--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are not willing to look stupid…" description: "\"“If you are not willing to look stupid, nothing great is ever going to happen to you.”\" — David Shore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/david-shore-29274_greatness_if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-no_2549660.png" --- # If you are not willing to look stupid, nothing great is… ![“If you are not willing to look stupid, nothing great is ever going to happen to you.” quote by David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/david-shore-29274_greatness_if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-no_2549660.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/david-shore-29274_greatness_if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-no_2549660.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/david-shore-29274_greatness_if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-no_2549660.png) > ““If you are not willing to look stupid, nothing great is ever going to happen to you.”” [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great achievements require risking embarrassment or appearing foolish. **In simple terms:** You must risk looking foolish to achieve greatness. Key Takeaway Accept the possibility of looking foolish. Themes risk growth creativity Mood inspirational bold Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - public speaking - new project launch - artistic performance Key Concepts innovation learning from failure Questions to Reflect On - What would you try if you weren’t afraid of looking stupid? - How does failure contribute to mastery? A Different Perspective Fear of ridicule can inhibit action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) ## Related quotes > [I think if you're an actor you kind of have to be willing to look stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-graham/i-think-if-you-re-an-actor-you-kind-of-have-to-be-willing-to-look/) [Heather Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-graham/) > [“the stupid great oaf’s got himself badly injured.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/the-stupid-great-oaf-s-got-himself-badly-injured/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [Stupid is a great force in human affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/stupid-is-a-great-force-in-human-affairs/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“She’s obviously stupid for you. And you’re just plain stupid, so it’s a great match.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/she-s-obviously-stupid-for-you-and-you-re-just-plain-stupid-so-it-s-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Simmon pushed his hair out of his eyes, laughing boyishly. "You can't argue your way out of this one! She's obviously stupid for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/simmon-pushed-his-hair-out-of-his-eyes-laughing-boyishly-you-can-t/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [When you have the arrogance, the confidence and you can't cook, then you're only going to look stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/when-you-have-the-arrogance-the-confidence-and-you-can-t-cook-then/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) > [“At that point, I realized that I could see myself in all things… objects, people, places, experiences, what have you… as long as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-severson/at-that-point-i-realized-that-i-could-see-myself-in-all-things/) [Kayla Severson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla-severson/) > [We gotta be willing to seek direction ... we've gotta be willing to look within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/we-gotta-be-willing-to-seek-direction-we-ve-gotta-be-willing-to-look/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [“... one could find plenty of intelligent women in the world if one were willing to look.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-de-pizan/one-could-find-plenty-of-intelligent-women-in-the-world-if-one-were/) [Christine de Pizan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-de-pizan/) > [At the end of the day we all have flaws we just have to find that right person who is willing to look pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-the-end-of-the-day-we-all-have-flaws-we-just-have-to-find-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “\[...\] you're willing to look past things and to give people second chances. But the thing is, Rose, some people don't deserve them.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/you-re-willing-to-look-past-things-and-to-give-people-second-chances/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [Unless you're willing to look a little foolish, forget the possibility of becoming great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cher/unless-you-re-willing-to-look-a-little-foolish-forget-the-possibility/) [Cher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cher/) > [You have to be willing to look a certain way, and hold your body a certain way, until you get to where you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-marie/you-have-to-be-willing-to-look-a-certain-way-and-hold-your-body-a/) [Rene Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-marie/) > [You have to be willing - you have strong ideas, you have strong views, but you have to be willing also to look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/you-have-to-be-willing-you-have-strong-ideas-you-have-strong-views/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [Kindness is willing to look in the face of the hurting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/kindness-is-willing-to-look-in-the-face-of-the-hurting/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) ## More by David Shore > [You have to make changes before people are clamoring for changes. 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And, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/if-your-audience-doesn-t-like-something-you-should-think-to-yourself/) [David Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) [Explore all 18 David Shore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/) ## More Greatness quotes > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Every man who is high up likes to think that he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-who-is-high-up-likes-to-think-that-he-has-done-it-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. 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Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [Men generally decide upon a middle course, which is most hazardous, for they know neither how to be entirely good nor entirely bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-generally-decide-upon-a-middle-course-which-is-most-hazardous-for/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. Greatness is being accepted by the people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/greatness-is-not-guarding-yourself-from-people-greatness-is-being/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [The superior man is distressed by his want (lack) of ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-superior-man-is-distressed-by-his-want-lack-of-ability/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Great men don't 'move to the center' - great men move the center!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/great-men-don-t-move-to-the-center-great-men-move-the-center/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Perfection is the enemy of greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/perfection-is-the-enemy-of-greatness/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) Whitney Gaskell [Browse all 7,631 Greatness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you are not willing to look stupid, nothing great is ever going to happen to you.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Shore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-nothing-great-is-ever-going-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Greatness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-nothing-great-is-ever-going-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/david-shore-29274_greatness_if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-no_2549660.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/david-shore-29274_greatness_if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-no_2549660.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5c/david-shore-29274_greatness_if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-no_2549660.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you are not willing to look stupid, nothing great is ever going to happen to you.” — David Shore", "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 Shore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If you are not willing to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-nothing-great-is-ever-going-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shore/if-you-are-not-willing-to-look-stupid-nothing-great-is-ever-going-to/#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 } } ] } ```