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Understanding human motivation ought to be a good thing. It should help us to find out what we really want so that we can avoid chasing rainbows that are not for us. It should open up opportunities for self-development if we apply motivational principles to pursuing our goals in life.

— David C. McClelland David C. McClelland (1978)

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More quotes by David C. McClelland

The entrepreneurial role appears to call for decision-making under uncertainty.

Practically all theorists agree that entrepreneurship involves, by definition, taking risks of some kind.

One study suggests that the most effective way to increase n Achievement may be to try simply and directly to alter the nature of an individual’s fantasies.

Dynamic restlessness and concern with time would appear to go with high w Achievement and static "classicism" with low n Achievement, but on closer examination many flaws in the analogy are evident.

Outstanding American men seem to see power as something you use in order to correct someone who's wrong, to change them, to show them you see more in this situation than the boss does. Outstanding American women, on the other hand, see power as a resource, something you can use to get people together, to gain commitment.

David C. McClelland (1998)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: David C. McClelland (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.