--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Entrepreneurs almost always have to step…" description: "\"Entrepreneurs almost always have to step out of existing institutions that embody old ways of doing things to build their vision.\" — Bill Drayton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/bill-drayton-12716_almost_entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step_3184828.png" --- # Entrepreneurs almost always have to step out of existing… ![“Entrepreneurs almost always have to step out of existing institutions that embody old ways of doing things to build their vision.” quote by Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/bill-drayton-12716_almost_entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step_3184828.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/bill-drayton-12716_almost_entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step_3184828.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/bill-drayton-12716_almost_entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step_3184828.png) > “Entrepreneurs almost always have to step out of existing institutions that embody old ways of doing things to build their vision.” [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Innovators must leave outdated institutions to create new models that realize their visions. **In simple terms:** Leave old systems to build new ones. Key Takeaway Challenge the status quo. Themes innovation entrepreneurship institutional change vision Mood motivational strategic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - startup launch - non‑profit reform - policy advocacy Key Concepts disruption leadership systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - What institutions hinder your vision? - How can you build allies while breaking away? A Different Perspective Risk of isolation without support networks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Almost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Build](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build/) [Build Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build-vision-538581/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Doing things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Embody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embody/) [Entrepreneur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneur/) [Entrepreneurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurs/) [Entrepreneurs Step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurs-step-5850378/) [Existing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existing/) [Existing Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existing-institutions-2124749/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Old ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-ways/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/step/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ways/) ## Related quotes > [If you get to a point where the existing institutions will not bend to the popular will, you have to eliminate the institutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-get-to-a-point-where-the-existing-institutions-will-not-bend/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discover the tools to build your own vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/discover-the-tools-to-build-your-own-vision/) [Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/) > [Entrepreneurship is the ability to create and build from a vision practically anything; fundamentally it is a human, creative act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffry-a-timmons/entrepreneurship-is-the-ability-to-create-and-build-from-a-vision/) [Jeffry A Timmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffry-a-timmons/) > [If God doesn't build the vision, He will tear it down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-carter/if-god-doesn-t-build-the-vision-he-will-tear-it-down/) [Matthew Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-carter/) > [“BOTSWANA, CHINA, and the U.S. South, just like the Glorious Revolution in England, the French Revolution, and the Meiji Restoration in Japan, are vivid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/botswana-china-and-the-u-s-south-just-like-the-glorious-revolution-in/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [The great task of our time is to blow up all existing institutions to destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/the-great-task-of-our-time-is-to-blow-up-all-existing-institutions-to/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [When in the course of human development, existing institutions prove inadequate to the needs of man, when they serve merely to enslave, rob and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/when-in-the-course-of-human-development-existing-institutions-prove/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [The government is indeed an institution, but "the market" is nothing more than an option for each individual to chose among numerous existing institutions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-government-is-indeed-an-institution-but-the-market-is-nothing/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There are a lot of things that can be done within the framework of existing institutions which would be very valuable for people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-a-lot-of-things-that-can-be-done-within-the-framework-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/all-censorships-exist-to-prevent-anyone-from-challenging-current/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I embody highs and lows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayo-edebiri/i-embody-highs-and-lows/) [Ayo Edebiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayo-edebiri/) > [I'm a big believer that if you want things to change you have to embody that change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-alexander/i-m-a-big-believer-that-if-you-want-things-to-change-you-have-to/) [Olly Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-alexander/) > [Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/don-t-explain-your-philosophy-embody-it/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Playing Willie Loomis was really fun for me because it was something nice and different to embody. It was neat playing this drunken servant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-earle-haley/playing-willie-loomis-was-really-fun-for-me-because-it-was-something/) [Jackie Earle Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-earle-haley/) > [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/) [Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/) ## More by Bill Drayton > [Imagine a world where everyone is really a change maker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/imagine-a-world-where-everyone-is-really-a-change-maker/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [An entrepreneur is someone who brings a pattern change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/an-entrepreneur-is-someone-who-brings-a-pattern-change/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [White House cultures inevitably reflect the president's character. Jimmy Carter is a thoroughly honest, good person. So was his White House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/white-house-cultures-inevitably-reflect-the-president-s-character/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [The most powerful force in the world is a big idea- if it is the hands of a great entrepreneur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/the-most-powerful-force-in-the-world-is-a-big-idea-if-it-is-the-hands/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [What is our job as entrepreneurs if not to change things that are crazy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/what-is-our-job-as-entrepreneurs-if-not-to-change-things-that-are/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [What is the most powerful lever you can imagine? A big idea, but only if it's in the hands of a truly outstanding entrepreneur.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/what-is-the-most-powerful-lever-you-can-imagine-a-big-idea-but-only/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [In 1962, when I was 19, I visited India. With introductions from people involved in the U.S. civil rights movement, I was able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/in-1962-when-i-was-19-i-visited-india-with-introductions-from-people/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [You can't be a change-maker by reading a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/you-can-t-be-a-change-maker-by-reading-a-book/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [What does an entrepreneur do? The first thing is they've given themselves permission to see a problem. Most people don't want to see problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/what-does-an-entrepreneur-do-the-first-thing-is-they-ve-given/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [The biggest problem is getting beyond the "you can't" syndrome. The moment you figure that out, you're on your way to flying. Anyone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/the-biggest-problem-is-getting-beyond-the-you-can-t-syndrome-the/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [The first - the most obvious test of a true social entrepreneur - is are they possessed, really possessed by an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/the-first-the-most-obvious-test-of-a-true-social-entrepreneur-is-are/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/social-entrepreneurs-are-not-content-just-to-give-a-fish-or-teach-how/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [We have to teach empathy as we do literacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/we-have-to-teach-empathy-as-we-do-literacy/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [How could any entrepreneur, confronted by such amazing opportunities to help transform the world and to do so with such extraordinary colleagues, be tempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/how-could-any-entrepreneur-confronted-by-such-amazing-opportunities/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [We started Ashoka here in India with a simple idea: that you needed social entrepreneurs to deal with problems that don't fit the business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/we-started-ashoka-here-in-india-with-a-simple-idea-that-you-needed/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) [Explore all 53 Bill Drayton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) ## More Almost quotes > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. 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I like structured things that you can throw on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/my-favourite-designers-always-create-a-strong-silhouette-like-mcqueen/) [Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/) > [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) [Bill Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-luther/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [If you watch wrestling, you now know the hip-hop culture is being represented with wrestling. For the longest time, the cultures have almost been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/if-you-watch-wrestling-you-now-know-the-hip-hop-culture-is-being/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [Almost every Monday I have a charity thing. I like that. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/almost-every-monday-i-have-a-charity-thing-i-like-that-i-do/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) [Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/) > [While it is often true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it seems like Yahoo's almost obsessive focus on Google is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/while-it-is-often-true-that-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-it/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'd had episodes before, but I swept them under the carpet. This time, I couldn't do that because everyone knew. I got on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-d-had-episodes-before-but-i-swept-them-under-the-carpet-this-time-i/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) [Browse all 1,672 Almost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Entrepreneurs almost always have to step out of existing institutions that embody old ways of doing things to build their vision.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Drayton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step-out-of-existing-institutions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Almost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step-out-of-existing-institutions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/bill-drayton-12716_almost_entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step_3184828.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/bill-drayton-12716_almost_entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step_3184828.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/bill-drayton-12716_almost_entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step_3184828.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Entrepreneurs almost always have to step out of existing institutions that embody old ways of doing things…” — Bill Drayton", "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 Drayton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Entrepreneurs almost always have to step...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step-out-of-existing-institutions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/entrepreneurs-almost-always-have-to-step-out-of-existing-institutions/#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 } } ] } ```