It is far better to do the right thing wrong than to do the wrong thing right.
Russell L. AckoffRead
Creativity is the ability to identify self-imposed constraints, remove them, and explore the consequences of their removal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Creativity involves recognizing and eliminating limitations we place on ourselves to explore new possibilities.
This quote emphasizes that true creativity is not merely about producing art or innovative ideas, but rather about understanding and breaking free from the limitations we impose on ourselves. By identifying these constraints and removing them, we can explore new avenues and possibilities that were previously hidden, leading to greater innovation and discovery.
Themes
CreativityConstraintsExplorationInnovationFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
In a brainstorming session, I shared a quote about creativity to encourage team members to think outside the box.
More from Russell L. Ackoff
All quotes →A problem never exists in isolation; it is surrounded by other problems in space and time. The more of the context of a problem that a scientist can comprehend, the greater are his chances of finding a truly adequate solution.
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Successful problem solving requires finding the right solution to the right problem. We fail more often because we solve the wrong problem than because we get the wrong solution to the right problem.
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Similar quotes
The creative individual is particularly gifted in seeing the gap between what is and what could be.
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I'm not an extraordinary worker, I'm an extraordinary daydreamer. I exceed all my fantasies-even that of writing.
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Do you think of yourself as a creative personality? If you do, you are both fortunate and correct, in fact the beautiful truth is that everyone is creative and we all have the ability to develop our creative potential. It is wise to remember that the person who follows the crowd will get no further than the crowd. The person who walks the creative path is likely to find they are in places no one has ever been before.
Bob ProctorRead
The enemy of creativity... is fear. We're all born creative, it takes a little while to become afraid. A surprising insight: an enemy of fear is creativity. Acting in a creative way generates action, and action persuades the fear to lighten up.
Seth GodinRead
There’s a temptation in our networked age to think that ideas can be developed by email and iChat. That’s crazy. Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions. You run into someone, you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘wow,’ and soon you’re cooking up all sorts of ideas.
Steve JobsRead