December 8, 2009

As we enter the final stretch of 2009, it’s a good time for reflection. To spark some new ideas – and maybe a New Year’s resolution or two? – we’ve collected some of our favorite tidbits of unconventional wisdom from thinkers and doers past and present:

“The things we fear most in organizations – fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances – are the primary sources of creativity.” –Margaret J. Wheatley

“Going with the flow is a euphemism for failing.” –Seth Godin

“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.” –Chuck Close

“The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.” –John Kenneth Galbraith

“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” –Erich Fromm

"Saints are sinners who kept on going.” –Robert Louis Stevenson

“Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.” –Albert Einstein

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”–James Baldwin

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” –Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.” –F. Scott Fitzgerald

Join the conversation ( 1 )

• Jill Fehrenbacher 2 years 1 months and 28 days ago

  

  "Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable" has never been truer. In business and in life, one is required to constantly redefine the big picture and the path to completion. Things change and it's critical to roll with the punches. Otherwise, you'll be left behind!
  
  All these quotes are great and truly define the brilliance of the greatest thinkers of our time. Well done, excellent list.