--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don’t worry about people stealing your…" description: "\"“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.” —Howard Aiken”\" — Austin Kleon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-i_2279021.png" --- # Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your… ![“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.” —Howard Aiken” quote by Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-i_2279021.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-i_2279021.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-i_2279021.png) > ““Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.” —Howard Aiken”” [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas that are valuable will be aggressively promoted, even if it feels forced on others. **In simple terms:** Good ideas need strong advocacy. Key Takeaway Promote ideas confidently. Themes creativity persistence communication Mood cautious balanced Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - business - art - education - public speaking Key Concepts marketing psychology Questions to Reflect On - When is forceful persuasion appropriate? - How to balance assertiveness with respect? A Different Perspective Aggressive promotion can alienate audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Howard Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/howard-aiken-5311420/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-good-602542/) [Stealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stealing/) [Stealing Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stealing-ideas-815074/) ## Related quotes > [Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-aiken/don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-ideas-if-your-ideas-are-any/) [Howard Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-aiken/) > [“many of the people who we think of as lone geniuses were actually part of “a whole scene of people who were supporting each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/many-of-the-people-who-we-think-of-as-lone-geniuses-were-actually/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Stealing ideas from contemporaries is rude and tasteless. Stealing from the long dead is considered literary and admirable. The same is true of grave-robbing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/stealing-ideas-from-contemporaries-is-rude-and-tasteless-stealing/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [They're stealing my ideas. They're imitating my shots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-selznick/they-re-stealing-my-ideas-they-re-imitating-my-shots/) [David O. Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-selznick/) > [“Your job is to collect good ideas. The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/your-job-is-to-collect-good-ideas-the-more-good-ideas-you-collect-the/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-aiken/don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-ideas/) [Howard Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-aiken/) > [While one party may possess the levers of power, one party does not possess a monopoly on good ideas. Good lawmaking, after all, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-owens/while-one-party-may-possess-the-levers-of-power-one-party-does-not/) [Bill Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-owens/) > [Good ideas are not good enough. They need to be God ideas. Just because someone else’s methods work does not mean they will work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-pringle/good-ideas-are-not-good-enough-they-need-to-be-god-ideas-just-because/) [Phil Pringle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-pringle/) > [I'm not the fastest writer. I can't just crank out ideas that are good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lee/i-m-not-the-fastest-writer-i-can-t-just-crank-out-ideas-that-are-good/) [Amy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lee/) > [We should invest in people not ideas. A good idea is often destroyed by bad people and good people can always make a bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/we-should-invest-in-people-not-ideas-a-good-idea-is-often-destroyed/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [having too many ideas is not always a good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/having-too-many-ideas-is-not-always-a-good-thing/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [I have one very basic rule when it comes to "good ideas". A good idea is not an idea that solves a problem cleanly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/i-have-one-very-basic-rule-when-it-comes-to-good-ideas-a-good-idea-is/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [What is there in life except one's ideas, Good air, good friend, what is there in life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/what-is-there-in-life-except-one-s-ideas-good-air-good-friend-what-is/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [It is important to stop being critical and judging ideas as good or bad because I think if somebody doesn't have a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/it-is-important-to-stop-being-critical-and-judging-ideas-as-good-or/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [I am quick to adopt new ideas. If there is something good, I will follow it and implement it. I adopted information technology in 1985.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-chandrababu-naidu/i-am-quick-to-adopt-new-ideas-if-there-is-something-good-i-will/) [N. Chandrababu Naidu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-chandrababu-naidu/) ## More by Austin Kleon > [“The thing is, you can cut off a couple passions and only focus on one, but after a while, you’ll start to feel phantom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-thing-is-you-can-cut-off-a-couple-passions-and-only-focus-on-one/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Don't think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-think-of-your-website-as-a-self-promotion-machine-think-of-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can’t steal. You will take what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/we-want-you-to-take-from-us-we-want-you-at-first-to-steal-from-us/) [austin kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Validation is for parking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/validation-is-for-parking/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/if-you-want-fans-you-have-to-be-a-fan-first-if-you-want-to-be/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Social media sites are the perfect place to share daily updates. Don’t worry about being on every platform; pick and choose based on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/social-media-sites-are-the-perfect-place-to-share-daily-updates-don-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Writing a page a day doesn't seem like much, but do it for 365 days and you have enough to fill a novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/writing-a-page-a-day-doesn-t-seem-like-much-but-do-it-for-365-days/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/be-boring-it-s-the-only-way-to-get-work-done/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn't online, it doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/it-sounds-a-little-extreme-but-in-this-day-and-age-if-your-work-isn-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Don't wait until you know who you are to get started. If I'd waited to know who I was or what I was about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-wait-until-you-know-who-you-are-to-get-started-if-i-d-waited-to/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in another land,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/your-brain-gets-too-comfortable-in-your-everyday-surroundings-you/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Nothing is more paralyzing than the idea of limitless possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/nothing-is-more-paralyzing-than-the-idea-of-limitless-possibilities/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Whenever Picasso learned how to do something, he abandoned it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/whenever-picasso-learned-how-to-do-something-he-abandoned-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“The writer Jonathan Lethem has said that when people call something “original,” nine out of ten times they just don’t know the references or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-writer-jonathan-lethem-has-said-that-when-people-call-something/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Stock and flow” is an economic concept that writer Robin Sloan has adapted into a metaphor for media: “Flow is the feed. It’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/stock-and-flow-is-an-economic-concept-that-writer-robin-sloan-has/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) [Explore all 204 Austin Kleon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## More Ideas quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [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/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.” —Howard Aiken”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Austin Kleon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-ideas-if-your-ideas-are-any-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ideas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-ideas-if-your-ideas-are-any-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-i_2279021.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-i_2279021.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-i_2279021.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down…” — Austin Kleon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Austin Kleon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Don’t worry about people stealing your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-ideas-if-your-ideas-are-any-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-worry-about-people-stealing-your-ideas-if-your-ideas-are-any-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```