Whenever I hear people talking about liberal ideas, I am always astounded that men should love to fool themselves with empty sounds. An idea should never be liberal; it must be vigorous, positive, and without loose ends so that it may fulfill its divine mission and be productive. The proper place for liberality is in the realm of the emotions.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
I’ve dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they’ve gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the color of my mind.
—Emily Bronte (1818–48) English Novelist, Poet
If you have the same ideas as everybody else but have them one week earlier than everyone else then you will be hailed as a visionary. But if you have them five years earlier you will be named a lunatic.
—Unknown
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
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 you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
Big ideas are little ideas that no-one killed too soon.
—Seth Godin (b.1960) American Entrepreneur
I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn’t like it.
—Samuel Goldwyn (1879–1974) Polish-born American Film Producer, Businessperson
The value of an idea lies in the using of it.
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American Inventor, Scientist, Entrepreneur
If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied.
—Alfred Nobel (1833–1896) Swedish Inventor, Humanitarian
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
If one benefits tangibly from the exploitation of others who are weak, is one morally implicated in their predicament? Or are basic rights of human existence confined to the civilized societies that are wealthy enough to afford them? Our values are defined by what we will tolerate when it is done to others.
—William Greider (1936–2019) American Political Journalist
Human life is driven forward by its dim apprehension of notions too general for its existing language.
—Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) English Mathematician, Philosopher
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–94) American Physician, Essayist
New ideas are one of the most overrated concepts of our time. Most of the important ideas that we live with aren’t new at all.
—Andy Rooney (b.1919) American Writer, Humorist, TV Personality
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
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
A great idea is usually original to more than one discoverer. Great ideas come when the world needs them. They surround the world’s ignorance and press for admission.
—Austin Phelps (1820–90) American Presbyterian Clergyman, Educator, Theologian
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
Drawing is putting a line round an idea.
—Henri Matisse (1869–1954) French Painter, Sculptor, Lithographer
Bred to think as well as speak by vote, we furnish our minds, as we furnish our houses, with the fancies of others, and according to the mode and age of our country. — We pick up our ideas and notions in common conversation, as in schools.
—Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (1678–1751) English Politician, Philosopher
Too often new ideas are studied and analyzed until they are suffocated.
—C. William Pollard (b.1938) American Businessman
There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt.
—Audre Lorde (1934–92) American Poet, Activist
Life is the application of noble and profound ideas to life.
—Matthew Arnold (1822–88) English Poet, Critic
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
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
An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.
—Edward de Bono (b.1933) Maltese-British Psychologist, Writer
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
Congealed thinking is the forerunner of failure…make sure you are always receptive to new ideas.
—George W. Crane (1901–95) American Psychologist, Physician
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
Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.
—Nolan Bushnell (b.1943) American Engineer, Businessman
Acting on a good idea is better than just having a good idea.
—Robert Half
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
Don’t be afraid to stumble. Any inventor will tell you that you don’t follow a plan far before you strike a snag. If, out of 100 ideas you get one that works, it’s enough.
—Charles F. Kettering (1876–1958) American Inventor, Entrepreneur, Businessperson
To have good ideas, you have to have a lot of ideas.
—Linus Pauling (1901–94) American Scientist, Peace Activist
Behind every advance of the human race is a germ of creation growing in the mind of some lone individual. An individual whose dreams waken him in the night while others lie contentedly asleep.
—Crawford Greenewalt (1902–93) American Engineer
Take the obvious, add a cupful of brains, a generous pinch of imagination, a bucketful of courage and daring, stir well and bring to a boil.
—Bernard M. Baruch (1870–1965) American Financier, Economic Consultant
To have ideas is to gather flowers; to think, is to weave them into garlands.
—Sophie Swetchine (1782–1857) Russian Mystic, Writer
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
A cold in the head causes less suffering than an idea.
—Jules Renard (1864–1910) French Writer, Diarist
An idea isn’t responsible for the people who believe it.
—Don Marquis (1878–1937) American Humorist, Journalist, Author
We shouldn’t be looking for heroes, we should be looking for good ideas.
—Noam Chomsky (b.1928) American Linguist, Social Critic
First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
A lofty idea must be had, not of what one is doing, but of what one may someday do. Otherwise there is no point in working on.
—Edgar Degas (1834–1917) French Painter, Sculpture, Printer maker, Artist
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, Editor, Writer, Teacher
Believe in something larger than yourself… Get involved in the big ideas of your time.
—Barbara Bush (1925–2018) American First Lady
You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come in contact with a new idea.
—John Nuveen
The greatest difficulty in the world is not for people to accept new ideas, but to make them forget old ideas.
—Tom Peters (b.1942) American Management Consultant, Author
My mind contains many good ideas, but it’s not always easy to squeeze one out.
—Ashleigh Brilliant (b.1933) British Cartoonist, Author
The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.
—John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) English Economist
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
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
The need to be right all the time is the biggest bar to new ideas. It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
—Edward de Bono (b.1933) Maltese-British Psychologist, Writer
Expecting something for nothing is the most popular form of hope.
—Arnold Glasow (1905–98) American Businessman
An original idea. That can’t be too hard. The library must be full of them.
—Stephen Fry (b.1957) English Actor, Writer, Director, Broadcaster
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
Ideas are elusive, slippery things. Best to keep a pad of paper and a pencil at your bedside, so you can stab them during the night before they get away.
—Earl Nightingale (1921–89) American Motivational Speaker, Author
An idea, to be suggestive, must come to the individual with the force of a revelation.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
You can’t have good ideas unless you’re willing to generate a lot of bad ones.
—Seth Godin (b.1960) American Entrepreneur
Serious-minded people have few ideas. People with ideas are never serious.
—Paul Valery (1871–1945) French Critic, Poet
An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy to be called an idea at all.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
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
Ideas in secret die. They need light and air or they starve to death.
—Seth Godin (b.1960) American Entrepreneur
A soul occupied with great ideas best performs small duties.
—Harriet Martineau (1802–76) English Sociologist, Economist, Essayist, Philosopher
Look for people who have lots of great questions. Smart people are the ones who ask the most thoughtful questions, as opposed to thinking they have all the answers. Great questions are a much better indicator of future success than great answers.
—Ray Dalio (b.1949) American Investor
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
My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.
—Anais Nin (1903–77) French-American Essayist
Ideas that enter the mind under fire remain there securely and for ever.
—Leon Trotsky (1879–1940) Russian Marxist Revolutionary
Man’s mind stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–94) American Physician, Essayist
If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases: (1) It’s completely impossible. (2) It’s possible, but it’s not worth doing. (3) I said it was a good idea all along.
—Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) British Scientist, Science-fiction Writer
Very simple ideas lie within the reach only of complex minds.
—Remy de Gourmont (1858–1915) French Poet, Novelist, Critic
If the ancients left us ideas, to our credit be it spoken, we moderns are building houses for them.
—Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888) American Teacher, Writer, Philosopher
Ideas are like wandering sons. They show up when you least expect them.
—Bert Williams qqq
There’s no correlation between how good your idea is and how likely your organization will be to embrace it.
—Seth Godin (b.1960) American Entrepreneur
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
Ideas are invented only as correctives to the past. Through repeated rectification of this kind one may hope to disengage an idea that is valid.
—Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962) French Philosopher, Psychoanalyst, Poet
Ideas can no more flow backward than can a river.
—Victor Hugo (1802–85) French Novelist
Books won’t stay banned. They won’t burn. Ideas won’t go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education.
—Alfred Whitney Griswold (1906–63) American Historian, Educator
Nearly every man who develops an idea works at it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then gets discouraged. That’s not the place to become discouraged.
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American Inventor, Scientist, Entrepreneur
No matter how brilliantly an idea is stated, we will not really be moved unless we have already half-thought of it ourselves.
—Mignon McLaughlin (1913–83) American Journalist, Author
It’s very good for an idea to be commonplace. The important thing is that a new idea should develop out of what is already there so that it soon becomes an old acquaintance. Old acquaintances aren’t by any means always welcome, but at least one can’t be mistaken as to who or what they are.
—Penelope Fitzgerald (1916–2000) British Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Biographer
If you want to get across an idea, wrap it up in a person.
—Ralph Bunche (1903–71) American Political Scientist, Diplomat
To ask at what time a man has first any ideas is to ask when he begins to perceive; having ideas and perception being the same thing.
—John Locke (1632–1704) English Philosopher, Physician
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
Good ideas and innovations must be driven into existence by courageous patience.
—Hyman G. Rickover (1900-86) American Naval Engineering Officer
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
The difference between people and ideas is… only superficial.
—Richard Rorty (1931–2007) American Philosopher
A new and valid idea is worth more than a regiment and fewer men can furnish the former than command the latter.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935) American Jurist, Author
An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.
—Victor Hugo (1802–85) French Novelist
Just once in a while let us exalt the importance of ideas and information.
—Edward R. Murrow (1908–65) American Journalist, Radio Personality
Nothing is so corrupting as a great idea whose time is past.
—Dero A. Saunders (1914–2002) American Journalist, Scholar
The world moves, and ideas that were once good are not always good.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) American Head of State, Military Leader
In Texas, years ago, almost all of the oil came from surface operations. Then someone got the idea that there were greater sources of supply deeper down. A well was drilled five thousand feet deep. The result?. A gusher. Too many of us operate on the surface. We never go deep enough to find supernatural resources. The result is, we never operate at our best. More time and investment is involved to go deep but a gusher will pay off.
—Alfred A. Montapert (1906–97) American Engineer, Philosopher
The human mind treats a new idea the way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it.
—Peter Medawar (1915–87) British Zoologist, Immunologist
The measure of greatness in a scientific idea is the extent to which it stimulates thought and opens up new lines of research.
—Paul Dirac (1902–84) English Theoretical Physicist
Ideas are refined and multiplied in the commerce of minds. In their splendor, images effect a very simple communion of souls.
—Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962) French Philosopher, Psychoanalyst, Poet
To have a great idea, have a lot of them.
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American Inventor, Scientist, Entrepreneur
An idea is never given to you without you being given the power to make it reality. You must, nevertheless, suffer for it.
—Richard Bach (b.1936) American Novelist, Aviator
Ideas, though vivid and real, are often indefinite, and are shy of the close furniture of words.
—Martin Farquhar Tupper (1810–89) English Poet, Writer