The Elephant in the Brain

Many other ideas, however, face an uphill battle and may never achieve widespread acceptance. When an idea emphasizes competition and other ugly motives, people are understandably averse to sharing it. It sucks the energy out of the room. As your two coauthors have learned firsthand, it can be a real buzzkill at dinner parties. (Location 328)

“A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason.”—J. P. Morgan (Location 1531)