Despite the obvious fact that high performance can be promoted in many ways, the author of this article assumed for much of his academic life as a student and as a teacher that most students were motivated to learn by grades and not much else. Experiments with pass-fail courses and reports to students of their results seemed to confirm this assumption. However, one of his experiments has now discredited the assumption once and for all. This commentary rests partially on recollections of the author's observations pertaining especially to a requirement in various philosophy of education courses that he has taught. This requirement was the gradual development (throughout the course) of a personal statement of philosophy of education by each student. After serious considerations of the matter, the author decided not to assign a letter grade to this personal essay. The author's experience demonstrated that students will be motivated if the task is perceived as personally and presently significant. The author concludes that the key to any approach to inspiring students to a high standard of academic performance lies in the teacher's understanding of human nature. This also has implications for human performance technology (HPT) professionals who consult with managers seeking to inspire employees to high standards of workplace performance.