Innovation Quote by Carol Sanford
““Many people believe that problem solving is the source of innovation. However, problem solving is by definition focused on addressing what exists and attempting to make it better. True innovation comes from reaching for the potential in something: its possible manifestations that don’t yet exist. Bringing entirely new things into existence is what makes innovation so disruptive, and this is precisely what gets shut down when thinking is defined or circumscribed by problems.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Innovation Talk, Carol Sanford, 2018
Innovation is about creating new possibilities, not just improving existing things; true disruption comes from imagined futures.
In simple terms: Innovation creates new possibilities, not just improvements.
Key Takeaway
Focus on creating, not just fixing.
Themes
innovation
creativity
disruption
future-thinking
Mood
inspired
challenging
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- product design
- entrepreneurship
- R&D
- policy making
- education reform
Key Concepts
potential
manifestation
disruptive change
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you shift focus from fixing to imagining?
- What barriers keep you from exploring unseen possibilities?
A Different Perspective
Existing problems can limit imagination and block breakthrough ideas.
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
