We are brilliant at rationalizing sunk costs and one major way we do this is by dramatizing how expensive it will be to tell other people we're ignoring sunk costs—for example, deciding to stay unhappy in a career for 10 more years because we fear breaking parents' hearts for an hour by telling them we hate being a lawyer.
factualpending
Speaker
Seth GodinEvidence Quote
“We increase we dramatize how expensive it will be to tell other people that we are ignoring sunk costs...I'm going to be unhappy for 10 more years cuz I don't want my parents to be unhappy for an hour.”
Source
Seth Godin: "Failure is Learning on Your Way to Mastery" and Other Advice for Creativity— The Knowledge Project PodcastCreated: 8/10/2026, 11:26:08 PM
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