--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A lot of really great, innovative things…" description: "\"A lot of really great, innovative things have happened when people just didn't know it wasn't supposed to be possible.\" — Drew Houston" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/drew-houston-14131_great_a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things_2696954.jpg" --- # A lot of really great, innovative things have happened… ![“A lot of really great, innovative things have happened when people just didn't know it wasn't supposed to be possible.” quote by Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/drew-houston-14131_great_a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things_2696954.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/drew-houston-14131_great_a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things_2696954.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/drew-houston-14131_great_a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things_2696954.jpg) > “A lot of really great, innovative things have happened when people just didn't know it wasn't supposed to be possible.” [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Innovation thrives when people challenge perceived limits, leading to breakthroughs once thought impossible. **In simple terms:** Great ideas emerge when we ignore “cannot”. Key Takeaway Question assumptions to unlock new possibilities. Themes innovation possibility mindset creativity Mood optimistic energetic Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - startup pitches - R&D labs - product design sessions Key Concepts disruptive thinking growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - What limits are you imposing on yourself? - How can you test the feasibility of bold ideas? A Different Perspective Risk of overlooking practical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of times it's an asset to not know everything about everything... A lot of really great, innovative things have happened when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/a-lot-of-times-it-s-an-asset-to-not-know-everything-about-everything/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [It takes a tremendous amount of passion to do innovative things every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pratt/it-takes-a-tremendous-amount-of-passion-to-do-innovative-things-every/) Jane Pratt > [If you can keep learning, you can still do your thing, and keep singing or whatever, and still do innovative things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-angelo-batio/if-you-can-keep-learning-you-can-still-do-your-thing-and-keep-singing/) [Michael Angelo Batio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-angelo-batio/) > [Most innovative things are not obvious to other people at the time. You have to believe in yourself. If you've got a good idea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/most-innovative-things-are-not-obvious-to-other-people-at-the-time/) [Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/) > [Schools and districts and unions are working together on some really innovative things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/schools-and-districts-and-unions-are-working-together-on-some-really/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [I'm hoping that I continue to be innovative on things that are tremendously visible and are still important projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-m-hoping-that-i-continue-to-be-innovative-on-things-that-are/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [“Too many things had happened in too short a time span. Did people’s lives really change this quickly? Years of sameness, and then a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mckenzie/too-many-things-had-happened-in-too-short-a-time-span-did-people-s/) [Catherine McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mckenzie/) > [You have to look at things that happened in your life and ask why. It comes around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-hoddle/you-have-to-look-at-things-that-happened-in-your-life-and-ask-why-it/) [Glenn Hoddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-hoddle/) > [“People and birds were alike. Things happened that hurt them or made their lives harder. All the time. But losing someone or something important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-goldsmith/people-and-birds-were-alike-things-happened-that-hurt-them-or-made/) Suzanne Goldsmith > [At any given moment in our lives, there are certain things that could have happened but didn't. The magic moments go unrecognized, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/at-any-given-moment-in-our-lives-there-are-certain-things-that-could/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Certain things happened in the early church. Women who had never had any freedom suddenly have the ability to stand up and speak and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/certain-things-happened-in-the-early-church-women-who-had-never-had/) [Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/) > [Memory is the diary that chronicles things that never happened or couldn't possibly have happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/memory-is-the-diary-that-chronicles-things-that-never-happened-or/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Because sometimes Lucky wanted to change everything, all the bad things that had happened, and sometimes she wanted everything to stay the same forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-patron/because-sometimes-lucky-wanted-to-change-everything-all-the-bad/) [Susan Patron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-patron/) > [Steve, all those things that happened to us, everything that went before, we'll forget it. You'll see. I'll make you forget it. After it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-fuchs/steve-all-those-things-that-happened-to-us-everything-that-went/) Daniel Fuchs > [Getting married is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It's fantastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-redman/getting-married-is-one-of-the-best-things-that-has-ever-happened-to/) [Amanda Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-redman/) ## More by Drew Houston > [The only way to learn on a zero dollar budget is to talk to people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/the-only-way-to-learn-on-a-zero-dollar-budget-is-to-talk-to-people/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [You become the average of the five people you hang out with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/you-become-the-average-of-the-five-people-you-hang-out-with/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [You must maximize the probability that someone shows up at front door of your store or website and ends up with a solved problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/you-must-maximize-the-probability-that-someone-shows-up-at-front-door/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Even if it doesn't work out, the experience is so valuable to so many employers that your worst case scenario is, 'Ok, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/even-if-it-doesn-t-work-out-the-experience-is-so-valuable-to-so-many/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [If you're going to go to the moon, you don't shoot the rocket right at the moon. You have to go at it obliquely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-re-going-to-go-to-the-moon-you-don-t-shoot-the-rocket-right-at/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [The happiest and most successful people I know don't just love what they do, they're obsessed with solving an important problem, something that matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/the-happiest-and-most-successful-people-i-know-don-t-just-love-what/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Don't worry about failure; you only have to be right once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/don-t-worry-about-failure-you-only-have-to-be-right-once/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [No one is born a CEO, but no one tells you that. The magazine stories make it sound like Mark Zuckerberg woke up one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/no-one-is-born-a-ceo-but-no-one-tells-you-that-the-magazine-stories/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Learn early, learn often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/learn-early-learn-often/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [One of the great things about moving to Silicon Valley is that you're surrounded by all these people who've done it before. This place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/one-of-the-great-things-about-moving-to-silicon-valley-is-that-you-re/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Where you live matters: there's only one MIT. And there's only one Hollywood and only one Silicon Valley. This isn't a coincidence: for whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/where-you-live-matters-there-s-only-one-mit-and-there-s-only-one/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Dropbox is my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/dropbox-is-my-life/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [When you’re in school, every little mistake is a permanent crack in your windshield. But in the real world, if you’re not swerving around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/when-you-re-in-school-every-little-mistake-is-a-permanent-crack-in/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [When I think about it, the happiest and most successful people I know don't just love what they do, they're obsessed with solving something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/when-i-think-about-it-the-happiest-and-most-successful-people-i-know/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [If you have a dream, you can spend a lifetime studying, planning, and getting ready for it. What you should be doing is getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/if-you-have-a-dream-you-can-spend-a-lifetime-studying-planning-and/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) [Explore all 47 Drew Houston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) ## More Great quotes > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [I'm very proud of some of the stories I've been given thanks to the team at 'Emmerdale,' they've been great over the years so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelvin-fletcher/i-m-very-proud-of-some-of-the-stories-i-ve-been-given-thanks-to-the/) [Kelvin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelvin-fletcher/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [No matter how many great things you say about Jacques Pepin, there's always more. Through his books and videos, he taught me the importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/no-matter-how-many-great-things-you-say-about-jacques-pepin-there-s/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I always bump into people that Ive met. Not great friends, but if I bump into somebody Ive known and I wont recognise them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-franchitti/i-always-bump-into-people-that-ive-met-not-great-friends-but-if-i/) [Dario Franchitti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-franchitti/) > [Performance matters because games are built on great performance, but form factor and energy efficiency matter incredibly because they want to build something that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-huang/performance-matters-because-games-are-built-on-great-performance-but/) [Jensen Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-huang/) > [I'm a lot of things, but none of them are great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-nelson/i-m-a-lot-of-things-but-none-of-them-are-great/) [Don Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-nelson/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) Browse all 24,273 Great quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A lot of really great, innovative things have happened when people just didn't know it wasn't supposed to be possible.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Drew Houston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things-have-happened-when-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Great" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things-have-happened-when-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/drew-houston-14131_great_a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things_2696954.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/drew-houston-14131_great_a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things_2696954.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/drew-houston-14131_great_a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things_2696954.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A lot of really great, innovative things have happened when people just didn't know it wasn't supposed to be…” — Drew Houston", "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": "Drew Houston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A lot of really great, innovative...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things-have-happened-when-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/a-lot-of-really-great-innovative-things-have-happened-when-people/#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 } } ] } ```