QuoteProject
Keep on the lookout for novel ideas that others have used successfully. Your idea has to be original only in its adaptation to the problem you're working on.
Thomas A. Edison
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Innovative ideas can stem from existing concepts reinterpreted for new challenges.

This quote emphasizes the importance of being observant and adaptive in the creative process. Thomas A. Edison suggests that successful innovations aren't always about being completely unique; rather, they often come from reworking and adapting ideas that have proven effective for others, tailored to solve specific problems at hand.

Themes

InnovationIdeasAdaptationCreativityProblem-Solving

In practice

Example use cases

During a brainstorming session, to encourage creativity, one might say, 'Remember what Edison said about adapting ideas.'

More from Thomas A. Edison

If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
I am a vegetarian as well as a passionate anti-alcoholic, because I can thus make better use of my brain.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
Genius is not inspired. Inspiration is perspiration.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
I didn't fail 1000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
There is no substitute for hard work.
Thomas A. EdisonRead
Never be discouraged, because every wrong turn attempt, when left behind you, is another step forward taking you closer to your goals.
Thomas A. EdisonRead

Similar quotes

It is easier to make our wishes conform to our means than to make our means conform to our wishes.
Robert E. LeeRead
In mindfulness one is not only restful and happy, but alert and awake. Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.
Nhat HanhRead
I left the fairy tales lying on the floor of the nursery, and I have not found any books so sensible since.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead
If I limit myself to knowledge that I consider true beyond doubt, I minimize the risk of error but I maximize, at the same time, the risk of missing out on what may be the subtlest, most important and most rewarding things in life.
E. F. SchumacherRead
The fly that doesn't want to be swatted is most secure when it lights on the fly-swatter.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
Part of making any endeavour is that each one has its own special problems. It's the nature of the process.
Martin ScorseseRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Thomas A. Edison | QuoteProject