If one finds the strength to deal with small things, one finds it to deal with the large ones as well.
—Etty Hillesum (1914–43) Jewish Diarist
True creativity is characterized by a succession of acts each dependent on the one before and suggesting the one after.
—Edwin H. Land (1909–91) American Inventor, Physicist
Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy-the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence.
—Norman Podhoretz (b.1930) American Political Activist, Columnist, Author
Creativity is a highfalutin’ word for the work I have to do between now and Tuesday.
—Ray Kroc (1902–84) American Entrepreneur, Businessperson
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
I have asked a lot of my emotions—one hundred and twenty stories. The price was high, right up with Kipling, because there was one little drop of something, not blood, not a tear, not my seed, but me more intimately than these, in every story, it was the extra I had. Now it has gone and I am just like you now.
—Unknown
An inventor a man who looks upon the world and is not contented with things as they are. He wants to improve whatever he sees, he wants to benefit the world.
—Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922) Scottish-born American Inventor, Engineer, Academic
Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.
—Erich Fromm (1900–80) German-American Psychoanalyst, Social Philosopher
If you are going to be original, you are going to be wrong a lot.
—Anonymous
It is better to create than to learn! Creating is the essence of life.
—Julius Caesar (c.100–44BCE) Roman Statesman, Military General
One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
—A. A. Milne (1882–1956) British Humorist, Playwright, Children’s Writer
That which builds is better than that which is built.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
With our thoughts we shape the world.
—Buddhist Teaching
Conditions for creativity are to be puzzled; to concentrate; to accept conflict and tension; to be born everyday; to feel a sense of self.
—Erich Fromm (1900–80) German-American Psychoanalyst, Social Philosopher
All works of art are commissioned in the sense that no artist can create one by a simple act of will but must wait until what he believes to be a good idea for a work “comes” to him.
—W. H. Auden (1907–73) British-born American Poet, Dramatist
Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.
—Pierre-Marc-Gaston, duc de Levis
Successful people engage that creative part of their minds and ask, “Well, I wonder how else I can look at this problem?” I wonder how else I could deal with this decision? I wonder what other possibilities I have there?
—Jim Rohn (1930–2009) American Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker
Whatever creativity is, it is in part a solution to a problem.
—Brian Aldiss (1925–2017) British Novelist, Short-Story Writer
Is not the tremendous strength in men of the impulse to creative work in every field precisely due to their feeling of playing a relatively small part in the creation of living beings, which constantly impels them to an overcompensation in achievement?
—Karen Horney (1885–1952) German-born American Psychoanalyst
Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training.
—Anna Freud (1895–1982) Austrian-British Child Psychoanalyst
Most people die before they are fully born. Creativeness means to be born before one dies.
—Erich Fromm (1900–80) German-American Psychoanalyst, Social Philosopher
We know where most of the creativeity, the innovation, the stuff that drives productivity lies—in the minds of those closest to the work. It’s been there in front of our noses all along while we’ve been running around chasing robots and reading books on how to become Japanese—or at least manage like them.
—Jack Welch (1935–2020) American Businessperson
Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations, the latter (like the river banks) forcing the spontaneity into the various forms which are essential to the work of art or poem.
—Rollo May (1909–94) American Philosopher
Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.
—C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) Irish-born British Academic, Author, Literary Scholar
Everything changes but change itself. Everything flows and nothing remains the same…You cannot step twice into the same river, for other waters and yet others go flowing ever on.
—John F. Kennedy (1917–63) American Head of State, Journalist
Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can play weird—that’s easy. What’s hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple complicated is commonplace—making the complicated simple, awesomely simple—that’s creativity.
—Charles Mingus (1922–79) American Jazz Bassist, Composer
It is important to do what you don’t know how to do. It is important to see your skills as keeping you from learning what is deepest and most mysterious. If you know how to focus, unfocus. If your tendency is to make sense out of chaos, start chaos.
—Carlos Castaneda (1925–98) Peruvian-born American Anthropologist, Author
When I’m playful I use the meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude for a seine, and drag the Atlantic Ocean for whales. I scratch my head with the lightning and purr myself to sleep with the thunder.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
To create something you must be something.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
Helped are those who create anything at all, for they shall relive the thrill of their own conception and realize a partnership in the creation of the Universe that keeps them responsible and cheerful.
—Alice Walker (b.1944) American Novelist, Activist
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