IV. The Restless Animal ↑
29. We pursue growth and development.
We want to learn new things, to develop new skills and abilities, and to further expand and refine existing ones.
Words from Others on this Topic
There is but one solution to the intricate riddle of life; to improve ourselves, and contribute to the happiness of others.
Mary Shelley, 1826, from the book The Last Man
I shall first consider women in the grand light of human creatures who, in common with men, are placed on this earth to unfold their faculties.
Mary Wollstonecraft, 1792, from the essay “Vindication of the Rights of Women”
We have hands that must work, brains that must think, and personalities that must be developed.
Lauretta Bender, 1916, as quoted in The Secret History of Wonder Woman
The grand, leading principle, towards which every argument hitherto unfolded in these pages directly converges, is the absolute and essential importance of human development in its richest diversity.
Wilhelm von Humboldt, 1852, from the essay “The Limits of State Action”
You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorders of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then – to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.
T. H. White, 1958, from the book The Once and Future King
People ask me to predict the future, when all I want to do is prevent it. Better yet, build it. Predicting the future is much too easy, anyway. You look at the people around you, the street you stand on, the visible air you breathe, and predict more of the same. To hell with more. I want better.
Ray Bradbury, 1979, from the essay “Beyond 1984: The People Machines”
Relevant Reference Models
- An element of Motivational Factors for Complex Work
- An element of DRAMMA Model
- An element of Self-Determination Theory
- An element of The Tribal Instincts
- An element of Needs Hierarchy