--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have to have a temperament to grab…" description: "\"You have to have a temperament to grab ideas and do sensible things. Most people don’t grab the right ideas or don’t know what to do with them.\" — Char..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/charlie-munger-458_ideas_you-have-to-have-a-temperament-to-grab-i_2439566.jpg" --- # You have to have a temperament to grab ideas and do… ![“You have to have a temperament to grab ideas and do sensible things. Most people don’t grab the right ideas or don’t know what to do with them.” quote by Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/charlie-munger-458_ideas_you-have-to-have-a-temperament-to-grab-i_2439566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/charlie-munger-458_ideas_you-have-to-have-a-temperament-to-grab-i_2439566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/charlie-munger-458_ideas_you-have-to-have-a-temperament-to-grab-i_2439566.jpg) > “You have to have a temperament to grab ideas and do sensible things. Most people don’t grab the right ideas or don’t know what to do with them.” [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success requires a temperament that captures ideas and translates them into practical action; many lack this ability. **In simple terms:** A good temperament turns ideas into sensible actions. Key Takeaway Cultivate a mindset that bridges ideas and execution. Themes ideas temperament execution Mood motivational pragmatic Type inspirational advice When to use this quote - business strategy - personal projects - learning new skills - problem solving Key Concepts Cognitive bias decision making practical wisdom Questions to Reflect On - What habits help turn ideas into action? - How do you identify the right ideas to pursue? A Different Perspective Not everyone can develop this temperament easily. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grab Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grab-ideas-476172/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-don-476173/) [Ideas Sensible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-sensible-476171/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Right ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-ideas/) [Sensible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensible/) [Temperament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperament/) ## Related quotes > [Most people don't grab the right ideas or don't know what to do with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/most-people-don-t-grab-the-right-ideas-or-don-t-know-what-to-do-with/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Part of that, I think, is being able to tune out folly, as distinguished from recognizing wisdom. You've got whole categories of things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/part-of-that-i-think-is-being-able-to-tune-out-folly-as-distinguished/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [“Good ideas don’t stand a chance against good bureaucracy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sakurazaka/good-ideas-don-t-stand-a-chance-against-good-bureaucracy/) [Hiroshi Sakurazaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sakurazaka/) > [“Ideas we don't know we have, have us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hill/ideas-we-don-t-know-we-have-have-us/) [James Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hill/) > [Inspiration is hogwash. My work comes directly out of my loves and hates. Muses don't whisper in my ear, and ideas don't flow over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-victore/inspiration-is-hogwash-my-work-comes-directly-out-of-my-loves-and/) [James Victore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-victore/) > [I have big ideas. If you don't like them, don't vote for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcauliffe/i-have-big-ideas-if-you-don-t-like-them-don-t-vote-for-me/) [Terry McAuliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcauliffe/) > [“It's really hard to know what's a good idea when you're growing and these ideas don't hold still and neither do you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/it-s-really-hard-to-know-what-s-a-good-idea-when-you-re-growing-and/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [If you're working on ideas, and you don't know what they are, keep working on them. You don't know what they'll be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-griffin/if-you-re-working-on-ideas-and-you-don-t-know-what-they-are-keep/) [Patty Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-griffin/) > [Ideas don’t make money, effort does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-michalowicz/ideas-don-t-make-money-effort-does/) [Mike Michalowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-michalowicz/) > [C++ is designed to allow you to express ideas, but if you don't have ideas or don't have any clue about how to express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarne-stroustrup/c-is-designed-to-allow-you-to-express-ideas-but-if-you-don-t-have/) [Bjarne Stroustrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarne-stroustrup/) > [“Ideas don’t come out fully formed , they only become clearer as you work on them . You just have to get started.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/ideas-don-t-come-out-fully-formed-they-only-become-clearer-as-you/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Ideas don't desert you; ideas aren't treasonous to you, but people can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/ideas-don-t-desert-you-ideas-aren-t-treasonous-to-you-but-people-can/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [A lot of times, people start out with a lot of good ideas, but then they don't execute. They lose the purity of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/a-lot-of-times-people-start-out-with-a-lot-of-good-ideas-but-then/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [There are always a bunch of ideas floating around and I do the best that I can to try to not do them. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-abrams/there-are-always-a-bunch-of-ideas-floating-around-and-i-do-the-best/) [J. J. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-abrams/) > [Ideas don't get smaller when they're shared, they get bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/ideas-don-t-get-smaller-when-they-re-shared-they-get-bigger/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More by Charlie Munger > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Acquire worldly wisdom and adjust your behavior accordingly. If your new behavior gives you a little temporary unpopularity with your peer group then to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/acquire-worldly-wisdom-and-adjust-your-behavior-accordingly-if-your/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I think time and time again, in reality, psychological notions and economic notions interplay, and the man who doesn't understand both is a damned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-think-time-and-time-again-in-reality-psychological-notions-and/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I have what I call an iron prescription that helps me keep sane when I naturally drift toward preferring one ideology over another and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-have-what-i-call-an-iron-prescription-that-helps-me-keep-sane-when/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [The tax code gives you an enormous advantage if you can find some things you can just sit with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/the-tax-code-gives-you-an-enormous-advantage-if-you-can-find-some/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [The great lesson in microeconomics is to discriminate between when technology is going to help you and when it's going to kill you. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/the-great-lesson-in-microeconomics-is-to-discriminate-between-when/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Some years ago one oil company bought a fertilizer company, and every other major oil company practically ran out and bought a fertilizer company.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/some-years-ago-one-oil-company-bought-a-fertilizer-company-and-every/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [ They \[Mc Donalds\] take people and give them a first job, which enables them to get a second job. They do a very good… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/they-mc-donalds-take-people-and-give-them-a-first-job-which-enables/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [What good is envy? It’s the one sin you can’t have any fun at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/what-good-is-envy-it-s-the-one-sin-you-can-t-have-any-fun-at/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [We believe that almost all really good investment records will involve relatively little diversification. The basic idea that it was hard to find good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/we-believe-that-almost-all-really-good-investment-records-will/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [It is way less certain to be a wonderful business in the future. The threat is alternative mediums of information. Every newspaper is scrambling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/it-is-way-less-certain-to-be-a-wonderful-business-in-the-future-the/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [In the corporate world, if you have analysts, due diligence, and no horse sense, you've just described hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/in-the-corporate-world-if-you-have-analysts-due-diligence-and-no/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [We have to have a special insight, or we'll put it in the 'too tough' basket. All of you have to look for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/we-have-to-have-a-special-insight-or-we-ll-put-it-in-the-too-tough/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I've heard that one-half of the students at elite schools want to go into private equity or hedge funds. They want to keep up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-ve-heard-that-one-half-of-the-students-at-elite-schools-want-to-go/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Explore all 544 Charlie Munger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) ## 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": "You have to have a temperament to grab ideas and do sensible things. 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