--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every new idea is just a mashup or a…" description: "\"Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.\" — Austin Kleon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-rem_2833829.png" --- # Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more… ![“Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.” quote by Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-rem_2833829.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-rem_2833829.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-rem_2833829.png) > “Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.” [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 are built by recombining existing concepts rather than appearing from nothing. **In simple terms:** New ideas remix old ones. Key Takeaway Seek inspiration, combine, create. Themes creativity innovation influence Mood curious inspired Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing - design - product development - marketing campaigns Key Concepts remix culture intertextuality cognitive synthesis Questions to Reflect On - How can you add unique value to a remix? - What sources can you blend for fresh ideas? A Different Perspective Originality still requires personal insight beyond mere copying. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Mashups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mashups/) [New idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-idea/) ## Related quotes > [You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life. You are the sum of your influences. The German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/you-are-in-fact-a-mashup-of-what-you-choose-to-let-into-your-life-you/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/you-are-in-fact-a-mashup-of-what-you-choose-to-let-into-your-life/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Pop culture has entered into a nostalgic malaise. Online culture is dominated by trivial mashups of the culture that existed before the onset of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/pop-culture-has-entered-into-a-nostalgic-malaise-online-culture-is/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [It was very challenging in terms of making sure that everyone is distinct. Also, we wanted to have some Asian influences as well, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-millar/it-was-very-challenging-in-terms-of-making-sure-that-everyone-is/) [Miles Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-millar/) > [People are complex. You can be smart and still look hot. You can be a punk rocker yet have a refined vocabulary. It's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-giosia/people-are-complex-you-can-be-smart-and-still-look-hot-you-can-be-a/) [Nadia Giosia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-giosia/) > [I'm trying to separate myself from other people by having songs that would be considered - technically - original things. I don't seek out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/i-m-trying-to-separate-myself-from-other-people-by-having-songs-that/) [Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/) > [“The approach to digital culture I abhor would indeed turn all the world's books into one book, just as Kevin (Kelly) suggested. It might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/the-approach-to-digital-culture-i-abhor-would-indeed-turn-all-the/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [I remember last time I played Nocturnal Wonderland I dropped that 'Move 4 First Aid' mashup and people ripping their hair out... crazy night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaskade/i-remember-last-time-i-played-nocturnal-wonderland-i-dropped-that/) [Kaskade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaskade/) > [I watched the Star Wars trilogy with some good friends of mine for the first time in a few years, I read Pride and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-doescher/i-watched-the-star-wars-trilogy-with-some-good-friends-of-mine-for/) [Ian Doescher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-doescher/) > [“Let's make a game of it, shall we?" she said. "Whoever kills the most, wins." "I will kill twenty!" Lydia declared. "I will kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hockensmith/let-s-make-a-game-of-it-shall-we-she-said-whoever-kills-the-most-wins/) [Steve Hockensmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hockensmith/) > [“Sometimes you have an idea and just have to move forward with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-j-salter/sometimes-you-have-an-idea-and-just-have-to-move-forward-with-it/) Corey J. Salter > [If you have an idea and I have an idea - then we EACH have JUST ONE idea...but if you share your idea with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/if-you-have-an-idea-and-i-have-an-idea-then-we-each-have-just-one/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [“Until you actually start making something, your brilliant idea is just that, an idea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-fried/until-you-actually-start-making-something-your-brilliant-idea-is-just/) [Jason Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-fried/) > [I used to tape over the top corner of my computer screen so I couldn't see what time it was. I like the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/i-used-to-tape-over-the-top-corner-of-my-computer-screen-so-i-couldn/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [“Sometimes the most effective idea was just so simple that nobody could slow down their brain enough to think it up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-curtis-venture/sometimes-the-most-effective-idea-was-just-so-simple-that-nobody/) R. Curtis Venture ## 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": "Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Austin Kleon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-remix-of-one-or-more-previous/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ideas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-remix-of-one-or-more-previous/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-rem_2833829.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-rem_2833829.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/austin-kleon-1835_ideas_every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-rem_2833829.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.” — 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": "Every new idea is just a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-remix-of-one-or-more-previous/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/every-new-idea-is-just-a-mashup-or-a-remix-of-one-or-more-previous/#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 } } ] } ```