"You don't reward reaction; you reward results"
About this Quote
A lot of modern life runs on applause for motion: outrage posts, busy calendars, performative hustle. Edwin Louis Cole’s line cuts through that noise with a blunt ethic: stop confusing emotional output with meaningful output. “Reaction” isn’t just feeling; it’s the whole reflexive economy of excuses, vents, and virtue-signaling that can look like engagement while producing nothing durable. “Results” is the colder, less flattering metric. It implies finished work, measurable change, accountability you can’t talk your way out of.
The sentence works because it’s structured like a managerial correction delivered in eight words. The “you” is doing double duty: it’s personal (discipline yourself) and institutional (if you’re in charge, design incentives better). Cole—best known in Christian men’s leadership circles—was writing against a culture where repentance can become theater and conviction can become performance. In that context, the quote is almost a rebuke to the spiritually cathartic moment that never turns into action: don’t hand out gold stars for being stirred; reward the follow-through.
There’s also an implicit critique of parenting, workplaces, and politics: when we reward reaction, we train people to optimize for display. When we reward results, we force the uncomfortable question of effectiveness. The sting is that results are harder to fake and easier to audit. Cole isn’t offering comfort; he’s offering a standard. It’s the kind of sentence that sounds harsh until you realize it’s also clarifying: energy isn’t achievement, and passion isn’t proof.
The sentence works because it’s structured like a managerial correction delivered in eight words. The “you” is doing double duty: it’s personal (discipline yourself) and institutional (if you’re in charge, design incentives better). Cole—best known in Christian men’s leadership circles—was writing against a culture where repentance can become theater and conviction can become performance. In that context, the quote is almost a rebuke to the spiritually cathartic moment that never turns into action: don’t hand out gold stars for being stirred; reward the follow-through.
There’s also an implicit critique of parenting, workplaces, and politics: when we reward reaction, we train people to optimize for display. When we reward results, we force the uncomfortable question of effectiveness. The sting is that results are harder to fake and easier to audit. Cole isn’t offering comfort; he’s offering a standard. It’s the kind of sentence that sounds harsh until you realize it’s also clarifying: energy isn’t achievement, and passion isn’t proof.
Quote Details
| Topic | Management |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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