--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you know what you're looking for…" description: "\"If you know what you're looking for, that's all you'll get - what's previously known. But when you're open to what's possible, you get something new - ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/alan-alda-1859_creativity_if-you-know-what-you-re-looking-for-that_3032437.png" --- # If you know what you're looking for, that's all you'll get… ![“If you know what you're looking for, that's all you'll get - what's previously known. But when you're open to what's possible, you get something new - that's creativity.” quote by Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/alan-alda-1859_creativity_if-you-know-what-you-re-looking-for-that_3032437.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/alan-alda-1859_creativity_if-you-know-what-you-re-looking-for-that_3032437.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/alan-alda-1859_creativity_if-you-know-what-you-re-looking-for-that_3032437.png) > “If you know what you're looking for, that's all you'll get - what's previously known. But when you're open to what's possible, you get something new - that's creativity.” [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being open to possibilities expands creative outcomes beyond what is already known. **In simple terms:** Openness fuels creativity. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty. Themes creativity openness innovation Mood inspired curious Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - art - business - science - personal projects Key Concepts divergent thinking possibility mindset creative problem solving Questions to Reflect On - What possibilities are you overlooking? - How can you balance openness with direction? A Different Perspective Too much openness may dilute focus and lead to indecision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ## Related quotes > [Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being. Creativity requires passion and commitment. It brings to our awareness what was previously hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/creativity-is-the-process-of-bringing-something-new-into-being-2/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [I didn't entertain the idea that my music would ever become available in any of the ways that I had previously known music to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico-muhly/i-didn-t-entertain-the-idea-that-my-music-would-ever-become-available/) [Nico Muhly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico-muhly/) > [All learning is derived from things previously known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/all-learning-is-derived-from-things-previously-known/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [I apply the term 'creativity' broadly... it's problem solving. We are all faced with problems, and we have to address them and think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/i-apply-the-term-creativity-broadly-it-s-problem-solving-we-are-all/) [Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/) > [“Practice unfettered living from the heart, abandoning all self-imposed limitations to emerge a new, creativity unleashed, giving of yourself like never before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pooja-ruprell/practice-unfettered-living-from-the-heart-abandoning-all-self-imposed/) [Pooja Ruprell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pooja-ruprell/) > [A passion for any novel, and any character, can crystallise your ideas when you really need to be as open as possible as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romola-garai/a-passion-for-any-novel-and-any-character-can-crystallise-your-ideas/) [Romola Garai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romola-garai/) > [I just try to be as honest and open as possible with all my music, whether it's live shows or the studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-bowen/i-just-try-to-be-as-honest-and-open-as-possible-with-all-my-music/) [Wade Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-bowen/) > [I've always tried to be as open as possible, and I just hope that viewers can appreciate that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-kufrin/i-ve-always-tried-to-be-as-open-as-possible-and-i-just-hope-that/) [Becca Kufrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-kufrin/) > [I try to just be as real and open as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-bristowe/i-try-to-just-be-as-real-and-open-as-possible/) [Kaitlyn Bristowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn-bristowe/) > [As an actor, I am open to all possible characters that I can portray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rubina-dilaik/as-an-actor-i-am-open-to-all-possible-characters-that-i-can-portray/) [Rubina Dilaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rubina-dilaik/) > [It's hard to find what you don't know you're looking for. - Modish Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/modish-proverb/it-s-hard-to-find-what-you-don-t-know-you-re-looking-for-modish/) Modish Proverb > [“❝ IF I WAS THE SAME PERSON WHEN OTHERS WEREN’T LOOKING AS I WAS WHEN THEY WERE. I DIDN’T KNOW WHO I WAS WHEN…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shey-stahl/if-i-was-the-same-person-when-others-weren-t-looking-as-i-was-when/) [Shey Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shey-stahl/) > [I didn't know I was looking for love until I found you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-didn-t-know-i-was-looking-for-love-until-i-found-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love was like that, like a dream you didn't quite understand, one in which you didn't necessarily know what you were looking at until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/love-was-like-that-like-a-dream-you-didn-t-quite-understand-one-in/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [Ain't even gotta open your eyes, know what your looking at and I ain't even have to open my eyes when I was cooking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-jeezy/ain-t-even-gotta-open-your-eyes-know-what-your-looking-at-and-i-ain-t/) [Young Jeezy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-jeezy/) ## More by Alan Alda > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [When I studied how to think in school, I was taught that the first rule of logic was that a thing cannot both be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/when-i-studied-how-to-think-in-school-i-was-taught-that-the-first/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I was brought up as a Catholic, and I'm no longer a Catholic. I don't talk about my beliefs too much in public probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-was-brought-up-as-a-catholic-and-i-m-no-longer-a-catholic-i-don-t/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [life is meaningless unless you bring meaning to it; ... it is up to us to create our own existence. Unless you do something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/life-is-meaningless-unless-you-bring-meaning-to-it-it-is-up-to-us-to/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/my-mother-didn-t-try-to-stab-my-father-until-i-was-six/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Originality is unexplored territory. You get there by carrying a canoe - you can't take a taxi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/originality-is-unexplored-territory-you-get-there-by-carrying-a-canoe/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's always better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-always-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [M\*A\*S\*H' was a collection of people, in front of and behind the cameras, that really clicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/m-a-s-h-was-a-collection-of-people-in-front-of-and-behind-the-cameras/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively-the-creative-is-the-place-where-no/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [To do a musical takes a tremendous amount of energy because you have to act and sing at the same time. And everything has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/to-do-a-musical-takes-a-tremendous-amount-of-energy-because-you-have/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Be brave enough to live creatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/you-can-t-get-there-by-bus-only-by-hard-work-risking-and-by-not-quite/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I used to read science fiction a lot, and I still like science fiction when it is a model of how we really are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-used-to-read-science-fiction-a-lot-and-i-still-like-science-fiction/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Explore all 203 Alan Alda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) ## 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": "If you know what you're looking for, that's all you'll get - what's previously known. 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