You know, People who are emotionally adept know when… it’s really about that crucial difference between just being smart and being wise with your feelings. It’s the operating system for a successful life, honestly.
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Meaning
At its core, this quote means that emotional intelligence is your internal navigation system for life’s toughest challenges. It’s not about being nice; it’s about being effective.
Explanation
Let me break this down based on what I’ve seen in the field. That first part, “know when to persist and when to quit,” is huge. So many high-performers burn out because they can’t tell the difference between grit and stubbornness. It’s a subtle but critical distinction. The “how to motivate themselves” piece? That’s the engine. It’s what gets you going on a rainy Monday morning when no one is watching. And that final bit about keeping distress from swamping your thinking… that’s the superpower. It’s the difference between making a panicked, reactive decision and a calm, strategic one. It’s the mental clarity you maintain when everything is hitting the fan.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Personal Development (697) |
| Topics | emotion general (105), motivation (113), resilience (106) |
| Literary Style | balanced (59), practical (126) |
| Emotion / Mood | inspiring (392), lively (108) |
| Overall Quote Score | 81 (258) |
Origin & Factcheck
This is straight from Daniel Goleman’s 1995 book, “Emotional Intelligence,” which was published in the United States. You sometimes see this idea floating around attributed to other self-help gurus, but the phrasing and the framework are definitively Goleman’s. He’s the one who really put this concept on the map for the general public.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Dr Daniel Goleman (50) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (54) |
| Origin Timeperiod | Contemporary (1615) |
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
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 | People who are emotionally adept know when to persist and when to quit, how to motivate themselves, and how to keep distress from interfering with their ability to think |
| Book Details | Publication Year: 1995; ISBN: 978-0553375060; Last edition: 2005; Number of pages: 352 |
| Where is it? | Chapter: Managing Anxiety, Approximate page 213 from 2005 edition |