The principal mark of genius is not perfection but originality, the opening of new frontiers.
—Arthur Koestler (1905–83) British Writer, Journalist, Political Refugee
Creative people who can’t help but explore other mental territories are at greater risk, just as someone who climbs a mountain is more at risk than someone who just walks along a village lane.
—R. D. Laing (1927–89) Scottish Psychiatrist
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.
—Scott Adams (b.1957) American Cartoonist
Men must live and create. Live to the point of tears.
—Albert Camus (1913–60) Algerian-born French Philosopher, Dramatist, Novelist
The life of the creative man is lead, directed and controlled by boredom. Avoiding boredom is one of our most important purposes.
—Saul Steinberg (1914–99) American Cartoonist, Illustrator
I believe that none of us ever fails at anything. Every time we create something we are successful at creation. However, we do make some poor choices about what we create.
—Anonymous
Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.
—Rita Mae Brown (b.1944) American Writer, Feminist
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
In producers, loafing is productive; and no creator, of whatever magnitude, has ever been able to skip that stage, any more than a mother can skip gestation.
—Jacques Barzun (b.1907) American Cultural Historian, Philosopher
There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish.
—Warren Bennis (1925–2014) American Business Academic, Author
Many people are inventive, sometimes cleverly so. But real creativity begins with the drive to work on and on and on.
—Margueritte Harmon Bro (1894–1977) American Missionary In China
Genius, in truth, means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
Man is a creature of hope and invention, both of which belie the idea that things cannot be changed.
—Tom Clancy (1947–2013) American Spy Novelist
It is in the compelling zest of high adventure and of victory, and in creative action, that man finds his supreme joys.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900–44) French Novelist, Aviator
Yes, of course [this age] is materialistic, but the only way to counteract it is to create spiritual things. Don’t worry yourself about the materialism too much. Create and stir other people to create!
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
The whole difference between construction and creation is this; that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.
—Charles Dickens (1812–70) English Novelist
What nature delivers to us is never stale. Because what nature creates has eternity in it.
—Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902–91) Polish-born American Writer, Novelist, Short Story Writer
Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression. The chasm is never completely bridged. We all have the conviction, perhaps illusory, that we have much more to say than appears on the paper.
—Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902–91) Polish-born American Writer, Novelist, Short Story Writer
No greater thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.
—Epictetus (55–135) Ancient Greek Philosopher
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
If you are going to be original, you are going to be wrong a lot.
—Anonymous
It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.
—Herman Melville (1819–91) American Novelist, Short Story Writer, Essayist, Poet
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
Proximity to the crowd, to the majority view, spells the death of creativity. For a soul can create only when alone, and some are chosen for the flowering that takes place in the dark avenues of night.
—Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–72) American Jewish Rabbi
There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.
—Edward de Bono (1933–2021) Maltese-British Psychologist, Writer
The process of writing, any form of creativity, is a power intensifying life.
—Rita Mae Brown (b.1944) American Writer, Feminist
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-British Academic, Author, Literary Scholar
I learned…that inspiration does not come like a bolt, nor is it kinetic, energetic striving, but it comes into us slowly and quietly and all the time, though we must regularly and every day give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness.
—Brenda Ueland (1891–1985) American Journalist Memoirist
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
Creativity is rich with unexpected possibility. Know-how is mere fragmented mechanics which lacks tradition.
—John O’Donohue (1956–2008) Irish Priest, Hegelian Philosopher
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