--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's easier to change the game than to…" description: "\"It's easier to change the game than to change the people playing it.\" — Bernie De Koven" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/bernie-de-koven-65066_change_it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-c_1686011.png" --- # It's easier to change the game than to change the people… ![“It's easier to change the game than to change the people playing it.” quote by Bernie De Koven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/bernie-de-koven-65066_change_it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-c_1686011.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/bernie-de-koven-65066_change_it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-c_1686011.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/bernie-de-koven-65066_change_it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-c_1686011.png) > “It's easier to change the game than to change the people playing it.” Bernie De Koven ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Changing the rules of a system is often easier than trying to change the participants within it. **In simple terms:** Changing rules is easier than changing people. Key Takeaway Adjust the system. Themes strategy change management systems Mood analytical practical Type strategic philosophical When to use this quote - business - education - policy - social reform Key Concepts organizational behavior game theory Questions to Reflect On - When is it better to change rules? - What are the risks of altering a system? A Different Perspective People may resist change even when rules shift. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Make the money, don't let the money make you Change the game, don't let the game change you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/make-the-money-don-t-let-the-money-make-you-change-the-game-don-t-let/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One play can change a game and one call can change a game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-flores/one-play-can-change-a-game-and-one-call-can-change-a-game/) [Brian Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-flores/) > [My goal isn't to be one of the best; it's to change the game, to change the way things work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-riddle/my-goal-isn-t-to-be-one-of-the-best-it-s-to-change-the-game-to-change/) [Matt Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-riddle/) > [If you are losing at a game, change the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/if-you-are-losing-at-a-game-change-the-game/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [I would rather get out of the game than stay in the game to change the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/i-would-rather-get-out-of-the-game-than-stay-in-the-game-to-change/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [I get lots of fouls on me, but it is no foul because I am physical. Because I don't go down, that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marouane-fellaini/i-get-lots-of-fouls-on-me-but-it-is-no-foul-because-i-am-physical/) [Marouane Fellaini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marouane-fellaini/) > [If you want to join the ranks of the people who changed the game, change yourself and the people around you as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe/if-you-want-to-join-the-ranks-of-the-people-who-changed-the-game/) Bebe > [The emotions of the game do not change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-youngblood/the-emotions-of-the-game-do-not-change/) [Jack Youngblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-youngblood/) > ['Game Change,' the infamous bestseller written by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, has plagued anyone directly associated with the 2008 election cycle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-mccain/game-change-the-infamous-bestseller-written-by-john-heilemann-and/) [Meghan McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-mccain/) > [I had a lot of friends, family friends, that had season tickets, and we'd all go when we were little kids. And you'd go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-yelich/i-had-a-lot-of-friends-family-friends-that-had-season-tickets-and-we/) [Christian Yelich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-yelich/) > [The ball is round so that the game can change direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sepp-herberger/the-ball-is-round-so-that-the-game-can-change-direction/) Sepp Herberger > [People in the NBA are just as athletic as you. That's the game. You have to have the change of pace. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kawhi-leonard/people-in-the-nba-are-just-as-athletic-as-you-that-s-the-game-you/) [Kawhi Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kawhi-leonard/) > [I hope I can stand up and be an example that helps change the narrative: 'He understands the game from a technical standpoint. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwane-casey/i-hope-i-can-stand-up-and-be-an-example-that-helps-change-the/) [Dwane Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwane-casey/) > [It's always bigger than basketball. This game can change a life. You see the smile on the kid's face - it literally can change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/de-aaron-fox/it-s-always-bigger-than-basketball-this-game-can-change-a-life-you/) [De'Aaron Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/de-aaron-fox/) > [I read 'Game Change.' If you want to relive the campaign, that book is unbelievable. It's great. It's the book of that campaign. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-read-game-change-if-you-want-to-relive-the-campaign-that-book-is/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) ## More by Bernie De Koven > [Joy is overwhelming fun - fun so big that it overflows your mind, heart, body - as if all of life and love were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-de-koven/joy-is-overwhelming-fun-fun-so-big-that-it-overflows-your-mind-heart/) Bernie De Koven > [In a Game Community, the rules and officials decide if the players are good enough to play. If not, they change players. In a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-de-koven/in-a-game-community-the-rules-and-officials-decide-if-the-players-are/) Bernie De Koven > [Games are like Rorschachs made of human relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-de-koven/games-are-like-rorschachs-made-of-human-relationships/) Bernie De Koven Explore all 4 Bernie De Koven quotes ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's easier to change the game than to change the people playing it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bernie De Koven" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-de-koven/it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-change-the-people-playing-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-de-koven/it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-change-the-people-playing-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/bernie-de-koven-65066_change_it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-c_1686011.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/bernie-de-koven-65066_change_it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-c_1686011.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/bernie-de-koven-65066_change_it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-c_1686011.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's easier to change the game than to change the people playing it.” — Bernie De Koven", "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": "Bernie De Koven", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-de-koven/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's easier to change the game...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-de-koven/it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-change-the-people-playing-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-de-koven/it-s-easier-to-change-the-game-than-to-change-the-people-playing-it/#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 } } ] } ```