Scott Barry Kaufman Quotes & Sayings

While standardized tests can certainly be useful for scientifically investigating the mind and brain, and can greatly inform educational interventions, there's no reason why educators or anyone else for that matter needs to compare the intelligence of one person to another based on a single dimension of human variation. — Scott Barry Kaufman

Inspiration is not purely passive, but does favor the prepared mind. — Scott Barry Kaufman

It's actually hard for creative people to know themselves because the creative self is more complex than the non-creative self. The things that stand out the most are the paradoxes of the creative self Imaginative people have messier minds. — Scott Barry Kaufman

People with learning goals are all about increasing their skills, whereas those with performance goals are all about winning, and looking smart. Because — Scott Barry Kaufman

Talent emerges over the course of a lifetime of reciprocal interactions between the developing brain and a stimulating environment. — Scott Barry Kaufman

I am not talking about rebelliousness, but giving people time for constructive internal reflection and even daydreaming. A lot of research is suggesting that the more that you demand people's external attention, the less chance you are allowing them to dip into the default mode where daydreams and reflection happen - and lot of great ideas are not going to come from the brute force of work but from personal life experience. Mind-wandering seems to be essential to the creative process, and I don't think a lot of businesses are aware of that fact. — Scott Barry Kaufman

most widespread gains in brain training come from programs that simultaneously address multiple aspects of a person, such as traditional martial arts training and enriched school curricula. — Scott Barry Kaufman

The comparison isn't with others; it's with your former and future selves. — Scott Barry Kaufman

Genius involves figuring out who you are, and owning yourself. It's about amplifying your best traits and compensating for the rest. Geniuses grab life by the horns, and persevere amidst setbacks. They take control of their lives, instead of waiting for others to open up doors. In this very important sense, greatness in completely, utterly, made. — Scott Barry Kaufman