I feel like in telling stories, there are the things the audience thinks are important, and then there are the things that are actually important.
J. J. AbramsRead
I try to push ideas away, and the ones that will not leave me alone are the ones that ultimately end up happening.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the notion that persistent ideas are often the most valuable and transformative.
J. J. Abrams suggests that creativity involves a process of filtering ideas, where the ones that remain persistent in oneβs mind are worth pursuing. This highlights the importance of being attuned to our inner thoughts and inspirations, as they can lead us to significant and impactful outcomes in our work and lives.
Themes
IdeasCreativityInspirationPersistenceArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about innovation during a conference, one might reference this quote to emphasize the importance of following through with one's true ideas.
More from J. J. Abrams
All quotes βWhen you work on something that combines both the spectacular and the relatable, the hyperreal and the real, it suddenly can become supernatural. The hypothetical and the theoretical can become literal.
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Maybe there are times when mystery is more important than knowledge. I realized that the white page is a magic box. Ultimately, the mistery box is all of us. Ubiquitous technologies. What comes next ? Mystery as catalyst for imagination.
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