---
title: "2 Effectiveness Quotes By William McDonough"
description: "2 Effectiveness quotes by William McDonough. Plus more from William McDonough and more Effectiveness sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/william-mcdonough-10055_business_our-concept-of-eco-effectiveness-means-w_1398572.png"
---

> [Our concept of eco-effectiveness means working on the right things - on the right products and services and systems - instead of making the wrong things less bad. Once you are doing the right things, then doing them "right," with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/our-concept-of-eco-effectiveness-means-working-on-the-right-things-on/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/william-mcdonough-10055_business_our-concept-of-eco-effectiveness-means-w_1398572.png)

> [We celebrate the cherry tree not for its efficiency but for its effectiveness - and for its beauty. Its materials are in constant flow, and all those thousands of useless cherry blossoms look gorgeous. Then they fall to the ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-celebrate-the-cherry-tree-not-for-its-efficiency-but-for-its/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/william-mcdonough-10055_beauty_we-celebrate-the-cherry-tree-not-for-its_2488732.jpg)

## Other authors on Effectiveness

- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b022/author-sunday-adelaja-87912.jpg) Sunday Adelaja 29 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/sunday-adelaja/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b022/author-stephen-covey-86975.jpg) Stephen Covey 14 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/stephen-covey/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b019/author-peter-drucker-74801.jpg) Peter Drucker 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/peter-drucker/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b025/author-zig-ziglar-97426.jpg) Zig Ziglar 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/zig-ziglar/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b013/author-john-c-maxwell-51081.jpg) John C. Maxwell 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/john-c-maxwell/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-bryant-mcgill-108.jpg) Bryant McGill 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/bryant-mcgill/)

## More by William McDonough

> [Honor commerce as the engine of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/honor-commerce-as-the-engine-of-change/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [I am very focused on large-scale deployments of renewable power and how we're going to get this done. Imagine our military bases covered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-am-very-focused-on-large-scale-deployments-of-renewable-power-and/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [You don't filter smokestacks or water. Instead, you put the filter in your head and design the problem out of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/you-don-t-filter-smokestacks-or-water-instead-you-put-the-filter-in/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [If design is the first signal of human intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-design-is-the-first-signal-of-human-intention/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [ You need that same creative force that exists in a building like Disney \[Walt Disney Concert Hall\] to actually tackle that most prosaic of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/you-need-that-same-creative-force-that-exists-in-a-building-like/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [And to use something as elegant as a tree? Imagine this design assignment: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/and-to-use-something-as-elegant-as-a-tree-imagine-this-design/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [I'd so much rather have exciting architecture that causes one to stop, breathe, and reflect on the potential of the human mind, the craft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-d-so-much-rather-have-exciting-architecture-that-causes-one-to-stop/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [To eliminate the concept of waste means to design things-products, packaging, and systems-from the very beginning on the understanding that waste does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/to-eliminate-the-concept-of-waste-means-to-design-things-products/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [We are not a green standard, we are a quality standard. We're different, we're multi dimensional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-are-not-a-green-standard-we-are-a-quality-standard-we-re-different/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-nuclear-energy-it-s-just-that-i-prefer/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [If anybody here has trouble with the concept of design humility, reflect on this: It took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-anybody-here-has-trouble-with-the-concept-of-design-humility/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [The problem I have with carbon as a bad thing issue, is that people go out and say they want to be zero carbon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/the-problem-i-have-with-carbon-as-a-bad-thing-issue-is-that-people-go/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [If you don't have an end game of something delightful, you're just moving chess pieces around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-you-don-t-have-an-end-game-of-something-delightful-you-re-just/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [“Ultimately a regulation is a signal of design failure...it is what we call a license to harm: a permit issued by a government to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/ultimately-a-regulation-is-a-signal-of-design-failure-it-is-what-we/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

> [I just think it is so delightful to see people, let their elbows free. I think the exuberance of it all is really exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-just-think-it-is-so-delightful-to-see-people-let-their-elbows-free/)

[William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/william-mcdonough/#itemlist",
            "name": "2 Effectiveness Quotes By William McDonough",
            "numberOfItems": 2,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Our concept of eco-effectiveness means working on the right things - on the right products and services and systems - instead of making the wrong things less bad. Once you are doing the right things, then doing them \"right,\" with the help of efficiency among other tools, makes perfect sense.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "William McDonough"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/our-concept-of-eco-effectiveness-means-working-on-the-right-things-on/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/william-mcdonough-10055_business_our-concept-of-eco-effectiveness-means-w_1398572.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/william-mcdonough-10055_business_our-concept-of-eco-effectiveness-means-w_1398572.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/william-mcdonough-10055_business_our-concept-of-eco-effectiveness-means-w_1398572.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Our concept of eco-effectiveness means working on the right things - on the right products and services and…” — William McDonough",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "We celebrate the cherry tree not for its efficiency but for its effectiveness - and for its beauty. Its materials are in constant flow, and all those thousands of useless cherry blossoms look gorgeous. Then they fall to the ground and become soil again, so there's no problem",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "William McDonough"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-celebrate-the-cherry-tree-not-for-its-efficiency-but-for-its/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/william-mcdonough-10055_beauty_we-celebrate-the-cherry-tree-not-for-its_2488732.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/william-mcdonough-10055_beauty_we-celebrate-the-cherry-tree-not-for-its_2488732.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/william-mcdonough-10055_beauty_we-celebrate-the-cherry-tree-not-for-its_2488732.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“We celebrate the cherry tree not for its efficiency but for its effectiveness - and for its beauty. Its…” — William McDonough",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/william-mcdonough/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/william-mcdonough/",
            "name": "Effectiveness Quotes by William McDonough",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/william-mcdonough/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/william-mcdonough-10055_business_our-concept-of-eco-effectiveness-means-w_1398572.png"
            },
            "description": "2 Effectiveness quotes by William McDonough. Plus more from William McDonough and more Effectiveness sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/william-mcdonough/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/william-mcdonough/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Effectiveness",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "William McDonough",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effectiveness/william-mcdonough/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
