In professional work - certainly in the arts and graphics - 99% of people have zero courage. They blow with the wind.
George LoisRead
The business world worships mediocrity. Officially we revere free enterprise, initiative and individuality. Unofficially we fear it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that while society publicly praises individualism and initiative, in practice, it tends to favor conformity and mediocrity.
George Lois highlights a paradox in the business world where, despite the celebrated values of free enterprise and creativity, there exists a deep-rooted fear of true originality and boldness. This fear leads to the veneration of mediocrity, as those who stick to the norm are often favored over those who dare to be different, creating a culture that stifles innovation and true individual expression.
Themes
BusinessMediocrityIndividualityInnovationFear
In practice
Example use cases
This quote would be fitting for a business seminar focused on creativity and innovation.
More from George Lois
All quotes βYou can't test great advertising. You can only test the mediocre. Not that I don't care about demographics. You have to understand who you're going after.
George LoisRead
Truly great images make all the other millions of images you look at unimportant. You gotta look at an image and understand it in a nanosecond.
George LoisRead
In any creative industry, the fact that others are moving in a certain direction is always proof positive, at least to me, that a new direction is the only direction.
George LoisRead
I've done truth to power all my life. It's got me into trouble, but who cares?
George LoisRead
I don't design. I get what I think is a big idea, and I put the idea down. I'm not a designer. I'm a communicator.
George LoisRead
Similar quotes
Managing a business, small or large, today requires an extremely disciplined, thoughtful approach with regard to the pressure that people are under.
Howard SchultzRead
A company shouldn't get addicted to being shiny, because shiny doesn't last.
Jeff BezosRead
I wasn't running toward the theater but running away from the sporting goods store. Of course now that I'm selling spaghetti sauce (with Newman's Own), I begin to understand the romance of business.. the allure of being the biggest fish in the pond and the juice you get from beating out your competitors.
Paul NewmanRead
Customers first, employees second, and shareholders third.
Jack MaRead
When we first started our internet company, 'China Pages', in 1995, and we were just making home pages for a lot of Chinese companies. We went to the big owners, the big companies, and they didn't want to do it. We go to state-owned companies, and they didn't want to do it. Only the small and medium companies really want to do it.
Jack MaRead
Every single person in every single company is either in sales or affects sales. Every single person in every single company is either in service or affects service.
Jeffrey GitomerRead