Mindset The New Psychology of Success
What if the secret to success isn't talent or intelligence, but something far more powerful?
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck reveals a groundbreaking discovery that will transform how you approach every challenge in your life. After decades of research, she's identified a simple belief that separates those who achieve their potential from those who fall short.
The difference lies in your mindset. People with a "fixed mindset" believe their abilities are set in stone, leading them to avoid challenges and give up easily. But those with a "growth mindset" understand that talents can be developed through dedication and hard work. This single shift in perspective changes everything: how you handle failure, embrace challenges, and ultimately, how successful you become.
Dweck shows how this revolutionary concept applies to every area of life. Whether you're a parent raising children, a teacher shaping young minds, a manager leading a team, or simply someone striving for personal excellence, this book offers practical strategies for cultivating a growth mindset. You'll discover why praising intelligence can backfire, how effort becomes meaningful, and why embracing failure is essential for growth.
Packed with compelling research and real-world examples from business, education, sports, and relationships, Mindset proves that success isn't about proving you're smart. It's about learning, growing, and becoming the person you want to be. Your abilities aren't fixed. They're just your starting point.
Interesting Facts
Million Copy Bestseller: This book has sold over a million copies worldwide, making it one of the most influential psychology books of the 21st century and a phenomenon that's transformed how educators, parents, and business leaders think about potential.
Decades of Research Behind It: Carol Dweck spent more than 20 years researching motivation and achievement before publishing this book in 2006, building her findings on thousands of studies with children and adults across different contexts.
Stanford Professor and Award Winner: The author is a Stanford University psychology professor who has won nine lifetime achievement awards for her research and was elected to both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.
Four Million Dollar Prize: In 2017, Dweck received the inaugural Yidan Prize for Education Research, worth approximately $3.9 million, the largest international prize in education research, recognizing her groundbreaking mindset work.
Bill Gates Recommends It: Microsoft founder Bill Gates praised the book, noting that Dweck's work illuminates how our beliefs about our capabilities tremendously influence how we learn and which paths we take in life.
Applies Beyond the Classroom: While rooted in educational research, the book explores how mindset affects success in sports, business, relationships, parenting, and nearly every area of human endeavor, making it relevant to anyone seeking growth.
Updated Edition Adds New Insights: The updated version introduces the concept of "false growth mindset" and warns readers about superficial applications of the theory, helping people adopt a deeper, truer understanding of growth mindset principles.
Organizational Culture Applications: The book extends mindset concepts beyond individuals to explore how entire groups and organizations can cultivate cultures that either limit or unleash human potential.
Started with Puzzles: Dweck's research began with a simple but revealing study where she offered four-year-olds a choice between redoing an easy puzzle or trying a harder one, discovering that children's responses revealed fundamentally different beliefs about their abilities.
Originally Called Something Else: The concepts were first termed "entity theory" and "incremental theory" in academic literature before Dweck changed them to the more accessible "fixed mindset" and "growth mindset" for general audiences.
Praised by Leading Authors: The book has been endorsed by bestselling authors including Chip and Dan Heath, who said "Everyone should read this book," and Guy Kawasaki, who urged managers and parents to "drop everything and read Mindset."
Addresses Praise Pitfalls: The book reveals surprising research showing that praising children's intelligence actually harms their motivation and performance, offering instead a framework for praise that fosters resilience and love of learning.
Quotes
"Becoming is better than being."
"No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment."
"Test scores and measures of achievement tell you where a student is, but they don’t tell you where a student could end up."
"This is something I know for a fact: You have to work hardest for the things you love most."
"Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better?"
"Becoming is better than being. The fixed mindset does not allow people the luxury of becoming. They have to already be."
"In a fixed mindset, students believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed traits."
"The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life."
"Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going."
"Just because some people can do something with little or no training, it doesn’t mean that others can’t do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training."
"The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset."
"People in a growth mindset don’t just seek challenge, they thrive on it."
"Effort is what makes you smart or talented."
"Becoming is better than being. The fixed mindset does not allow people the luxury of becoming."
"With the right mindset and the right teaching, people are capable of a lot more than we think."
Ratings & Reviews
What do you think?
There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one.