--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can't impose our will on a system. We…" description: "\"“We can't impose our will on a system. We can listen to what the system tells us, and discover how its properties and our values can work together to b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/donella-h-meadows-29150_discovery_we-can-t-impose-our-will-on-a-system-we_1024349.jpg" --- # We can't impose our will on a system. We can listen to… ![“We can't impose our will on a system. We can listen to what the system tells us, and discover how its properties and our values can work together to bring forth something much better than could ever be produced by our will alone.” quote by Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/donella-h-meadows-29150_discovery_we-can-t-impose-our-will-on-a-system-we_1024349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/donella-h-meadows-29150_discovery_we-can-t-impose-our-will-on-a-system-we_1024349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/donella-h-meadows-29150_discovery_we-can-t-impose-our-will-on-a-system-we_1024349.jpg) > ““We can't impose our will on a system. We can listen to what the system tells us, and discover how its properties and our values can work together to bring forth something much better than could ever be produced by our will alone.”” [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates listening to system feedback and aligning values with system properties for better outcomes. **In simple terms:** Work with systems, not against them. Key Takeaway Collaborate with system dynamics. Themes systems thinking collaboration values Mood analytical optimistic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - policy design - organizational change - technology development - environmental planning Key Concepts systems theory ecology design thinking Questions to Reflect On - What system feedback have you ignored? - How can values guide system design? A Different Perspective Complex systems may resist simple alignment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Impose Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impose-listen-2302257/) [Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen/) [Listen Tells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listen-tells-279081/) [Systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/systems/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Values Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values-work-898218/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [Work together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-together/) ## Related quotes > [“You never know why God has you move the way He does. You should just listen when He tells you to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacinta-howard/you-never-know-why-god-has-you-move-the-way-he-does-you-should-just/) [Jacinta Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacinta-howard/) > [Take care not to listen to anyone who tells you what you can and can't be in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-medina/take-care-not-to-listen-to-anyone-who-tells-you-what-you-can-and-can/) [Meg Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-medina/) > [How do geese know when to fly to the sun? Who tells them the seasons? How do we, humans know when it is time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/how-do-geese-know-when-to-fly-to-the-sun-who-tells-them-the-seasons/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“When you play, you must open your heart to its magic. 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You are how you work!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-steinberg/work-needs-to-be-a-reflection-of-your-social-values-you-are-how-you/) [Leigh Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-steinberg/) > [No, I always felt that amongst my core fans- because there was a level of popularity that I had in the mid '80s that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/no-i-always-felt-that-amongst-my-core-fans-because-there-was-a-level/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [“There is no safe container to store your values while you’re at work; not living your deepest values will leak on you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/there-is-no-safe-container-to-store-your-values-while-you-re-at-work/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [From the point of view of the athletes we work with, we want to create a real, strong team that speaks to our values.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-francis/from-the-point-of-view-of-the-athletes-we-work-with-we-want-to-create/) [Ben Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-francis/) > [You do have to keep in mind as you're going through extraordinarily difficult circumstances, that if you stay true, true to your values, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/you-do-have-to-keep-in-mind-as-you-re-going-through-extraordinarily/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [“Stigmas as the corollaries of values. If work, independence, responsibility, respectability are valued, then their converse must be devalued, seen as disreputable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/stigmas-as-the-corollaries-of-values-if-work-independence/) [Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/) > [A given order may at any given time fail to represent those values, even work against those values. I think that's the dynamic we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/a-given-order-may-at-any-given-time-fail-to-represent-those-values/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I just want to say that from an early age, my parents instilled in me the values that you work hard for want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-radziwill/i-just-want-to-say-that-from-an-early-age-my-parents-instilled-in-me/) [Carole Radziwill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-radziwill/) > [“You’ll give up nothing to live your personal values at work. The same can’t be said about choosing not to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/you-ll-give-up-nothing-to-live-your-personal-values-at-work-the-same/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [I wanted to explore the values that are at work, underpinning my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/i-wanted-to-explore-the-values-that-are-at-work-underpinning-my-life/) [Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/) ## More by Donella H. Meadows > [“So, what is a system? A system is a set of things—people, cells, molecules, or whatever—interconnected in such a way that they produce their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/so-what-is-a-system-a-system-is-a-set-of-things-people-cells/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“People don't need enormous cars; they need admiration and respect. They don't need a constant stream of new clothes; they need to feel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/people-don-t-need-enormous-cars-they-need-admiration-and-respect-they/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“When we, system dynamicists, see a pattern persist in many parts of a system over long periods, we assume that it has causes embedded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/when-we-system-dynamicists-see-a-pattern-persist-in-many-parts-of-a/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“But rules for sustainability, like every workable social rule, would be put into place not to destroy freedoms, but to create freedoms or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/but-rules-for-sustainability-like-every-workable-social-rule-would-be/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“Managers do not solve problems, they manage messes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/managers-do-not-solve-problems-they-manage-messes/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“You think that because you understand “one” that you must therefore understand “two” because one and one make two. But you forget that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/you-think-that-because-you-understand-one-that-you-must-therefore/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“The difference between a sustainable society and a present-day economic recession is like the difference between stopping and automobile purposefully with the brakes versus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/the-difference-between-a-sustainable-society-and-a-present-day/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“Model utility depends not on whether its driving scenarios are realistic (since no one can know that for sure), but on whether it responds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/model-utility-depends-not-on-whether-its-driving-scenarios-are/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“Designing a system for intrinsic responsibility could mean, for example, requiring all towns or companies that emit wastewater into a stream to place their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/designing-a-system-for-intrinsic-responsibility-could-mean-for/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“a system must consist of three kinds of things: elements, interconnections, and a function or purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/a-system-must-consist-of-three-kinds-of-things-elements/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“The systems-thinking lens allows us to reclaim our intuition about whole systems and • hone our abilities to understand parts, • see interconnections, •…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/the-systems-thinking-lens-allows-us-to-reclaim-our-intuition-about/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“One of the strangest assumptions of present-day mental models is the idea that world of moderation must be a world of strict, centralized government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/one-of-the-strangest-assumptions-of-present-day-mental-models-is-the/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“We see no reason why a sustainable world needs to leave anyone living in poverty. Quite the contrary, we think such a world would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/we-see-no-reason-why-a-sustainable-world-needs-to-leave-anyone-living/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“Because we bump into reinforcing loops so often, it is handy to know this shortcut: The time it takes for an exponentially growing stock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/because-we-bump-into-reinforcing-loops-so-often-it-is-handy-to-know/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) > [“Remember, always, that everything you know, and everything everyone knows, is only a model. Get your model out there where it can be viewed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-h-meadows/remember-always-that-everything-you-know-and-everything-everyone/) [Donella H. Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) [Explore all 18 Donella H. Meadows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-h-meadows/) ## More Discovery quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Throughout my work, I have assumed that the standard model is correct, and hence, the Higgs boson should be found. Although this is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashoke-sen/throughout-my-work-i-have-assumed-that-the-standard-model-is-correct/) [Ashoke Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashoke-sen/) > [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [ That has been another interesting discovery: that basically a city \[Lagos\] could recover from a really deep, deep, deep pit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/that-has-been-another-interesting-discovery-that-basically-a-city/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Every fact of science was once Damned. Every invention was considered impossible. Every discovery was a nervous shock to some orthodoxy. Every artistic innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/every-fact-of-science-was-once-damned-every-invention-was-considered/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [When we look at the love of Christ, we make a wonderful discovery. Love is more a decision than an emotion! Christ-like love applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-we-look-at-the-love-of-christ-we-make-a-wonderful-discovery-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/) > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) [Browse all 3,125 Discovery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We can't impose our will on a system. We can listen to what the system tells us, and discover how its properties and our values can work together to bring forth something much better than could ever be produced by our will alone.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donella H. 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