Through their capacity to manipulate symbols and to engage in reflective thought, people can generate novel ideas and innovative actions that transcend their past experiences

The satisfactions people derive from what they do are determined to a large degree by their self-evaluative standards

Even noteworthy performance attainments do not necessarily boost perceived self-efficacy

As a general rule, moderate levels of arousal facilitate deployment of skills, whereas high arousal disrupts it. This is especially true of complex activities requiring intricate organization of behavior

People with high assurance in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided.

Success and failure are largely self-defined in terms of personal standards. The higher the self-standards, the more likely will given attainments be viewed as failures, regardless of what others might think.

Once established, reputations do not easily change.