Favorite Quotes
No Impact Man: “I am not realistic. I never want to be realistic. God save us all from realism, especially if it means we have to limit our vision for the world.”
Author Unknown: “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back– Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
William Drenttel: “Great design does not, in fact, come from compromise; it comes from strength of character, persistence of vision, and expertise.”
Daniel Burnham, Chicago architect. (1864-1912): “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty. Think big.”
Tim Brown: “Inspiration. Where do ideas come from? Insights are the fuel of inspiration. You don’t get ideas from sitting at your desk. Use the world as a source of inspiration (not as a source of validation). It starts with empathy and seeing things from other people’s viewpoints, not yours. Aim to understand people on multiple levels: physically, cognitively, emotionally, socially, and culturally.”
Louis Pasteur: “Luck favors the prepared mind.”
Andy Rachleff: “Well I don’t believe that entrepreneurs are created, I think they are born… You can always hire execution, you can never hire vision.”
Mihaly Csikszentmihaly: “To be human means to be creative.”
Edward Albee: “Sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of their way to come back a short distance correctly.”
Pablo Picasso: “[Work] below your means. If you can handle three elements, handle only two. If you can handle ten, then handle only five. In that way the ones you do handle, you handle with more ease, more mastery, and you create a feeling of strength in reserve.”
David Cabianca: “Rules are used as a substitute for skills of observation.”
Steve Jobs: “You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.”
Frank Gehry: “Is starting hard? You know it is.”
Richard Schoenwald: “I can’t lead the life of the mind in solitude, and neither can you, and together we defy the tyranny of change, and we escape being imprisoned by falseness and triviality, and we jointly venture onward.
Unknown: “To be bound to our own mistakes is the ultimate expression of freedom.”
From John Maeda’s Blog: “Your expression of anger … belies the qualities … of a lesser man.”
