--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why is it that, when we want to think…" description: "\"Why is it that, when we want to think outside the proverbial box, we often put ourselves in one? We gather our team in a conference room, plaster the w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/charles-best-6989_ideas_why-is-it-that-when-we-want-to-think-out_4453.jpg" --- # Why is it that, when we want to think outside the… ![“Why is it that, when we want to think outside the proverbial box, we often put ourselves in one? We gather our team in a conference room, plaster the walls with sticky paper, and wait for the ideas to flow in a stream of marker scribbles. How often has your quest for innovation peaked at…” quote by Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/charles-best-6989_ideas_why-is-it-that-when-we-want-to-think-out_4453.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/charles-best-6989_ideas_why-is-it-that-when-we-want-to-think-out_4453.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd9/charles-best-6989_ideas_why-is-it-that-when-we-want-to-think-out_4453.jpg) > “Why is it that, when we want to think outside the proverbial box, we often put ourselves in one? We gather our team in a conference room, plaster the walls with sticky paper, and wait for the ideas to flow in a stream of marker scribbles. How often has your quest for innovation peaked at renovation - new dressing on old ideas?” [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The paradox of forced creativity: structured sessions often replicate familiar patterns, limiting true novelty. **In simple terms:** Innovation rituals can trap us in old habits. Key Takeaway Beware of ritualized brainstorming. Themes creativity paradox innovation traps group dynamics habitual thinking process vs. outcome Mood ironic critical thoughtful Type observation cautionary When to use this quote - corporate strategy workshops - product design sprints - marketing campaign planning Key Concepts structured brainstorming sticky notes team meetings idea generation Practical Applications - rethink facilitation methods - adopt open-ended exploration Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions does your current process reinforce? - How could you break the pattern of incremental change? A Different Perspective Even with open formats, participants may default to safe ideas due to social conformity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-flow-290867/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Old ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-ideas/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Want Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-think-236788/) ## Related quotes > [When I am travelling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep; it is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/when-i-am-travelling-in-a-carriage-or-walking-after-a-good-meal-or/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [Once you define exactly what your purpose is you won’t even have to try to figure out how to make money. The ideas will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/once-you-define-exactly-what-your-purpose-is-you-won-t-even-have-to/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [It is when I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer…that ideas flow best and most abundantly. Whence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/it-is-when-i-am-as-it-were-completely-myself-entirely-alone-and-of/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [I used to sit and draw in the evening with a couple of crates of beer. That makes the ideas flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-linley/i-used-to-sit-and-draw-in-the-evening-with-a-couple-of-crates-of-beer/) [David Linley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-linley/) > [Thanksgiving opens up the windows of the opportunity for ideas to flow your way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/thanksgiving-opens-up-the-windows-of-the-opportunity-for-ideas-to/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to express them──by which means my letters sometimes convey no ideas at all to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/my-ideas-flow-so-rapidly-that-i-have-not-time-to-express-them-by/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [I dislike frontiers, political or intellectual, and I find that ignoring them is an essential catalyst for creative thought. Ideas should flow without hindrance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atiyah/i-dislike-frontiers-political-or-intellectual-and-i-find-that/) [Michael Atiyah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atiyah/) > [I begin already to weigh my words and sentences more than I did, and am looking about for a sentiment, an illustration, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-begin-already-to-weigh-my-words-and-sentences-more-than-i-did-and/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Ideas can no more flow backward than can a river.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/ideas-can-no-more-flow-backward-than-can-a-river/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Sometimes I like practicing, sometimes I don't. But I like the result... I hardly ever get discouraged. Maybe right when it's very hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-hahn/sometimes-i-like-practicing-sometimes-i-don-t-but-i-like-the-result-i/) [Hilary Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-hahn/) > [Straight-away the ideas flow in upon me, directly from God, and not only do I see distinct themes in my mind's eye, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-brahms/straight-away-the-ideas-flow-in-upon-me-directly-from-god-and-not/) [Johannes Brahms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-brahms/) > [Don't talk about it - you'll talk it away. Let the ideas flow from your mind to the page without exposing them to air.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/don-t-talk-about-it-you-ll-talk-it-away-let-the-ideas-flow-from-your/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer---say traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mozart/when-i-am-as-it-were-completely-myself-entirely-alone-and-of-good/) [Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mozart/) > [Separate out the creative act from the act of editing and execution. Make it a two-step process. First, let ideas flow and encourage EVERY…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-linkner/separate-out-the-creative-act-from-the-act-of-editing-and-execution/) [Josh Linkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-linkner/) > [“My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to expressed them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/my-ideas-flow-so-rapidly-that-i-have-not-time-to-expressed-them/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) ## More by Charles Best > [Teachers are heroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/teachers-are-heroes/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [My colleagues and I would spend a lot of our own money on copy, paper, and pencils. I just figured there are people out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/my-colleagues-and-i-would-spend-a-lot-of-our-own-money-on-copy-paper/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [Arianna Huffington is one of the greatest champions of this idea - that anyone can make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/arianna-huffington-is-one-of-the-greatest-champions-of-this-idea-that/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [People not only want to support public schools, but people warm to this idea of being a philanthropist, even if they might have only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/people-not-only-want-to-support-public-schools-but-people-warm-to/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [If anything, we hope that DonorsChoose.org is going to be a prompt, a nudge in the side of the public school system to improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/if-anything-we-hope-that-donorschoose-org-is-going-to-be-a-prompt-a/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [If you track your organization's creativity by the number of brainstorms on your calendar, you're missing out. It's more important to capture those unplanned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/if-you-track-your-organization-s-creativity-by-the-number-of/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [Our ideological dilemmas won't ever be solved by machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/our-ideological-dilemmas-won-t-ever-be-solved-by-machines/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [One question we'll ask is, 'Who are you grateful for,' and a surprising number of people can't name anyone beyond their mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/one-question-we-ll-ask-is-who-are-you-grateful-for-and-a-surprising/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [Our name is not great. It doesn't evoke anything about school or teachers. It doesn't roll off the tongue or stick in your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/our-name-is-not-great-it-doesn-t-evoke-anything-about-school-or/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [To take on the jobs of tomorrow, students must become more than good test takers. They need to become makers who design, sketch, build,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/to-take-on-the-jobs-of-tomorrow-students-must-become-more-than-good/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [Donors are sick of writing that $200 check to the Red Cross and not knowing whether it goes for the executive director's salary or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/donors-are-sick-of-writing-that-200-check-to-the-red-cross-and-not/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [When I began teaching, my colleagues and I quickly realized that our students didn't have access to the same resources we had growing up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/when-i-began-teaching-my-colleagues-and-i-quickly-realized-that-our/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/public-school-teachers-from-every-corner-of-america-post-classroom/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [My colleagues and I would spend a lot of our own money on copy paper and pencils, and often we couldn't get the resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/my-colleagues-and-i-would-spend-a-lot-of-our-own-money-on-copy-paper-2/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [We aren't prescribing anything. We're not claiming to be the experts. We aren't advocating for or against any program. We are going to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/we-aren-t-prescribing-anything-we-re-not-claiming-to-be-the-experts/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) [Explore all 94 Charles Best quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) ## 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": "Why is it that, when we want to think outside the proverbial box, we often put ourselves in one? We gather our team in a conference room, plaster the walls with sticky paper, and wait for the ideas to flow in a stream of marker scribbles. 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