An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy to be called an idea at all.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
It isn’t easy for an idea to squeeze itself into a head filled with prejudice.
—Indian Proverb
I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn’t like it.
—Samuel Goldwyn (1879–1974) Polish-born American Film Producer, Businessperson
Ideas are a capital that bears interest only in the hands of talent.
—Antoine de Rivarol (1753–1801) French Writer, Epigrammatist
There are more ideas on earth than intellectuals imagine. And these ideas are more active, stronger, more resistant, more passionate than “politicians” think. We have to be there at the birth of ideas, the bursting outward of their force: not in books expressing them, but in events manifesting this force, in struggles carried on around ideas, for or against them. Ideas do not rule the world. But it is because the world has ideas… that it is not passively ruled by those who are its leaders or those who would like to teach it, once and for all, what it must think.
—Michel Foucault (1926–84) French Philosopher, Critic, Historian
The point is that profound but contradictory ideas may exist side by side, if they are constructed from different materials and methods. And have different purposes. Each tells us something important about where we stand in the universe, and it is foolish to insist that they must despise each other.
—Neil Postman (1931–2003) American Educator, Media Theorist, Social Critic
If you are possessed by an idea, you find it expressed everywhere, you even smell it.
—Thomas Mann (1875–1955) German Novelist, Short Story Writer, Social Critic, Philanthropist, Essayist
Although words exist for the most part for the transmission of ideas, there are some which produce such violent disturbance in our feelings that the role they play in the transmission of ideas is lost in the background.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
The ideas of a time are like the clothes of a season: they are as arbitrary, as much imposed by some superior will which is seldom explicit. They are utilitarian and political, the instruments of smooth-running government.
—Wyndham Lewis (1882–1957) English Novelist, Painter, Critic
The vitality of thought is in adventure. Ideas won’t keep. Something must be done about them. When the idea is new, its custodians have fervor, live for it, and if need be, die for it.
—Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) English Mathematician, Philosopher
Such as take lodgings in a head that’s to be let unfurnished.
—Samuel Butler
Ideas are powerful things, requiring not a studious contemplation but an action, even if it is only an inner action. Their acquisition obligates each man in some way to change his life, even if it is only his inner life. They demand to be stood for. They dictate where a man must concentrate his vision. They determine his moral and intellectual priorities. They provide him with allies and make him enemies. In short, ideas impose an interest in their ultimate fate which goes far beyond the realm of the merely reasonable.
—Midge Decter (b.1927) American Journalist, Activist, Author
Get your ideas on paper and study them. Do not let them go to waste!
—Les Brown
Ideas in the mind are the transcript of the world; words are the transcript of ideas; and writing and printing are the transcript of words.
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719) English Essayist, Poet, Playwright, Politician
New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.
—John Locke (1632–1704) English Philosopher, Physician
Drawing is putting a line round an idea.
—Henri Matisse (1869–1954) French Painter, Sculptor, Lithographer
An idea is a putting truth in check-mate.
—Jose Ortega y. Gasset (1883–1955) Spanish Critic, Journalist, Philosopher
So long as new ideas are created, sales will continue to reach new highs.
—Dorothea Brande (1893–1948) American Writer, Editor
Are you a serial idea-starting person? The goal is to be an idea-shipping person.
—Seth Godin (b.1960) American Entrepreneur
Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
—John Steinbeck (1902–68) American Novelist, Short Story Writer, Journalist
An idea, like a ghost, according to the common notion of ghosts, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself.
—Charles Dickens (1812–70) English Novelist
You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea.
—John Nuveen
A cold in the head causes less suffering than an idea.
—Jules Renard (1864–1910) French Writer, Diarist
Ideas in secret die. They need light and air or they starve to death.
—Seth Godin (b.1960) American Entrepreneur
Ideas can no more flow backward than can a river.
—Victor Hugo (1802–85) French Novelist
Great people talk about great ideas; average people talk about average ideas; small people talk about other poeple.
—Anonymous
A child sees everything, looks straight at it, examines it, without any preconceived idea; most people, after they are about eleven or twelve, quite lose this power, they see everything through a few preconceived ideas which hang like a veil between them and the outer world.
—Olive Schreiner (1855–1920) South African Writer, Feminist
A half-baked idea is okay as long as it’s in the oven.
—Unknown
You can’t have good ideas unless you’re willing to generate a lot of bad ones.
—Seth Godin (b.1960) American Entrepreneur
There is no prescribed route to follow to arrive at a new idea. You have to make the intuitive leap. But the difference is that once you’ve made the intuitive leap you have to justify it by filling in the intermediate steps. N my case, it often happens that I have an idea, but then I try to fill in the intermediate steps and find that they don’t work, so I have to give it up.
—Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) English Theoretical Physicist, Cosmologist, Academic