Scan barcode
A review by missrosymaplemoth
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam M. Grant
4.5
This book was very interesting and informative. A lot of the information is basic, but a lot of people could really benefit from reading this. I’m an over-thinker but even I realized I need to think again more! I was especially touched towards the end where he talks about rethinking our educational and career paths. The pandemic and lack of support and direction otherwise caused me to feel like I wasted 2.5 years of my life. Now I’m on a great path, and who knows if I would be here if it hadn’t been initially derailed?
My favorite quotes:
P25 My favorite bias is the ‘I’m not biased’ bias, in which people believe they’re more objective than others. It turns out that smart people are more likely to fall into this trap. The brighter you are, the harder it can be to see your own limitations. Being good at thinking can make you worse at rethinking.
P57 I think they can teach us something about how to be more graceful and accepting in moment when we discover our beliefs might not be true. The goal is not to be wrong more often. It's to recognize that we're all wrong more often than we'd like to admit, and the more we deny it, the deeper the hole we dig for ourselves.
P61 It looked a lot to me like the joy of being wrong-his eyes twinkled as if he was having fun. He said that in his eighty-five years, no one had pointed that out before, but yes, he genuinely enjoys discovering that he was wrong, because it means he is now less wrong than before.
P73 What forecasters do in tournaments is good practice in life. When you form an opinion, ask yourself what would have to happen to prove it false. Then keep track of your views so you can see when you were right, when you were wrong, and how your thinking has evolved.
P74 When we find out we might be wrong, a standard defense is "Im
entitled to my opinion." I'd like to modify that: yes, we're entitled to hold opinions inside our own heads. If we choose to express them out loud though, I think it's our responsibility to ground them in logic and facts, share our reasoning with others, and change our minds when better evidence emerges.
P116 "Let's agree to disagree" shouldn't end a discussion. It should start a new conversation, with a focus on understanding and learning rather than arguing and persuading. (Another fun one on the same page: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it think.”)
P140 As a general rule, it's those with greater power who need to do more of the rethinking, both because they're more likely to privilege their own perspectives and because their perspectives are more likely to go unquestioned. In most cases, the oppressed and marginalized have already done a great deal of contortion to fit in.
P257 Rethink your actions, not just your surroundings. Chasing happiness can chase it away. Trading one set of circumstances for another isn't always enough. Joy can wax and wane, but meaning is more likely to last. Building a sense of purpose often starts with taking actions to enhance your learning or your contribution to others.
My favorite quotes:
P25 My favorite bias is the ‘I’m not biased’ bias, in which people believe they’re more objective than others. It turns out that smart people are more likely to fall into this trap. The brighter you are, the harder it can be to see your own limitations. Being good at thinking can make you worse at rethinking.
P57 I think they can teach us something about how to be more graceful and accepting in moment when we discover our beliefs might not be true. The goal is not to be wrong more often. It's to recognize that we're all wrong more often than we'd like to admit, and the more we deny it, the deeper the hole we dig for ourselves.
P61 It looked a lot to me like the joy of being wrong-his eyes twinkled as if he was having fun. He said that in his eighty-five years, no one had pointed that out before, but yes, he genuinely enjoys discovering that he was wrong, because it means he is now less wrong than before.
P73 What forecasters do in tournaments is good practice in life. When you form an opinion, ask yourself what would have to happen to prove it false. Then keep track of your views so you can see when you were right, when you were wrong, and how your thinking has evolved.
P74 When we find out we might be wrong, a standard defense is "Im
entitled to my opinion." I'd like to modify that: yes, we're entitled to hold opinions inside our own heads. If we choose to express them out loud though, I think it's our responsibility to ground them in logic and facts, share our reasoning with others, and change our minds when better evidence emerges.
P116 "Let's agree to disagree" shouldn't end a discussion. It should start a new conversation, with a focus on understanding and learning rather than arguing and persuading. (Another fun one on the same page: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it think.”)
P140 As a general rule, it's those with greater power who need to do more of the rethinking, both because they're more likely to privilege their own perspectives and because their perspectives are more likely to go unquestioned. In most cases, the oppressed and marginalized have already done a great deal of contortion to fit in.
P257 Rethink your actions, not just your surroundings. Chasing happiness can chase it away. Trading one set of circumstances for another isn't always enough. Joy can wax and wane, but meaning is more likely to last. Building a sense of purpose often starts with taking actions to enhance your learning or your contribution to others.