Quotes by Éric Weiner

“All genuinely creative ideas are initially met with rejection, since they necessarily threaten the status quo. An enthusiastic reception for a new idea is a sure sign that it is not original.”

“It's a silly argument, and unnecessary. Creativity doesn't happen "in here" or "out there" but in the spaces in between. Creativity is a relationship, one that unfolds at the intersection of person...”

“Einstein's secretary once said that if Einstein were born among the polar bears, he would still be Einstein. But unless polar bears were well versed in theoretical physics, that is not true. Einste...”

“Places of genius challenge us. They are difficult. They do not earn their place in history with ethnic restaurants or street festivals, but by provoking us, making demands of us. Crazy, unrealistic...”

“Yes, failure is part of the mix, he says, but it is a means, not an end. If you fail repeatedly, and in the same manner, you're an idiot, not a genius.”

“The point is, the "best" technology or idea doesn't always prevail. Sometimes chance and the law of unintended consequences win out.”

“Ideas are like bananas. That bananas grow only in tropical regions doesn't make them any less delicious in Scandinavia.”

“First of all, nothing good ever came from a beanbag chair. Nothing. I am speaking from personal experience.”

“The creator of Bambi was secretly writing pornographic novels on the side. This single fact tells you everything you need to know about turn-of-the-century Vienna, and why it was the perfect place ...”

“Geniuses are always marginalized to one degree or another. Someone wholly invested in the status quo is unlikely to disrupt it.”

“You can be as good as Rembrandt, but if no one discovers you, you will only be a genius in theory.”

“To describe yourself as an entrepreneur or a disrupter is as meaningless as describing yourself as an athlete or a thinker. Really? What sports do you play? What do you think about?”

“Philosophy is like wine. There are good years and bad years but, in general, the older the better.”

“God is not an exclamation point. He is, at his best, a semicolon, connecting people, and generating what Aldous Huxley called “human grace.” Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost sight of this.”

“[Happiness is] a ghost, it’s a shadow. You can’t really chase it. It’s a by-product, a very pleasant side effect to a life lived well.”

“I've always believed that happiness is just around the corner. The trick is fining the right corner.”

“..there is more to life than just pleasure. We want to achieve our happiness and not just experience it.”

“A confused mind is one that is open to the possibility of change.”

“Nothing kills creativity faster than a wall.”

“Believing in everything looks a lot like believing in nothing.”