"But the boys were having too much fun and getting plenty of attention from the other kids. The insults didn’t stop. "The old man also knew that extrinsic rewards can often extinguish intrinsic motivation, so he came up with another plan. The next day when the boys came by, the old man spoke to them and said, “I have gotten to where I look forward to your insults everyday. And just to show that I am serious, tomorrow, whoever comes up with some really good insults will get a quarter. The next day the boys hurled their most outrageous epitaphs. Sure enough, they each got a quarter. The second day even more boys showed up and got quarters. Just think, they could get paid for having fun! **On the third day there was a large crowd joining in, so the old man had to tell them, “Look, this crowd is getting too big. I can’t afford to give you all quarters, so from now on I will just give you a penny per insult.” The boys were indignant. “If you think we are going to do this for a penny, you’re crazy” they said and refused to insult the old man again**." --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[intrinsic-motivation]], [[extrinsic-motivation]], [[crowding-out]], [[teaching-anecdotes]], **Source** -- [[20250112015442 - B - If Disney Ran Your Hospital]]