# Truth or Lie: Are Motivational Quotes Actually Motivating? - **Episode:** [109](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/109.md) (2024-06-25) - **Type:** truth-or-lie - **Tags:** motivational-quotes, truth-or-lie, workplace-culture - **Time:** 15:27–22:29 (start 927s) - **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/109?t=927](https://truthliesandwork.com/109?t=927) --- [15:27] Leanne Elliott: Yes, I have a mystery segment for you, Al. It's called Truth or Lie. Bang on brand [15:32] Al Elliott: I love it [15:33] Leanne Elliott: I love it. I thought it would be fun this week, um, to start this little segment called Truth or Lie. So basically taking popular psychological principles that people have heard of, or indeed pop psychology trends, to see if our listeners or people in our network thought they were true— they thought they were a truth or a lie. So this is the question I posed this week, Al, via a LinkedIn poll. The question is motivational quotes are motivating. Truth or lie? And to illustrate, actually, the motivational quote that I left was from Raul Handial, um, if you know, you know, which is, uh, you're never more alive than when you're dreaming. What do you think, Al, motivational quotes? [16:14] Al Elliott: I know they, they work well on Instagram for engagement. And there's, there's, there's numerous, uh, accounts up there who just post— I don't want to use the word bullshit, But something like that, basically, if you— they'd make it in Canva and post it, and then they get millions of people following them. Are they truly motivational? I would say that's true. There is a quote which I had stuck on my wall when— after I went bankrupt and when I was building my second business. Um, there's a quote by, um, oh my God, I can't remember his name and I can't remember the quote. But basically it was, uh, it was a really motivational quote that I looked at every single day and really motivated me. even though things weren't great. And so yes, that motivated me. So I would say that is true [16:55] Leanne Elliott: Nice. Well, our listeners, our network agreed, um, but only just. 42% thought that it was true, um, 33% thought it was a lie, and, uh, the remaining were— said other, um, or weren't sure. There were some really insightful comments too. So Mandy Sarah, who is a learning and development consultant, she said, I like positive affirmations. They help frame or reframe thinking. I'm for motivational quotes. This was followed up by Rita Ernst, who is a positivity influencer and previous guest on the show. She agreed, saying that quotes can create the perfect pause, contemplation, or reset. They shift thinking, even if the thought is, that's rubbish. And finally, we had a comment from Pavle Grujic— is how I want to say it— in— as if assuming they're from the Balkans [17:45] Al Elliott: Hello, Pablo [17:46] Leanne Elliott: Drop it down. Um, who is CEO and founder at, uh, Macross Development. Um, he suggested that motivational quotes can help, but, um, only as much as people think discipline is key. And I think that's a great point, actually. I think it is how much power we give to these things, how much a particular quote will resonate. And like we've always said, you know, if it works for you, if something gives you the vocabulary to explore how you're thinking and feeling, then that's a really good start. But what does the science say? Well, I did a little research, and the research suggests that motivational quotes can in fact influence one's mindset and emotional state, often leading to enhanced motivation and performance in various settings. So one study highlighted in a review from the American Psychological Society, uh, that delved into the broader impacts of self-motivation and the role of emotions in enhancing performance at work. So the research underscored the significance of positive emotions and job satisfaction in mediating the effects of motivation on job performance. So basically saying that motivational quotes therefore could theoretically boost positive information, boost positive emotions, thereby enhancing motivation and performance, albeit perhaps indirectly. Motivational quotes have also been analyzed for their ability to align individuals with their intrinsic goals and their personal values, which of course both are critical to motivation. And this alignment can lead to better engagement in work and productivity, particularly if individuals feel that the messages in the motivational quotes resonate with their personal aspirations and ethical standards. So is it true? Are motivational quotes motivating? Generally speaking, yes, it is true. Um, the direct effects, as always with these things, um, may not be explicitly documented, and there's always the old age argument of cause and effect. But it does seem that motivational quotes can shape our emotional responses, and that in turn can impact our levels of motivation. Thoughts? [19:42] Al Elliott: To be honest, I'm all for them because I think they're harmless as long as you don't rely on them to give you all the energy and motivation you need for the day [19:51] Leanne Elliott: Yeah, I think so. It also, you know, it's the positive emotions, isn't it? That sense of hope, optimism, um, part of our psychological capital. It all, it all feeds together. Is it the motivational quote itself? Probably not specifically, but something that, as you say, it's something that resonates with us and that aligns with our Our values and our beliefs and probably our ambitions as well. So there you go. Any thoughts on what the truth or lie could be for next week, Al? [20:14] Al Elliott: I've got one. Um, we— I like something called Lie to Me, which is a really daft sort of house-style, uh, drama from the, from the US. It's all about microexpressions. And the, the idea behind the show is this, this guy, the, the main protagonist, can tell what someone's thinking just by a microexpression. Is this true, or is this just a lie for the sake of idiots like me who like to watch stuff at night? [20:41] Leanne Elliott: Interesting. So what your question is, can microexpressions indicate if somebody's telling the truth or if they're lying? [20:48] Al Elliott: Yes, it's, it's meta. We've got Inception here. Is it true, truth or lie that you can tell a truth or a lie from a microexpression? [20:56] Leanne Elliott: Challenge accepted. I'll report back next week [21:00] Al Elliott: Fabulous. Now, if you do like this podcast, uh, then sit tight because here's a great recommendation for another podcast you're gonna love. I'll see you in a minute [22:21] Al Elliott: It can [22:29] Leanne Elliott: But come back [22:29] Al Elliott: Yeah, come back. Definitely come back because Nudge isn't as good as this, so come back. I'll cut that out. Keep that in. Welcome back. World famous weekly workplace surgery time. Leigh, are you ready for your first of your 3 questions?