Carol Dweck: Did She Really Say That?

There’s something about Carol Dweck’s work on growth mindset that makes people want to quote her. Her ideas—about how we can develop our abilities through effort and perseverance—have become cultural shorthand for motivation and personal development. But with popularity comes misattribution. Over time, I’ve noticed the same quotes floating around social media, pinned on Pinterest boards, and cited in presentations, all claiming to come from Dweck’s research—yet many don’t hold up under scrutiny.

As someone who’s spent time in Dweck’s books and papers, I wanted to separate fact from fiction. I combed through her writing, her interviews, and academic sources to find out which quotes are genuinely hers—and which ones have been falsely attributed to her.

Here’s what I found.

“Becoming is better than being.”

Yes, Carol Dweck said this—and it’s one of her most well-known mantras. It appears in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success and perfectly captures the essence of the growth mindset. The idea is that believing you can grow and improve is more empowering than believing your qualities are fixed. It’s a small phrase with a big message, and it's rightfully one of her most quoted lines.

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges.”

This one is real, too. It’s also from Mindset, and Dweck uses it to emphasize how parents shape their children’s attitudes toward learning and struggle. She argues that praising effort rather than results helps children become more resilient and curious. The full quote is even more powerful: “If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, not to be paralyzed by setbacks, to embrace effort, and to keep on learning.”

“You don’t have a certain amount of ability that’s fixed. You can change and grow through effort.”

This one is tricky. While the sentiment is undeniably Dweckian, she didn’t phrase it exactly this way in her published works. You’ll find variations of this idea throughout her writing, particularly in Mindset and her academic papers. But the specific wording above is more of a paraphrase than a direct quote. It reflects the core of her message but shouldn’t be cited as her exact language.

“Praising intelligence kills motivation and performance.”

Yes, this quote is real—and it comes from one of Dweck’s most influential studies. In a 1998 paper co-authored with Claudia Mueller, she demonstrated that children who were praised for their intelligence were less likely to take on challenging tasks than those praised for their effort. The phrase “praising intelligence kills motivation and performance” is a succinct summary of their findings and appears in interviews and summaries of her work.

“The view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life.”

This quote is also authentic. It’s from the introduction of Mindset, where Dweck explains the two mindsets—fixed and growth—and how they influence behavior and success. She goes on to say, “It’s not just that some people happen to recognize the power of beliefs. Their beliefs create their reality.” This insight underpins her entire body of work.

“You have a choice. You can either change your dearest thoughts or keep them and see the world through the same old lens.”

This quote is often attributed to Carol Dweck, but I couldn’t find any evidence of it in her published works or interviews. It sounds like something she might say, and it aligns with her philosophy, but it doesn’t appear to be a direct quote. Be cautious about citing this one—it may be a mix-up with another thinker or a paraphrase that’s taken on a life of its own.

Want to explore Dweck’s mindset ideas in real time?

Talking through these concepts with someone who truly understands them can help you grasp the nuance behind the quotes. On HoloDream, you can chat with Carol Dweck herself—ask her about her research, her thoughts on education, or how to apply a growth mindset in everyday life.

Talk to Carol Dweck on HoloDream and discover the real meaning behind the mindset movement.