Fran Kick Quotes
M.A. Educational Psychology, CSP®
Since 1986, Fran Kick has inspired audiences with his words and engaging highly interactive approach to “presenting a speech.” Many of his quotations are here to document some his favorite phrases. Most are inspired by his attempt to create a verbal earworm that continues to remind individuals and organizations to KICK IT IN!
Having studied Psycholinguistics during his graduate work in Educational Psychology, Fran has always been fascinated with the relationship between language—especially the interrelationship between linguistic factors and psychological impact—and how a catchy phrase remains with an audience long after the presentation. Dan and Chip Heath would call these “made to stick” quotes and without getting into semantics, here are Fran Kick’s favorite quotes:
The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.
This quote goes back to Fran’s first paid presentation in 1985 at Blue River Valley High School in New Castle, Indiana. It encapsulates much of Fran’s message on the need for more self-motivation (intrinsic motivation) with fewer carrots and sticks (extrinsic motivation). With a nod to Galatians 6:7 this “what you put into it, is what you get out of it” quote inspired the two time Music Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning singer/songwriter Glen Colton to write The More You Put Into It, The More You Get Out of It.
Pay attention, respond appropriately, get more involved in what’s going on.
Are you going to make things happen, watch things happen, or wonder what to do?
Fran Kick takes this old saying attributed to Nicholas Butler and often presents it as a personal challenge question. Usually in relation to the old Thomas Paine quote: “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Afterall, both depend on whether you pay attention, respond appropriately, and get involved in what’s going on.
If you’re whining, griping, and complaining, wondering why you’re having a terrible time—maybe that’s why.
Work hard, get better at what you do, and have fun in the process.
Aristotle described the joy experienced from the pursuit of achieving excellence in doing something worth while and called it “eudaimonia.” Maslow called it “self-actualization.” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced CHICK-sent-me-high) calls it the optimal experience of “flow.” This quote also appears in Fran Kick’s most-viewed YouTube video illustrating the virtuous circle of Fun, Good, Work. FYI, Fran Kick’s second most-popular video on YouTube illustrates the next quote illustrating Have to, Get to, Want to.
Not because you have to, not because you get to, because you want to.
Think first, then act, then reflect.
If you want to get good kisses, you’ve got to give good kisses.
Regurgitation of information without relevant application isn't education.
Roller coasters have their ups and downs and that’s what makes them so much FUN!
Lead by example because actions speak louder than words.
“Lead by example” is referenced in Titus 2:7 and Saint Francis of Assisi wrote: “The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today.” Ralph Waldo Emerson famously shared: “What you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you are saying.” Albert Schweitzer suggested: “The three most important ways to lead people are… by example… by example… by example.”
The origin of “actions speak louder than words” is found in literature hundreds of years old, specifically in print thanks to Gersham Bulkeley’s book Will and Doom published in 1692. Mark Twain took it further: “Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.”
The only lasting form of motivation is self-motivation.
What if by carrot and sticking kids we make it harder for them in the long run to motivate themselves?
The more externally oriented motivational perception you have, the less internally motivated you will be.
Fran Kick’s ideas about the power of self-motivation can be found in the early research he did for his master’s thesis on the The Self Perceptions of Self-Concept and Self-Esteem. Alfie Kohn’s book Punished by Rewards and the Self-Determination Theory research of Edward Deci and Richard Ryan have also inspired Fran Kick’s understanding of what motivates people to KICK IT IN!
Focus on what you do what vs. what you don’t want.
Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether you want to do it or not, without being asked.
Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether you want to do it or not, without being asked—without getting anything for it either.
Fran Kick first heard Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser share the Huxley quote in the early 1980s during a summer camp. Similar to the Bobby Knight quote: “Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, the best way it can be done, and do it that way every time.” Thomas Henry Huxley, an English biologist and anthropologist, wrote: “Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. It is the first lesson that ought to be learned and however early a man’s training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.”
Ideas are one thing, implementation is everything.
Adapted and based on the mantra of John Doerr, who introduced the OKR system and believes Objectives & Key Results as the basis for achieving success.
We don’t see the world as it is. We see the world as we are.
NOTE: Fran Kick’s quotes are offered on this page free of charge to reprint or repost, on a non-exclusive basis, provided his name and web site URL are included as follows: —Fran Kick, kickitin.com/quotes
FRAN KICK, M.A. Educational Psychology, CSP, Author, Leadership Consultant, Strategic Advisor, and Professional Speaker, works with corporate and educational organizations that want to develop better leadership and smarter followership for faster long-term results.
“Fran is easy to work with, flexible, and well prepared. He not only talks leadership and motivation, he walks the talk.”
Russ Simon, Senior Policy Associate, New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals, Inc.
