--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That may be true, but it’s not the point…" description: "\"“That may be true, but it’s not the point. Designers learn to have lots of wild ideas because they know that the number one enemy of creativity is judg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc8/bill-burnett-15078_crazy-ideas_that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point_945814.jpg" --- # That may be true, but it’s not the point. Designers learn… ![“That may be true, but it’s not the point. Designers learn to have lots of wild ideas because they know that the number one enemy of creativity is judgment. Our brains are so tightly wired to be critical, find problems, and leap to judgment that it’s a wonder any ideas ever make it out! We have to…” quote by Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc8/bill-burnett-15078_crazy-ideas_that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point_945814.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc8/bill-burnett-15078_crazy-ideas_that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point_945814.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc8/bill-burnett-15078_crazy-ideas_that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point_945814.jpg) > ““That may be true, but it’s not the point. Designers learn to have lots of wild ideas because they know that the number one enemy of creativity is judgment. Our brains are so tightly wired to be critical, find problems, and leap to judgment that it’s a wonder any ideas ever make it out! We have to defer judgment and silence the inner critic if we want to get all our ideas out. If we don’t, we may have a few good ideas, but the majority will have been lost—silently imprisoned behind the wall of judgment our prefrontal cortex has erected to safeguard us from making mistakes or looking foolish. Now, we love the prefrontal cortex and wouldn’t be caught in public without it, but we don’t want it taking our ideas hostage prematurely. If we can get out into the wild idea space, then we know we’ve overcome premature judgment. The crazy ideas may not be the ones we pick (and rarely are, actually), but often after having the crazy ideas, we have moved to a new creative space, and we can see new and innovative possibilities that can work. So let’s bring on the crazy.”” [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity is blocked by premature judgment; to generate many ideas, one must silence the inner critic and allow wild concepts to surface. **In simple terms:** Judgment stops ideas; silence it to be creative. Key Takeaway Defer judgment to unleash ideas. Themes creativity design thinking judgment idea generation Mood reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - brainstorming sessions - product development - team workshops - creative writing - innovation sprints Key Concepts psychology neuroscience design methodology Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance critical evaluation with idea generation? - What practices help you pause judgment? A Different Perspective Over‑silencing criticism can lead to low‑quality ideas and wasted effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crazy ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy-ideas/) [Creative space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-space/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Creativity Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity-judgment-1650436/) [Good ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-ideas/) [Inner Critic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-critic/) [Judgment Brains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment-brains-1650438/) [Judgment Prefrontal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment-prefrontal-1650437/) [Making mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-mistakes/) [Wild Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild-ideas-1650439/) ## Related quotes > [It took me a long time to understand the relationship between ideas and between objective facts. But after I clearly understood this relationship, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-understand-the-relationship-between-ideas/) [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-mies-van-der-rohe/) > [I know it's strange, but I've always had a better time with other people's wild ideas. Coming up with my own is a deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-potter/i-know-it-s-strange-but-i-ve-always-had-a-better-time-with-other/) [Grace Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-potter/) > [“Wild ideas popped up again in my head. What if I quietly went over and cut off the mooring ropes on one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/wild-ideas-popped-up-again-in-my-head-what-if-i-quietly-went-over-and/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [They can make the wild ideas we come up with a reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bennett/they-can-make-the-wild-ideas-we-come-up-with-a-reality/) [Frank Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bennett/) > [Science requires speculation, creativity, and wild ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-fischer/science-requires-speculation-creativity-and-wild-ideas/) [Debra Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-fischer/) > [The fashion business got boring. I was working with big companies, but the minute it became too formulaic, I got bored with it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-cornejo/the-fashion-business-got-boring-i-was-working-with-big-companies-but/) [Maria Cornejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-cornejo/) > [A lot of the songs that I wrote during 'Pt. 1' and 'Pt. 2' are the first songs that I ever wrote that sounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibi-bourelly/a-lot-of-the-songs-that-i-wrote-during-pt-1-and-pt-2-are-the-first/) [Bibi Bourelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibi-bourelly/) > [Respect your own creativity and respect the creativity and creative space of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-barker/respect-your-own-creativity-and-respect-the-creativity-and-creative/) [Danny Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-barker/) > [ “The fatal misconception behind brainstorming is that there is a particular script we should all follow in group interactions… \[W\]hen the composition of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/the-fatal-misconception-behind-brainstorming-is-that-there-is-a/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [I've always wanted to keep my own personal creative space, and do everything myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-collier/i-ve-always-wanted-to-keep-my-own-personal-creative-space-and-do/) [Jacob Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-collier/) > [I don't want to sound like anyone else, I wanted to be in my own creative space and find this river of melody myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-grennan/i-don-t-want-to-sound-like-anyone-else-i-wanted-to-be-in-my-own/) [Thomas Grennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-grennan/) > [I've always felt like there was less creative space on sets with guardians. I just felt independent at a young age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothee-chalamet/i-ve-always-felt-like-there-was-less-creative-space-on-sets-with/) [Timothee Chalamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothee-chalamet/) > [I work for ABC. If the thing that ABC is paying me for is storytelling - not to make sure that a costume is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/i-work-for-abc-if-the-thing-that-abc-is-paying-me-for-is-storytelling/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [I used to hate the fact that I did so much study cause I felt it was useless. I'm into this creative space, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-ting/i-used-to-hate-the-fact-that-i-did-so-much-study-cause-i-felt-it-was/) [Chloe Ting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-ting/) > [A creative space is an important thing. There are so many studios that feel like doctor's offices in Nashville. I couldn't write there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/a-creative-space-is-an-important-thing-there-are-so-many-studios-that/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) ## More by Bill Burnett > [“answer. Donald’s dysfunctional belief was related to Janine’s, but he’d held on to it for much longer—a life of responsible and successful work should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/answer-donald-s-dysfunctional-belief-was-related-to-janine-s-but-he-d/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“When you finally get down to making a choice from your narrowed-down list of alternatives, and you’ve cognitively evaluated the issues, and emotionally and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/when-you-finally-get-down-to-making-a-choice-from-your-narrowed-down/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Dysfunctional Belief: To be happy, I have to make the right choice. Reframe: There is no right choice—only good choosing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/dysfunctional-belief-to-be-happy-i-have-to-make-the-right-choice/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“We mostly use cognitive knowing—all that good, objective, organized, informational kind of knowing—the sort of knowing that gets you A’s in school. But we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/we-mostly-use-cognitive-knowing-all-that-good-objective-organized/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Design doesn’t just work for creating cool stuff like computers and Ferraris; it works in creating a cool life. You can use design thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/design-doesn-t-just-work-for-creating-cool-stuff-like-computers-and/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Decision making is stressful, so the best time to prepare for good choosing is when there’s no choice at stake. That’s when you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/decision-making-is-stressful-so-the-best-time-to-prepare-for-good/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“A well-designed life is a life that is generative—it is constantly creative, productive, changing, evolving, and there is always the possibility of surprise. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/a-well-designed-life-is-a-life-that-is-generative-it-is-constantly/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Dysfunctional Belief: Happiness is having it all. Reframe: Happiness is letting go of what you don’t need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/dysfunctional-belief-happiness-is-having-it-all-reframe-happiness-is/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Dysfunctional Belief: I am looking for a job. Reframe: I am pursuing a number of offers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/dysfunctional-belief-i-am-looking-for-a-job-reframe-i-am-pursuing-a/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“It's worth emphasizing that failures and hardships are a part of every life, even the well-designed ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/it-s-worth-emphasizing-that-failures-and-hardships-are-a-part-of/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“In fact, in the United States, only 27 percent of college grads end up in a career related to their majors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/in-fact-in-the-united-states-only-27-percent-of-college-grads-end-up/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Most people fail not for lack of talent but for lack of imagination. You can get a lot of this information by sitting down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/most-people-fail-not-for-lack-of-talent-but-for-lack-of-imagination/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“the research shows that, for most people, passion comes after they try something, discover they like it, and develop mastery—not before. To”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/the-research-shows-that-for-most-people-passion-comes-after-they-try/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“Quantity has a quality all its own. In life design, more is better, because more ideas equal access to better ideas, and better ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/quantity-has-a-quality-all-its-own-in-life-design-more-is-better/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) > [“When an activity is done to win, to advance, to achieve—even if it’s “fun” to do so—it’s not play. It may be a wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/when-an-activity-is-done-to-win-to-advance-to-achieve-even-if-it-s/) [Bill Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) [Explore all 44 Bill Burnett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/) ## More Crazy ideas quotes > [For me the dream is the freedom to make all the crazy ideas I have in my head into movies. I truly love directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-ozeki/for-me-the-dream-is-the-freedom-to-make-all-the-crazy-ideas-i-have-in/) [Nicholas Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-ozeki/) > [This is really a crazy idea, you know. It probably won't work, but that will be interesting, too. You have to motivate yourself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/this-is-really-a-crazy-idea-you-know-it-probably-won-t-work-but-that/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [Crazy ideas sometimes work, and the technological society that we have is built on a foundation of those crazy ideas that work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/crazy-ideas-sometimes-work-and-the-technological-society-that-we-have/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [The idea of going to school to be an art critic is a very crazy idea. I educated myself in public, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-santlofer/the-idea-of-going-to-school-to-be-an-art-critic-is-a-very-crazy-idea/) [Jonathan Santlofer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-santlofer/) > [Breakthroughs come from crazy ideas, taking risks, optimism, doing whatever it takes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/breakthroughs-come-from-crazy-ideas-taking-risks-optimism-doing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today's sensitive male has learned to share in open frank discussions about relationships like, "Where the hell did you get a crazy idea like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-grizzard/today-s-sensitive-male-has-learned-to-share-in-open-frank-discussions/) [Lewis Grizzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-grizzard/) > [Sometimes you have crazy ideas that sound crazy to everybody, but I'm sure everybody has had a crazy idea before. When you pull it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabolous/sometimes-you-have-crazy-ideas-that-sound-crazy-to-everybody-but-i-m/) [Fabolous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabolous/) > [What was the question? ...Oh. Where do I get my crazy ideas? Answer: sleep-fairy, walk-fairy, shower-fairy. Book-fairy. And in these last few years, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/what-was-the-question-oh-where-do-i-get-my-crazy-ideas-answer-sleep/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [We would solve a lot of huge problems that are causing massive suffering. Poverty, violence, homophobia, heterosexism, racism, the environment - all these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-would-solve-a-lot-of-huge-problems-that-are-causing-massive/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [We all feel that if we have a crazy idea that might get laughed at, there's nothing wrong with seeing if there's a crazy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/we-all-feel-that-if-we-have-a-crazy-idea-that-might-get-laughed-at/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Where did we ever get the crazy idea that in order to make children do better, first we have to make them feel worse?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-nelsen/where-did-we-ever-get-the-crazy-idea-that-in-order-to-make-children/) [Jane Nelsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-nelsen/) > [It was always a dream for me to do my debut match at WrestleMania, and people would laugh at me. People would laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana/it-was-always-a-dream-for-me-to-do-my-debut-match-at-wrestlemania-and/) [Lana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana/) > [Things that people thought not possible when they were proposed and blown off become enormously successful. There are a lot of ideas that never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-merlino/things-that-people-thought-not-possible-when-they-were-proposed-and/) [James Merlino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-merlino/) > [The day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/the-day-before-something-is-a-breakthrough-it-s-a-crazy-idea/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [I would drive through the desert, and there's this one spot in the desert that, every time I drove through it, I would get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-rutili/i-would-drive-through-the-desert-and-there-s-this-one-spot-in-the/) [Tim Rutili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-rutili/) [Browse all 71 Crazy ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy-ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That may be true, but it’s not the point. Designers learn to have lots of wild ideas because they know that the number one enemy of creativity is judgment. Our brains are so tightly wired to be critical, find problems, and leap to judgment that it’s a wonder any ideas ever make it out! We have to defer judgment and silence the inner critic if we want to get all our ideas out. If we don’t, we may have a few good ideas, but the majority will have been lost—silently imprisoned behind the wall of judgment our prefrontal cortex has erected to safeguard us from making mistakes or looking foolish. Now, we love the prefrontal cortex and wouldn’t be caught in public without it, but we don’t want it taking our ideas hostage prematurely. If we can get out into the wild idea space, then we know we’ve overcome premature judgment. The crazy ideas may not be the ones we pick (and rarely are, actually), but often after having the crazy ideas, we have moved to a new creative space, and we can see new and innovative possibilities that can work. So let’s bring on the crazy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Burnett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point-designers-learn-to-have-lots/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crazy ideas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point-designers-learn-to-have-lots/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc8/bill-burnett-15078_crazy-ideas_that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point_945814.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc8/bill-burnett-15078_crazy-ideas_that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point_945814.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc8/bill-burnett-15078_crazy-ideas_that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point_945814.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That may be true, but it’s not the point. Designers learn to have lots of wild ideas because they know that…” — Bill Burnett", "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": "Bill Burnett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burnett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That may be true, but it’s...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point-designers-learn-to-have-lots/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burnett/that-may-be-true-but-it-s-not-the-point-designers-learn-to-have-lots/#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 } } ] } ```