Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting!
Almost everyone who has had an idea that's somewhat revolutionary or wildly successful was first told they're insane.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Innovative ideas are often dismissed as crazy before they are recognized as valuable.
This quote by Larry Page suggests that many successful individuals face skepticism and criticism when presenting their groundbreaking ideas. It highlights the common experience of creative thinkers who are often labeled as 'insane' for thinking outside the box, yet those very ideas can lead to significant advancements and achievements in society. The quote emphasizes the importance of perseverance and belief in one's vision despite external doubt.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about entrepreneurship, you could say, 'Almost everyone who has had an idea that's somewhat revolutionary was first told they're insane.'
More from Larry Page
All quotes βTechnology should do the hard work, so you can get on and live your life. We're only at one percent of what's possible, and we're moving slow relative to the opportunity we have.
Lots of companies donβt succeed over time. What do they fundamentally do wrong? They usually miss the future. I try to focus on that: What is the future really going to be? And how do we create it? And how do we power our organization to really focus on that and really drive it at a high rate? When I was working on Android, I felt guilty. It wasnβt what we were working on, it was a start-up, and I felt guilty. That was stupid! It was the future.
Always deliver more than expected.
You don't need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea.
I like going to Burning Man, for example. An environment where people can try new things. I think as technologists we should have some safe places where we can try out new things and figure out the effect on society. What's the effect on people, without having to deploy it to the whole world.
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Replace your pursuit of success with the pursuit of contribution.
I think the combination of graduate education in a field like Computer Science and the opportunity to apply this in a work environment like Microsoft is what drove me. The impact these opportunities create can lead to work that has broad, worldwide impact.
Seriously. I'm not playing to prove anything to journalists. I'm playing for myself, for my fans,to make people happy.
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