You know, that idea from Goleman, “A well-tuned emotion is a guide to right action,” is so much more than a nice saying. It’s a complete reframe of how we think about feelings. They’re not noise; they’re data.
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Meaning
It means our emotions, when we understand them, aren’t obstacles but a sophisticated internal navigation system pointing us toward the correct decision or behavior.
Explanation
Let me break this down. For years, we were taught to ignore our feelings or “be logical.” But that’s like trying to drive a high-performance car with the check engine light on. You can ignore it, but you’re missing critical information. A “well-tuned” emotion isn’t a raw, explosive outburst. It’s the signal you get *after* you’ve processed it. That knot of anxiety before a presentation? Tuned, it’s not panic; it’s your body’s way of telling you to prepare and focus. That flash of anger at an unfair comment? Tuned, it’s not a license to yell; it’s a signal that a boundary has been crossed and you need to assert yourself calmly. It’s about moving from being *reactively* emotional to being *strategically* emotional.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (4154) |
| Category | Wisdom (465) |
| Topics | decision (45), emotion general (118), intuition (19) |
| Literary Style | minimalist (508), philosophical (543) |
| Emotion / Mood | calm (555), provocative (175) |
| Overall Quote Score | 77 (181) |
Origin & Factcheck
This is straight from Daniel Goleman’s seminal 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, which was published in the United States. You sometimes see similar sentiments floating around, but this specific phrasing is Goleman’s.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Dr Daniel Goleman (50) |
| Source Type | Book (4794) |
| Source/Book Name | Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (54) |
| Origin Timeperiod | Contemporary (1892) |
| Original Language | English (4154) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4794) |
Author Bio
Daniel Goleman is a psychologist and bestselling author whose journalism at The New York Times brought brain and behavior science to a wide audience. He earned a BA from Amherst and a PhD in psychology from Harvard, and studied in India on a Harvard fellowship. Goleman’s research and writing helped mainstream emotional intelligence, leadership competencies, attention, and contemplative science. He co-founded CASEL and a leading research consortium on EI at work. The Daniel Goleman book list includes Emotional Intelligence, Working with Emotional Intelligence, Primal Leadership, Social Intelligence, Focus, and Altered Traits.
| Official Website
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | A well-tuned emotion is a guide to right action |
| Book Details | Publication Year: 1995; ISBN: 978-0553375060; Last edition: 2005; Number of pages: 352 |
| Where is it? | Chapter: The Uses of Emotion, Approximate page 57 from 2005 edition |