We don’t need men with new ideas as much as we need men who will put energy behind the old ideas.
—William Feather (1889–1981) American Publisher, Author
If a man loves the labor of his trade, apart from any question of success or fame, the gods have called him.
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94) Scottish Novelist
Good ideas and innovations must be driven into existence by courageous patience.
—Hyman G. Rickover (1900–86) American Naval Engineering Officer
As long as I can conceive something better than myself I cannot be easy unless I am striving to bring it into existence or clearing the way for it.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
It is not always by plugging away at a difficulty and sticking at it that one overcomes it; but, rather, often by working on the one next to it. Certain people and certain things require to be approached at an angle.
—Andre Gide (1869–1951) French Novelist
It is a lesson which all history teaches wise men, to put trust in ideas, and not in circumstances.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Man’s mind stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–94) American Physician, Essayist
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
Believe in something larger than yourself… Get involved in the big ideas of your time.
—Barbara Bush (1925–2018) American First Lady
Often the difference between a successful man and a failure is not one’s better abilities or ideas but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk—and act.
—Maxwell Maltz (1899–1975) American Surgeon, Motivational Writer
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
Ideas control the world.
—James A. Garfield (1831–81) American Head of State, Lawyer, Educator
Many ideas are good for a limited time—not forever.
—Robert C. Townsend (1920–98) American Businessman
Men who accomplish great things in the industrial world are the ones who have faith in the money producing power of ideas.
—Charles Fillmore (1854–1948) American New Thought Mystic
The world moves, and ideas that were once good are not always good.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) American Head of State, Military Leader
The value of an idea has nothing whatever to do with the sincerity of the man who expresses it.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
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
Congealed thinking is the forerunner of failure…make sure you are always receptive to new ideas.
—George W. Crane (1901–95) American Psychologist, Physician
An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.
—Buddhist Teaching
The difference between people and ideas is… only superficial.
—Richard Rorty (1931–2007) American Philosopher
If you want to have good ideas you must have many ideas. Most of them will be wrong, and what you have to learn is which ones to throw away.
—Linus Pauling (1901–94) American Scientist, Peace Activist
To have good ideas, you have to have a lot of ideas.
—Linus Pauling (1901–94) American Scientist, Peace Activist
Now, ideas are the raw material of progress. Everything first takes shape in the form of an idea. But an idea by itself is worth nothing. An idea, like a machine, must have power applied to it before it can accomplish anything. The men who have won fame and fortune through having an idea are those who devoted every ounce of their strength and every dollar they could muster to putting it into operation. Ford had a big idea, but he had to sweat and suffer and sacrifice in order to make it work.
—B. C. Forbes (1880–1954) Scottish-born American Journalist, Publisher
We are not to make the ideas of contentment and aspiration quarrel, for God made them fast friends.—A man may aspire, and yet be quite content until it is time to rise; and both flying and resting are but parts of one contentment. The very fruit of the gospel is aspiration. It is to the heart what spring is to the earth, making every root, and bud, and bough desire to be more.
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–87) American Clergyman, Writer
The ideas I stand for are not mine. I borrowed them from Socrates. I swiped them from Chesterfield. I stole them from Jesus. And I put them in a book. If you don’t like their rules, whose would you use?
—Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American Self-Help Author
An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than in the one where they sprung up. That which was a weed in one intelligence becomes a flower in the other, and a flower, again, dwindles down to a mere weed by the same change. Healthy growths may become poisonous by falling upon the wrong mental soil, and what seemed a nightshade in one mind unfold as a morning-glory in the other.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–94) American Physician, Essayist
Our land is not more the recipient of the men of all countries than of their ideas.
—George Bancroft (1800–91) American Historian, Politician
It first appeared like a crazy idea. It turned out he had a great idea.
—J. Richard Munro (b.1931) American Broadcast Executive
Are you a serial idea-starting person? The goal is to be an idea-shipping person.
—Seth Godin (b.1960) American Entrepreneur
Leave a Reply