development of talent.” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/malcolm-gladwell-348_development_when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no_214598.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/malcolm-gladwell-348_development_when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no_214598.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/malcolm-gladwell-348_development_when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no_214598.png)

> “When it's easy to make money, you have no incentive to think about development of talent.”

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

## About This Quote

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

Argues that easy money reduces motivation to develop talent, linking financial ease with stagnant personal growth

**In simple terms:** Easy money hinders talent development

Key Takeaway

Seek challenges beyond easy profit

Themes

motivation talent economics

Mood

analytical insightful

Type

economic psychological

When to use this quote

- entrepreneurship
- education reform
- skill training
- career planning

Key Concepts

incentive theory skill acquisition career development

Questions to Reflect On

- What incentives can replace easy money to foster talent?
- How does scarcity drive skill improvement?

A Different Perspective

May ignore other motivators like passion

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Incentive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentive/) [Incentives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incentives/) [Making money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [People have got to get used to making low carbon choices. If they have a direct incentive to do so they will think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-yeo/people-have-got-to-get-used-to-making-low-carbon-choices-if-they-have/)

[Tim Yeo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-yeo/)

> [Making money never was my incentive. I just want to fight big companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/making-money-never-was-my-incentive-i-just-want-to-fight-big-companies/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [It is a mistake - as so many over-centralized socialist societies have discovered - to try to eliminate money as an incentive. Money is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/it-is-a-mistake-as-so-many-over-centralized-socialist-societies-have/)

[Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/)

> [In an adequate social order, the untalented should be able to acquire a sense of usefulness and of growth without interfering with the development…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/in-an-adequate-social-order-the-untalented-should-be-able-to-acquire/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [If I'm an entrepreneur and I have an idea, and I don't have the development talent around me but I need to find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/if-i-m-an-entrepreneur-and-i-have-an-idea-and-i-don-t-have-the/)

[David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/)

> [“Today, we have compelling evidence that interest precedes the development of talent. It turns out that motivation is the reason that people develop talent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/today-we-have-compelling-evidence-that-interest-precedes-the/)

[Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/)

> [Ambition is the incentive that makes purpose GREAT and ACHIEVEMENT greater!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/ambition-is-the-incentive-that-makes-purpose-great-and-achievement/)

[Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/)

> [The long-range sloution to high unemployment is to increase the incentive for ordinary people to save, invest, work, and employ others. We make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-long-range-sloution-to-high-unemployment-is-to-increase-the/)

[Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/)

> [To all our means of culture is added the powerful incentive to personal ambition, no post of honor is so high but the poorest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/to-all-our-means-of-culture-is-added-the-powerful-incentive-to/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [I think things that contribute to the destruction of our free-incentive system are wrong. A trend against that free-incentive system is wrong, and should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-humphrey/i-think-things-that-contribute-to-the-destruction-of-our-free/)

[George M. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-humphrey/)

> [“We don’t mean to create the impression that any problem can be fixed with a simple shift of the framework or a clever incentive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-don-t-mean-to-create-the-impression-that-any-problem-can-be-fixed/)

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

> [I think with every successful consumer Internet business, there will be lawyers that are interested in going after your company, especially when they think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/i-think-with-every-successful-consumer-internet-business-there-will/)

[Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/)

> [The best move you can make in negotiation is to think of an incentive the other person hasn't even thought of - and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/the-best-move-you-can-make-in-negotiation-is-to-think-of-an-incentive/)

[Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/)

> [The incentive for business is not, and cannot, be anything other than the root incentive for all business: they must profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/the-incentive-for-business-is-not-and-cannot-be-anything-other-than/)

[Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/)

> [We also have no incentive compensation of any kind. And the reason we don’t is because it is detrimental to teamwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/we-also-have-no-incentive-compensation-of-any-kind-and-the-reason-we/)

[Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/)

## More by Malcolm Gladwell

> [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“The scholars who research happiness suggest that more money stops making people happier at a family income of around seventy-five thousand dollars a year.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-scholars-who-research-happiness-suggest-that-more-money-stops/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [We need to be clear when we venerate entrepreneurs what we are venerating.They are not moral leaders. If they were moral leaders, they wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/we-need-to-be-clear-when-we-venerate-entrepreneurs-what-we-are/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/some-people-look-like-they-sound-better-than-they-actually-sound/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [A handicap is like trying to race and you have a ten pound weight stuck to your waist. That is a handicap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/a-handicap-is-like-trying-to-race-and-you-have-a-ten-pound-weight/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“neighborhood was filled with engineers from Hewlett-Packard, then as now one of”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/neighborhood-was-filled-with-engineers-from-hewlett-packard-then-as/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“People are ruined by challenged economic lives. But they are ruined by wealth as well because they lose their ambition and they lose their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-ruined-by-challenged-economic-lives-but-they-are-ruined-by/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [The single most important thing a city can do is provide a community where interesting, smart people want to live with their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-single-most-important-thing-a-city-can-do-is-provide-a-community/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [ \[Norden\] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bombsight-he-could-drop-a-bomb/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [The willingness to be self-critical in England is much greater than the willingness to be self-critical in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-willingness-to-be-self-critical-in-england-is-much-greater-than/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [The conventional explanation for Jewish success, of course, is that Jews come from a literate, intellectual culture. They are famously "the people of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-conventional-explanation-for-jewish-success-of-course-is-that/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“An archway to one side leads to a church, the Madonna del Carmine—Our Lady of Mount Carmine. Narrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/an-archway-to-one-side-leads-to-a-church-the-madonna-del-carmine-our/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [People are experience-rich and theory-poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-experience-rich-and-theory-poor/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“Most psychologists believe that nature—genetics—accounts for about half of the reason why we tend to act the way we do. His point is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/most-psychologists-believe-that-nature-genetics-accounts-for-about/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

[Explore all 647 Malcolm Gladwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

## More Development quotes

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [A lot of times I'll show someone a technique I got really good with, but I didn't put all the hours in. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-bravo/a-lot-of-times-i-ll-show-someone-a-technique-i-got-really-good-with/)

[Eddie Bravo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-bravo/)

> [Thoroughly understand what it is to understand, and not only will you understand the broad lines of all there is to be understood but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lonergan/thoroughly-understand-what-it-is-to-understand-and-not-only-will-you/)

[Bernard Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lonergan/)

> [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/)

[Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/)

> [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/)

[Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/)

> [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/)

[Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/)

> [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/)

[Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/)

> [The chances are that you have already come to believe that happiness is unattainable. But men have attained it. And they have attained it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-chances-are-that-you-have-already-come-to-believe-that-happiness/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [Firstly, economic globalisation has brought prosperity and development to many countries, but also financial crises to Asia, Latin America and Russia, and increasing poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/firstly-economic-globalisation-has-brought-prosperity-and-development/)

[Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/)

> [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [Here we were talking about economic development, about investing billions of dollars in various programs, and I could see it wasn't billions of dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/here-we-were-talking-about-economic-development-about-investing/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/)

[John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/)

> [Without a vision there is no possibility of creating something larger than what al-ready exists. An entrepreneur has to be able to bring something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/without-a-vision-there-is-no-possibility-of-creating-something-larger/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [I've developed a huge regard for Toyota for its environmental awareness, for its immense commitment to research and development in this field, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-developed-a-huge-regard-for-toyota-for-its-environmental/)

[Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/)

Browse all 4,447 Development quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When it's easy to make money, you have no incentive to think about development of talent.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Malcolm Gladwell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no-incentive-to-think-about/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Development"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no-incentive-to-think-about/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/malcolm-gladwell-348_development_when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no_214598.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/malcolm-gladwell-348_development_when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no_214598.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/547/malcolm-gladwell-348_development_when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no_214598.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When it's easy to make money, you have no incentive to think about development of talent.” — Malcolm Gladwell",
                "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": "Malcolm Gladwell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When it's easy to make money,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no-incentive-to-think-about/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-it-s-easy-to-make-money-you-have-no-incentive-to-think-about/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
