--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The secret to high performance and…" description: "\"“The secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/pamela-slim-41327_education_the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satis_2573715.jpg" --- # The secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work… ![“The secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.” quote by Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/pamela-slim-41327_education_the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satis_2573715.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/pamela-slim-41327_education_the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satis_2573715.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/pamela-slim-41327_education_the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satis_2573715.jpg) > ““The secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.”” [Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑direction, learning, and creation fulfill deep human needs, driving performance and satisfaction. **In simple terms:** Control your life, learn, create. Key Takeaway Pursue autonomy and growth. Themes self‑actualization motivation creativity Mood inspired optimistic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - education - personal projects - well‑being Key Concepts psychology career development Questions to Reflect On - What area of your life needs more self‑direction? - How can you foster creativity daily? A Different Perspective External pressures can limit autonomy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [New things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-things/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [“The secret to high performance and satisfaction is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pink/the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satisfaction-is-the-deeply-human/) [Daniel Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pink/) > [So, as much as it is about this continuing war, the reinstated draft, and their individual views, it's really sort of a deeply human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-wood/so-as-much-as-it-is-about-this-continuing-war-the-reinstated-draft/) [Elijah Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-wood/) > [We scarcely wish to analyse what we feel to be so large and deeply human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/we-scarcely-wish-to-analyse-what-we-feel-to-be-so-large-and-deeply/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I believe very deeply in the human spirit, and I have a sense of awe about it. I look around and ask, 'What makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horton-foote/i-believe-very-deeply-in-the-human-spirit-and-i-have-a-sense-of-awe/) [Horton Foote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horton-foote/) > [Robots touch something deeply human within us. For me, robots are all about people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-breazeal/robots-touch-something-deeply-human-within-us-for-me-robots-are-all/) [Cynthia Breazeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-breazeal/) > [A spiritual person tries less to be godly than to be deeply human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/a-spiritual-person-tries-less-to-be-godly-than-to-be-deeply-human/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [We scarcely want to analyse what we feel to be so large and deeply human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/we-scarcely-want-to-analyse-what-we-feel-to-be-so-large-and-deeply/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The urge to discover, to invent, to know the unknown, seems so deeply human that we cannot imagine our history without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/the-urge-to-discover-to-invent-to-know-the-unknown-seems-so-deeply/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [It's deeply human to do both the worst things and the best things because of your fear of loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/it-s-deeply-human-to-do-both-the-worst-things-and-the-best-things/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [The contrast couldn't be clearer between the intentions and the hearts of those of us who care deeply about human rights and human liberty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-contrast-couldn-t-be-clearer-between-the-intentions-and-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Just in the past couple years, we've seen digital tools display skills and abilities that ... eat deeply into what we human beings do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcafee/just-in-the-past-couple-years-we-ve-seen-digital-tools-display-skills/) [Andrew McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcafee/) > [The children are being conditioned to think that the purpose of life is to get a good job. You get paid but you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kumar/the-children-are-being-conditioned-to-think-that-the-purpose-of-life/) [Satish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kumar/) > [I'm fortunate in being able to find great satisfaction in my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/i-m-fortunate-in-being-able-to-find-great-satisfaction-in-my-work/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [One cannot demand of art that it pay you in any other way than in the satisfaction of the work itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uta-hagen/one-cannot-demand-of-art-that-it-pay-you-in-any-other-way-than-in-the/) [Uta Hagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uta-hagen/) > [I would rate the fact that I get to be alive a big beautiful 10. Satisfaction with myself - work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-would-rate-the-fact-that-i-get-to-be-alive-a-big-beautiful-10/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) ## More by Pamela Slim > [“Your body of work is everything you create, contribute, affect, and impact. For individuals, it is the personal legacy you leave at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/your-body-of-work-is-everything-you-create-contribute-affect-and/) [Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) > [“Individuals who structure their careers around autonomy, mastery, and purpose will have a powerful body of work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/individuals-who-structure-their-careers-around-autonomy-mastery-and/) [Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) > [“No one is looking out for your career anymore. You must find meaning, locate opportunities, sell yourself, and plan for failure, calamity, and unexpected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/no-one-is-looking-out-for-your-career-anymore-you-must-find-meaning/) [Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) > [“Consistent impact over the course of your life on a body of work you care about deeply is legacy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/consistent-impact-over-the-course-of-your-life-on-a-body-of-work-you/) [Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) > [“Focusing on building a body of work will give you more freedom and clarity to choose different work options throughout the course of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/focusing-on-building-a-body-of-work-will-give-you-more-freedom-and/) [Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) > [“Your thoughts, beliefs, and assumptions drive everything in your life and career. People who operate on a high level of creativity and mastery are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/your-thoughts-beliefs-and-assumptions-drive-everything-in-your-life/) [Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) > [“We are made to create. We feel useful when we create. We release our 'stuckness' when we create. We reinvent our lives, tell new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/we-are-made-to-create-we-feel-useful-when-we-create-we-release-our/) [Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) > [“As I thought about the topic, it occurred to me that remembering the grace of who you are in your most innocent state, outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/as-i-thought-about-the-topic-it-occurred-to-me-that-remembering-the/) [Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) > [“I have watched elders see a young person squirm with impatience, then choose to talk slower and longer. They do this because they know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/i-have-watched-elders-see-a-young-person-squirm-with-impatience-then/) [Pamela Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) [Explore all 10 Pamela Slim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. 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But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) Ioannes Amos Commenius > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pamela Slim" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satisfaction-at-work-at-school-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satisfaction-at-work-at-school-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/pamela-slim-41327_education_the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satis_2573715.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/pamela-slim-41327_education_the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satis_2573715.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec6/pamela-slim-41327_education_the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satis_2573715.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The secret to high performance and satisfaction—at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to…” — Pamela Slim", "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": "Pamela Slim", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-slim/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The secret to high performance and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satisfaction-at-work-at-school-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-slim/the-secret-to-high-performance-and-satisfaction-at-work-at-school-and/#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 } } ] } ```