yes, therapy helps!
The 45 best phrases by Daniel Goleman

The 45 best phrases by Daniel Goleman

April 25, 2024

Daniel Goleman is best known for his emotional intelligence theory , a concept that enjoys great popularity today. Emotional intelligence comes from Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences.

This psychologist postulates that there is no unitary intelligence, but there are multiple intelligences, and each one can have a greater domain in one (or several) of them. Emotional intelligence, then, would be part of the intra and interpersonal intelligence that Gardner talked about.

  • If you want to know more about emotional intelligence, you can visit our post: "What is Emotional Intelligence? Discovering the importance of emotions "

The best phrases and reflections by Daniel Goleman

The concept made famous by Goleman is very popular in the field of psychology, and is applied in different fields, such as mental health, work, education or sports.


In this article you can find a compilation of the best phrases by Daniel Goleman .

1. The sense of the transfer of states of mind between two people goes from the most expressive to the most passive. However, there are people especially prone to emotional contagion, since their innate sensitivity makes their autonomic nervous system (an indicator of emotional activity) become more easily activated

There are people who are more sensitive than others. They feel emotions more intensely .

2. The teaching of Socrates "know yourself" realize your own feelings at the same moment they take place, is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence

Self-knowledge is key to emotional intelligence and to the well-being of people.


3. When people are at ease, it's when they work best

When people are where they want to be working, then they are in a state of flow and are more productive.

4. The intense negative emotions absorb all the attention of the individual, hindering any attempt to attend to something else

Emotions are composed of three states: physiological, cognitive and behavioral.

5. Without selective attention, the experience would be complete chaos

Selective attention allows us to pay attention to a given stimulus

6. Self-deception operates both at the level of the individual mind and at the collective level

A quote about self-deception that will surely make you think

7. The ease with which a society despises, and even buries, discrepant visions depends obviously on the set of gaps shared by its citizens. We do not realize what we dislike to see and we do not realize that we do not realize

We live in a society that does not educate us to be emotionally intelligent people.


8. Self-control demands self-awareness plus self-regulation, key components of emotional intelligence

Being aware and controlling emotions are, without doubt, virtues of human beings.

9. If there are two moral attitudes that our time urgently needs are self-control and altruism

Unfortunately, in the West, we live with materialistic and selfish values.

10. Do not let the noise of the opinions of others silence your inner voice. And, most importantly, have the courage to do what your heart and your intuition dictate to you. Somehow, you already know what you really want to become

It is not always easy to have the right self-knowledge. However, it is key to personal development.

11. Emotions affect our attention and our performance

Emotions cause changes in our behavior . For example, attention

12. Prolonged emotional tension can hamper the intellectual faculties of the child and thus hinder their ability to learn

The emotional tension, in the long run, causes what is known as emotional fatigue.

13. The key to achieving a high collective IQ is social harmony

Goleman's emotional intelligence explains that IQ is not an indicator of success in life, but that other variables influence it.

14. In a very real sense, we all have two minds, one mind that thinks and another mind that feels, and these two fundamental forms of knowledge interact to build our mental life

Goleman distinguishes emotional from rational thinking.

15. The new litter of natives of this digital world is as skilled in the use of keyboards as it is clumsy in interpreting, in real time, the behavior of others, especially in regard to warning the dismay caused by the promptness with which they interrupt a conversation to read a text message they just received

Developing the personality through social networks has an effect and a price on life face to face.

16. Real achievement does not depend as much on talent as on ability to move forward despite failures

Talent is an important part of achieving success. However, there are other factors that keep us alive in difficult times.

17. We must bear in mind that the impulse is the vehicle of emotion and that the seed of all impulse is an expansive feeling that seeks to express itself in action

For Goleman, the impulse and the emotion are united. When living with other people, it is necessary to control them.

18. People tend to treat collective problems as if they were the responsibility of others

It is easier to blame others than to look at oneself and change.

19. Looking directly into the eyes opens the door of access to empathy

Empathy is an essential emotional skill when we want to relate to others

20. It is the combination of reasonable talent and the ability to persevere in the face of failure that leads to success

Emotional intelligence allows you to stay afloat even in difficult times.

21. For many of us it is a luxury to have, during the day, a time of our own in which we can lie down and reflect. These are, as far as creativity is concerned, some of the most valuable moments of our day

Goleman, talking about reflection. Undoubtedly, a key aspect of personal development .

22. Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand others: what are the things that motivate them most, how they work and the best way to cooperate with them

To relate to others, we must master interpersonal intelligence.

23. Guilt, shame and fear are the immediate motives of deception

Putting the blame on others and feeling shame and fear do not favor a person's personal growth.

24. In the best of cases, the IC seems to contribute only 20% of the determinants of success

The IQ only represents a small part of success in life.

25. Self-awareness implies an in-depth understanding of one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs and impulses.

Being aware of one's own emotions and what happens in the here and now is necessary to have greater well-being.

26. Perhaps there is no psychological skill more essential than resisting the impulse

Emotional regulation is necessary to be able to live with others.

27. Leadership is not synonymous with domination, but the art of convincing people to work together to achieve a common goal

The good leader is the one who seduces others with charismatic personality and persuasion skills.

28. Empathy always involves an act of self-awareness

Although empathy is related to understanding others, it is based on self-knowledge.

29. Owning our attention, technology hinders our relationships

New technologies have changed the way we relate to human beings.

30. The ability to express one's feelings constitutes a fundamental social skill

Although sometimes it costs, cKnowing our emotions and expressing them is of vital importance . We are social beings.

31. Feelings justify themselves, with a series of perceptions and "proofs" in themselves

Our emotional side creates justifications for you.

32. Fear, in evolution, has a great importance; perhaps more than any other emotion, it is crucial for survival

This emotion has helped us to get away from all kinds of dangers thanks to emotional memory.

33. One of the main missions of leadership is to shift attention to where it should be focused

The management of priorities and objectives is, according to Goleman, one of the pillars of leadership.

34. Life is a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel

One of the most allegorical and interesting phrases by Daniel Goleman.

35. Exploration means that we are able to move from a particular focus to look for new possibilities

Sometimes, a too rigid mental frame can limit us.

36. Rumination can also strengthen depression by making us believe that we are more depressed

Loop thinking, or rumination, makes our problems seem oversized.

37. Your focus determines your reality

A simple phrase about the power of perception about our ideas .

38. Of all the dimensions that make up Emotional Intelligence, empathy is the easiest to recognize

One of Goleman's phrases about the concept he helped to popularize: emotional intelligence.

39. Dreams are private myths, and myths are shared dreams

A beautiful reflection on the symbolic and the oneiric.

40. Good work requires experience, ethics, enthusiasm and excellence

Goleman talks about what he believes are the pillars of professionalism and effectiveness.

41. If there is a bad mood in high places, probably it will also be in the rest of the organization chart

Emotions are also contagious.

42. Emotional lack of control is an obstacle to the work of the intellect

Not being able to manage well how we experience emotions can make us sabotage ourselves.

43. Feelings have a very important role when it comes to navigating the constant decision-making that is life

When judging how our lives are, rationality is overrated.

44. True compassion means not only feeling the other's pain but also feeling driven to help

Feeling compassion is useless if that does not mean that we do not perform actions that are different from what we would do if we did not feel that.

45. One aspect of successful relationships is not so much how compatible we are, but how we manage our incompatibilities

Knowing how to face potential problems is something that leads us to enjoy healthier relationships.


Explorations of the Mind: Intuition with Daniel Kahneman (April 2024).


Similar Articles