--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best means to an end are not always…" description: "\"“The best means to an end are not always those that appear most direct.”\" — David Brin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-brin-3024_means_the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always_2679309.png" --- # The best means to an end are not always those that appear… ![“The best means to an end are not always those that appear most direct.” quote by David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-brin-3024_means_the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always_2679309.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-brin-3024_means_the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always_2679309.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-brin-3024_means_the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always_2679309.png) > ““The best means to an end are not always those that appear most direct.”” [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The most effective solutions are not always the most obvious. **In simple terms:** Best paths can be indirect. Key Takeaway Consider alternative strategies. Themes strategy problem solving innovation Mood thoughtful analytical Type strategic inspirational When to use this quote - business planning - scientific research - personal decisions Key Concepts directness complexity Questions to Reflect On - When have you chosen a less direct approach? - What risks accompany indirect solutions? A Different Perspective Indirect routes may be slower or riskier. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appear Direct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appear-direct-2567193/) [Best Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-means-1176858/) [End Appear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-appear-2567192/) [Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means/) [Means End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means-end/) ## Related quotes > [As the means, so the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/as-the-means-so-the-end/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The darkroom is just the means to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-weston/the-darkroom-is-just-the-means-to-an-end/) [Kim Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-weston/) > [Law professors like Obama tend to view the law as one means to an end, and others, like myself, tend to view it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-turley/law-professors-like-obama-tend-to-view-the-law-as-one-means-to-an-end/) [Jonathan Turley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-turley/) > [What does it mean to be the best? It means you have to be better than the number two guy. But what gratification is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-does-it-mean-to-be-the-best-it-means-you-have-to-be-better-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Loving someone means you only want the best for them even if it means swallowing the sad reality that the best just isnt you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dev/loving-someone-means-you-only-want-the-best-for-them-even-if-it-means-2/) [Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dev/) > [To me, being the best means proving it in different countries and championships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiano-ronaldo/to-me-being-the-best-means-proving-it-in-different-countries-and/) [Cristiano Ronaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiano-ronaldo/) > [“Freedom to be your best means nothing unless you are wiling to do your best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/freedom-to-be-your-best-means-nothing-unless-you-are-wiling-to-do/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [“Do your best” means showing up and doing your best without being attached to the outcome. It means reality is not something you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horton/do-your-best-means-showing-up-and-doing-your-best-without-being/) [Tony Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horton/) > [Leaving someone behind means you only want the best for him, even if it means swallowing the sad reality that the best just isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/leaving-someone-behind-means-you-only-want-the-best-for-him-even-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Loving someone means you only want the best for them, even if it means swallowing the sad reality that the best just isn't you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loving-someone-means-you-only-want-the-best-for-them-even-if-it-means/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Doing your best means never stop trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/doing-your-best-means-never-stop-trying/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Doing your best means never stop trying. Trying the best way you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-mamerto/doing-your-best-means-never-stop-trying-trying-the-best-way-you-can/) [Edwin Mamerto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-mamerto/) > [Wisdom denotes the pursuing of the best ends by the best means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-hutcheson/wisdom-denotes-the-pursuing-of-the-best-ends-by-the-best-means/) [Francis Hutcheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-hutcheson/) > [Education is the best means-probably the only means-by which nations can cultivate a degree of objectivity about each other's behavior and intentions. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/education-is-the-best-means-probably-the-only-means-by-which-nations/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [“If you are bitter, that means they got the best of you. If they got the best of you, that means they won.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/if-you-are-bitter-that-means-they-got-the-best-of-you-if-they-got-the/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) ## More by David Brin > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Anything done in secret is more likely to result in terrible errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/anything-done-in-secret-is-more-likely-to-result-in-terrible-errors/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Men can be brilliant and strong, they whispered to one another. But men can be mad, as well. And the mad ones can ruin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/men-can-be-brilliant-and-strong-they-whispered-to-one-another-but-men/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Strutting and preening is, in fact, the surest sign of an inferiority complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/strutting-and-preening-is-in-fact-the-surest-sign-of-an-inferiority/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“We aren’t a curse upon the world. We are her new eyes. Her brain, testes, ovaries . . . her ambition and her heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/we-aren-t-a-curse-upon-the-world-we-are-her-new-eyes-her-brain-testes/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [If you believe you can make a living as a writer, you already have enough ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/if-you-believe-you-can-make-a-living-as-a-writer-you-already-have/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Historically, central planners have generally done a poor job of managing economic resources - this we've known since the time of the Pharaohs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/historically-central-planners-have-generally-done-a-poor-job-of/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [A neurosis defends itself by coming up with rationalizations to explain away bizarre behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/a-neurosis-defends-itself-by-coming-up-with-rationalizations-to/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Alas, criticism has always been what human beings, especially leaders, most hate to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/alas-criticism-has-always-been-what-human-beings-especially-leaders/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [It's how creativity works. Especially in humans. For every good idea, ten thousand idiotic ones must first be posed, sifted, tried out, and discarded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/it-s-how-creativity-works-especially-in-humans-for-every-good-idea/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Tragedies such as Nevil Shute's 'On the Beach' and Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr Strangelove' are so powerful because there's an underlying assumption that this did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/tragedies-such-as-nevil-shute-s-on-the-beach-and-stanley-kubrick-s-dr/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [In contrast, markets - oft mythologized as "natural" are the most unnatural things going. Libertarians will tell you "market laws are laws of nature",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/in-contrast-markets-oft-mythologized-as-natural-are-the-most/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Snow and soot covered the ancient tree's broken branches and seared bark. It wasn't dead, not quite yet. Here and there tiny shoots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/snow-and-soot-covered-the-ancient-tree-s-broken-branches-and-seared/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“As simple an act as reading or writing a sentence must be surrounded by perceptory nap and weave . . . an itch, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/as-simple-an-act-as-reading-or-writing-a-sentence-must-be-surrounded/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Ideologies are too seductive anyway. It does a man good to see things from a different point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/ideologies-are-too-seductive-anyway-it-does-a-man-good-to-see-things/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) [Explore all 142 David Brin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) ## More Means quotes > [Water is life, and clean water means health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/water-is-life-and-clean-water-means-health/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. 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Which means, I'm interested in pursuing and understanding the spiritual nature of things. A Gnostic is somebody seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-would-call-myself-a-gnostic-which-means-i-m-interested-in-pursuing/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [Alfred Nobel believed that social changes are brought about slowly, and sometimes by indirect means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertha-von-suttner/alfred-nobel-believed-that-social-changes-are-brought-about-slowly/) [Bertha von Suttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertha-von-suttner/) > [If the Bible is correct, and the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that means there were no dinosaurs, and museum curators have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-shock/if-the-bible-is-correct-and-the-earth-is-only-6-000-years-old-that/) [Ron Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-shock/) > ['I am insecure' means: I can't cope on my own. The odds are overwhelming. I can't resist them on my own. I need us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/i-am-insecure-means-i-can-t-cope-on-my-own-the-odds-are-overwhelming/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [To play with Russ and Paul George, to be out there with them, I think means a lot for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-schroder/to-play-with-russ-and-paul-george-to-be-out-there-with-them-i-think/) [Dennis Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-schroder/) > [There is no reason why one should believe you should leave out politicians in cricket or any sport for that matter. There are ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roosevelt-skerrit/there-is-no-reason-why-one-should-believe-you-should-leave-out/) [Roosevelt Skerrit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roosevelt-skerrit/) > [Standing as a witness in all things means being kind in all things, being the first to say hello, being the first to smile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-d-nadauld/standing-as-a-witness-in-all-things-means-being-kind-in-all-things/) [Margaret D. Nadauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-d-nadauld/) > [I have never really been fond of animals. I certainly wasn't an 'animal lover' when I became involved in the movement. I just came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-have-never-really-been-fond-of-animals-i-certainly-wasn-t-an-animal/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [I think we should have basically the same tax policy that Germany, Japan, the U.K., everybody else has, which is a tax rate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/i-think-we-should-have-basically-the-same-tax-policy-that-germany/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) [Browse all 2,943 Means quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The best means to an end are not always those that appear most direct.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Brin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always-those-that-appear-most-direct/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Means" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always-those-that-appear-most-direct/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-brin-3024_means_the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always_2679309.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-brin-3024_means_the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always_2679309.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-brin-3024_means_the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always_2679309.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The best means to an end are not always those that appear most direct.” — David Brin", "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": "David Brin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The best means to an end...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always-those-that-appear-most-direct/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/the-best-means-to-an-end-are-not-always-those-that-appear-most-direct/#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 } } ] } ```