The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.
—John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) English Economist
The only force that can overcome an idea and a faith is another and better idea and faith, positively and fearlessly upheld.
—Dorothy Thompson (1893–1961) American Journalist, Radio Personality
Ideas have become far more important to us than action – ideas so cleverly expressed in books by the intellectuals in every field. The more cunning, the more subtle, those ideas are the more we worship them and the books that contain them. We are those books, we are those ideas, so heavily conditioned are we by them. We are forever discussing ideas and ideals and dialectically offering opinions. Every religion has its dogma, its formula, its own scaffold to reach the gods, and when inquiring into the beginning of thought we are questioning the importance of this whole edifice of ideas. We have separated ideas from action because ideas are always of the past and action is always the present – that is, living is always the present. We are afraid of living and therefore the past, as ideas, has become so important to us.
—Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) Indian Philosopher
A fresh mind keeps the body fresh. Take in the ideas of the day, drain off those of yesterday. As to the morrow, time enough to consider it when it becomes today.
—Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803–73) British Novelist, Poet, Politician
Long is the road from conception to completion.
—Moliere (1622–73) French Playwright
An idea isn’t responsible for the people who believe it.
—Don Marquis (1878–1937) American Humorist, Journalist, Author
To swear off making mistakes is very easy. All you have to do is swear off having ideas.
—Leo Burnett (1891–1971) American Advertising Executive
The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.
—Brennan Manning (1934–2013) American Theologian, Author
To solve a problem or to reach a goal, you don’t need to know all the answers in advance. But you must have a clear idea of the problem or the goal you want to reach.
—W. Clement Stone (1902–2002) American Self-help Guru, Entrepreneur
Hang ideas! They are tramps, vagabonds, knocking at the back-door of your mind, each taking a little of your substance, each carrying away some crumb of that belief in a few simple notions you must cling to if you want to live decently and would like to die easy!
—Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) Polish-born British Novelist
Opportunity ideas do not lie around waiting to be discovered. Such ideas need to be produced.
—Edward de Bono (1933–2021) Maltese-British Psychologist, Writer
Of course all life is a process of breaking down, but the blows that do the dramatic side of the work – the big sudden blows that come, or seem to come, from outside – the ones you remember and blame things on and, in moments of weakness, tell your friends about, don’t show their effect all at once. There is another sort of blow that comes from within – that you don’t feel until it’s too late to do anything about it, until you realize with finality that in some regard you will never be as good a man again. The first sort of breakage seems to happen quick – the second kind happens almost without your knowing it but is realized suddenly indeed. Before I go on with this short history, let me make a general observation – the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) American Novelist
The greatest events of an age are its best thoughts. It is the nature of thought to find its way into action.
—Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American Writer, Aphorist
If you wish to find, you must search. Rarely does a good idea interrupt you.
—Jim Rohn (1930–2009) American Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker
Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
No organization ever created an innovation. People innovate, not companies.
—Seth Godin (b.1960) American Entrepreneur
These people who are always briskly doing something and as busy as waltzing mice, they have little, sharp, staccato ideas, such as: “I see where I can make an annual cut of $3.47 in my meat budget.” But they have no slow, big ideas.
—Brenda Ueland (1891–1985) American Journalist Memoirist
The world moves, and ideas that were once good are not always good.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) American Head of State, Military Leader
Expecting something for nothing is the most popular form of hope.
—Arnold Glasow (1905–98) American Businessman
Great people talk about great ideas; average people talk about average ideas; small people talk about other poeple.
—Anonymous
If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
An idea is a putting truth in check-mate.
—Jose Ortega y. Gasset (1883–1955) Spanish Critic, Journalist, Philosopher
You cannot put a rope around the neck of an idea; you cannot put an idea up against the barrack-square wall and riddle it with bullets; you cannot confine it in the strongest prison cell your slaves could ever build.
—Sean O’Casey (1880–1964) Irish Dramatist, Memoirist
You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea.
—John Nuveen
Ideas are a capital that bears interest only in the hands of talent.
—Antoine de Rivarol (1753–1801) French Writer, Epigrammatist
Everything begins with an idea.
—Earl Nightingale (1921–89) American Motivational Speaker, Author
Just once in a while let us exalt the importance of ideas and information.
—Edward R. Murrow (1908–65) American Journalist, Radio Personality
In search of ideas I spent yesterday morning in walking about, and went to the stores and bought things in four departments. A wonderful and delightful way of spending time. I think this sort of activity does stimulate creative ideas.
—Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) British Novelist, Playwright, Critic
Good ideas and innovations must be driven into existence by courageous patience.
—Hyman G. Rickover (1900–86) American Naval Engineering Officer
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