--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The biggest handicap in research is an…" description: "\"The biggest handicap in research is an ability to think outside the box. The handicap is being encumbered by all the conventional wisdom in a given fie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/aubrey-de-grey-17616_ability_the-biggest-handicap-in-research-is-an-a_1593867.jpg" --- # The biggest handicap in research is an ability to think… ![“The biggest handicap in research is an ability to think outside the box. The handicap is being encumbered by all the conventional wisdom in a given field.” quote by Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/aubrey-de-grey-17616_ability_the-biggest-handicap-in-research-is-an-a_1593867.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/aubrey-de-grey-17616_ability_the-biggest-handicap-in-research-is-an-a_1593867.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/841/aubrey-de-grey-17616_ability_the-biggest-handicap-in-research-is-an-a_1593867.jpg) > “The biggest handicap in research is an ability to think outside the box. The handicap is being encumbered by all the conventional wisdom in a given field.” [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Research is hindered by adherence to established ideas, limiting innovative thinking beyond conventional paradigms. **In simple terms:** Sticking to old ideas blocks new research. Key Takeaway Question assumptions and explore unconventional ideas. Themes innovation research conventional wisdom Mood critical inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - lab work - policy making - education - entrepreneurship Key Concepts scientific method creativity Questions to Reflect On - What "conventional wisdom" might be holding back your field? - How can you safely test radical ideas? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched beliefs can be slow and face institutional resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Conventional wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conventional-wisdom/) [Handicap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handicap/) [Handicaps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handicaps/) [Outside the box](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-the-box/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [I would say the biggest handicap we have right now is some nutcases in our country that don't believe in global warming. 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Every great achievement in this world was first carefully thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-matthew-adams/we-can-accomplish-almost-anything-within-our-ability-if-we-but-think/) [George Matthew Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-matthew-adams/) > [“Knowledge empowers people with our most powerful tool: the ability to think and decide. There is no power for change greater than a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-simon/knowledge-empowers-people-with-our-most-powerful-tool-the-ability-to/) Seymour Simon > [Through your ability to think and feel, you have dominion over all creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-goddard/through-your-ability-to-think-and-feel-you-have-dominion-over-all/) [Neville Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-goddard/) > [“First, you don't have to be smart to read books. Lots of idiots read books. 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The big struggle is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pryor/i-believe-the-ability-to-think-is-blessed-if-you-can-think-about-a/) [Richard Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-pryor/) > [Continually reorder the mind and the mental structures, the ability to think in prescribed ways, to analyze in prescribed ways, and to stop thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/continually-reorder-the-mind-and-the-mental-structures-the-ability-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Man's ability to think rationally when self-interest was at stake was inversely proportional to intelligence. - Aune”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/man-s-ability-to-think-rationally-when-self-interest-was-at-stake-was/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [The ability to think for one's self depends upon one's mastery of the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-ability-to-think-for-one-s-self-depends-upon-one-s-mastery-of-the/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“We want the ability to re-engineer our bodies and minds in order, above all, to escape old age, death and misery, but once we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/we-want-the-ability-to-re-engineer-our-bodies-and-minds-in-order/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [You can change your life, because you have an unlimited ability to think and talk about what you love, and so you have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/you-can-change-your-life-because-you-have-an-unlimited-ability-to/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [Luck? Sure. But only after long practice and only with the ability to think under pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babe-didrikson-zaharias/luck-sure-but-only-after-long-practice-and-only-with-the-ability-to/) [Babe Didrikson Zaharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babe-didrikson-zaharias/) ## More by Aubrey de Grey > [Ageing is, simply and clearly, the accumulation of damage in the body. That's all that ageing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/ageing-is-simply-and-clearly-the-accumulation-of-damage-in-the-body/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [I'm the chief science officer of a foundation that works on the application of regenerative medicine to the problem of aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/i-m-the-chief-science-officer-of-a-foundation-that-works-on-the/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [I think it's reasonable to suppose that one could oscillate between being biologically 20 and biologically 25 indefinitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/i-think-it-s-reasonable-to-suppose-that-one-could-oscillate-between/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [If changing our world is playing God, it is just one more way in which God made us in His image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/if-changing-our-world-is-playing-god-it-is-just-one-more-way-in-which/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [Celebrating the future is about celebrating a better world: a world in which everyone's life is easier and their health is maintained longer. It’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/celebrating-the-future-is-about-celebrating-a-better-world-a-world-in/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [Basically, the body does have a vast amount of inbuilt anti-ageing machinery; it's just not 100% comprehensive, so it allows a small number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/basically-the-body-does-have-a-vast-amount-of-inbuilt-anti-ageing/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [In the eye, there is a type of junk that accumulates in the back of the retina that eventually causes us to go blind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/in-the-eye-there-is-a-type-of-junk-that-accumulates-in-the-back-of/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [The aim is to postpone frailty, postpone degenerative disease, debilitation and so on and thereby shorten the period at the end of life, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/the-aim-is-to-postpone-frailty-postpone-degenerative-disease/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [What I actually wanted to do with my life is make a difference to the world. That led me into science very quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/what-i-actually-wanted-to-do-with-my-life-is-make-a-difference-to-the/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [What I'm after is not living to 1,000. I'm after letting people avoid death for as long as they want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/what-i-m-after-is-not-living-to-1-000-i-m-after-letting-people-avoid/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [Wikipedia was a big help for science, especially science communication, and it shows no sign of diminishing in importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/wikipedia-was-a-big-help-for-science-especially-science-communication/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [There's nothing wrong with making the best of one's declining years, but what does annoy me is the fatalism. Now that we're seriously in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-making-the-best-of-one-s-declining-years/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [Most scientists will get serious media exposure about twice in their entire career. And they'll get that because they've actually done an experiment that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/most-scientists-will-get-serious-media-exposure-about-twice-in-their/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [We've spent the last few millennia aware that senescence is horrible but knowing nevertheless that it's inevitable. We've had to find some mechanism to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/we-ve-spent-the-last-few-millennia-aware-that-senescence-is-horrible/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [The only difference between my work and the work of the whole medical profession is that I think we're in striking distance of keeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/the-only-difference-between-my-work-and-the-work-of-the-whole-medical/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) [Explore all 36 Aubrey de Grey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. 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