--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Creativity is the power to reject the…" description: "\"Creativity is the power to reject the past, to change the status quo, and to seek new potential. Simply put, aside from using one's imagination - perha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/ai-weiwei-824_creativity_creativity-is-the-power-to-reject-the-pa_2754395.jpg" --- # Creativity is the power to reject the past, to change the… ![“Creativity is the power to reject the past, to change the status quo, and to seek new potential. Simply put, aside from using one's imagination - perhaps more importantly - creativity is the power to act.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/ai-weiwei-824_creativity_creativity-is-the-power-to-reject-the-pa_2754395.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/ai-weiwei-824_creativity_creativity-is-the-power-to-reject-the-pa_2754395.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/ai-weiwei-824_creativity_creativity-is-the-power-to-reject-the-pa_2754395.jpg) > “Creativity is the power to reject the past, to change the status quo, and to seek new potential. Simply put, aside from using one's imagination - perhaps more importantly - creativity is the power to act.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity means rejecting old patterns, challenging norms, and taking action to explore new possibilities. **In simple terms:** Creativity is breaking old habits and acting on new ideas. Key Takeaway Embrace change and act on fresh ideas. Themes innovation rebellion action potential Mood inspirational provocative Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - artistic projects - business innovation - personal growth - social movements Key Concepts creative thinking risk taking agency Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance daring ideas with practical steps? - What old habits limit your creativity? A Different Perspective Action without reflection can lead to reckless decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Status quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-quo/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Creativity is the power to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/creativity-is-the-power-to-act/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Gods have great power, but only humans have creativity, the power to change history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/gods-have-great-power-but-only-humans-have-creativity-the-power-to/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [For each of us as women, there is a dark place within, where hidden and growing our true spirit rises, beautiful and tough as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/for-each-of-us-as-women-there-is-a-dark-place-within-where-hidden-and/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [The process of writing, any form of creativity, is a power intensifying life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/the-process-of-writing-any-form-of-creativity-is-a-power-intensifying/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [“You see gods have great power, but only humans have creativity, the power to change history rather than simply repeat it. Humans can...how do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/you-see-gods-have-great-power-but-only-humans-have-creativity-the-2/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“You see gods have great power, but only humans have creativity, the power to change history rather than simply read it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/you-see-gods-have-great-power-but-only-humans-have-creativity-the/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-plomer/creativity-is-the-power-to-connect-the-seemingly-unconnected/) [William Plomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-plomer/) > [“Plomer wrote, “Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/plomer-wrote-creativity-is-the-power-to-connect-the-seemingly/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“Creativity has the power to look pain in the eye, and to decide to turn it into something better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/creativity-has-the-power-to-look-pain-in-the-eye-and-to-decide-to/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [There's a creativity, a power, an energy, an ability to do things unlike any other period in history. It's a little bit like sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-enriquez/there-s-a-creativity-a-power-an-energy-an-ability-to-do-things-unlike/) [Juan Enriquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-enriquez/) > [I love roles that don't really have a template or a paradigm and force me to create using my own imagination... that really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-august-richards/i-love-roles-that-don-t-really-have-a-template-or-a-paradigm-and/) [J. August Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-august-richards/) > [You can keep your mind open and use your imagination and be creative even when you're older. For kids, I definitely think keeping your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annasophia-robb/you-can-keep-your-mind-open-and-use-your-imagination-and-be-creative/) [AnnaSophia Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annasophia-robb/) > [When you spend time worrying, youre simply using your imagination to create things you dont want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-dhanda/when-you-spend-time-worrying-youre-simply-using-your-imagination-to/) [Aman Dhanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-dhanda/) > [Dream big dreams! Others may deprive you of your material wealth and cheat you in a thousand ways, but no man can deprive you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/dream-big-dreams-others-may-deprive-you-of-your-material-wealth-and/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Using your imagination is the one time in life you can really go anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/using-your-imagination-is-the-one-time-in-life-you-can-really-go/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) Andrei Amalrik > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) Christoph Niemann > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Creativity is the power to reject the past, to change the status quo, and to seek new potential. 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